ALBANY — Governor Hochul has added her name to the growing list of elected officials calling on Queens Assemblyman Juan Ardila to resign over allegations of sexual misconduct ahead of his time in office.
Ardila has been facing pressure to resign since a pair of women came forward earlier this week to accuse him of making unwanted sexual advances at a party nearly a decade ago.
“I condemn all forms of sexual assault,” Hochul told reporters after an unrelated event in Manhattan on Thursday. “What he did is intolerable and unacceptable, and I support the survivors and their call for accountability. Yes, I should resign.”
Ardila, 29, is a progressive Democrat who represents Maspeth and Sunnyside. She took office in January, replacing former Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan, who decided not to seek re-election last year after serving nearly four decades in Albany.
The Fordham University graduate is accused of forcibly touching two women at a 2015 party while they were intoxicated and exposing himself to one of them. The Queens Chronicle first reported the alleged misconduct.
One of the women, who spoke anonymously to the Chronicle and the queens eaglesaid Ardila kissed her and groped her while the couple sat on a sofa.
The woman also relayed written accusations from a second woman, who the Chronicle reported was dragged into the bathroom by Ardila. Once there, she alleges that he kissed her and that when she pulled away from her, he exposed himself to her.
Ardila apologized for his behavior, but did not indicate whether he is considering resigning.
“I have spent time reflecting and I hope to show that I have matured since college,” he said in an earlier statement. “I am committed to learning from this and can demonstrate my own personal growth.”
Several of Ardila’s fellow liberal lawmakers have already called on him to resign.
Sens. Kristen González, Julia Salazar and Mike Gianaris, Assemblywoman Zohran Mamdani and Councilmember Julie Won, all Democrats, issued a joint statement Wednesday condemning their colleague’s behavior.
“While we believe in restorative justice, this process cannot occur while in a position of power,” they wrote.
