Avi Small, the press secretary for Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, has been placed on leave following a serious sexual harassment claim from a fellow staff member.
The incident reportedly occurred during an all-staff retreat held in Albany on June 16, 2025.
This development adds pressure on Hochul, who has positioned herself as a reformer determined to eradicate workplace misconduct within her administration.
Small, a trusted aide who has risen quickly through the ranks since Hochul took office in 2021, was promoted from deputy press secretary to press secretary in mid-2023.
Prior to his tenure in Albany, Small worked on former President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign and served New York Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, establishing strong Democratic credentials, according to OANN.
The timing of the alleged incident coincided with the retreat, which included activities such as a softball game, but exact details of the misconduct location remain unclear.
Hochul has built much of her public image around confronting and correcting the toxic workplace culture that plagued her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, who resigned amid a scandal involving multiple sexual harassment allegations.
From her first days in office, Hochul pledged a strict zero-tolerance policy toward misconduct and implemented sweeping reforms to protect