Queens Assemblymember Juan Ardila, who was recently accused by two women of sexually assaulting them at a 2015 party, has lost his ability to represent his Western Queens district, his constituents, local elected officials and his colleagues in Albany say.
On Thursday night, a representative for the freshman Democratic lawmaker appeared before Queens Community Board 2, which overlaps with Ardila’s district. The board is chaired by Danielle Brecker, who, as an elected state committee member, became one of the first elected officials to call for Ardila’s resignation last month. During Thursday’s meeting, the first since the allegations were made, Brecker had a message for Ardila.
“I don’t want to make this awkward,” Brecker told Ardila’s representative. “But there is a lot of frustration with the feeling that the assemblymember has not properly or fully addressed the allegations against him – and that he should really consider resigning.”
It’s been a month since the allegations against Ardila were first made public. In that time, nearly all of his Western Queens colleagues, one of the women he allegedly sexually assaulted, a number of his constituents and the governor have called on him to step down. He has, thus far, ignored those calls.
But also in that time, his fellow state legislators have been engaged in what is often the most important time in a lawmaker’s calendar – budget negotiating season. According to his colleagues, Ardila has been absent and has become, to some assemblymembers, a pariah in Albany. Some of his constituents have lost faith in his ability to advocate for them. And a number of his Western Queens colleagues at more local levels of government have sworn off collaborating with him on any policies or projects.
“A lot of people in the community have said to me, ‘this is really not okay’,” Brecker told the Eagle on Friday. “The first step of restorative justice is to listen to your survivor, and if you're an elected official, the second step of restorative justice is to listen to your community and to try to restore that trust, and if the community is saying we need you to step down, he should be listening to that.”
Other members of the board, including First Vice Chair Dr. Rosamond Gianutsos, said they were “concerned” that Ardila was not in Albany this week, and Caroline Spitzer, a constituent of Ardila’s, said she was disappointed that the lawmaker did not attend their meeting himself considering he wasn’t in Albany fighting for their needs in the state’s budget.
“Since he is posting on social media and not in Albany, I assumed he would be at the meeting,” Spitzer told the Eagle on Friday.
Ardila was not assigned to a budget negotiating committee, the only freshman Democrat to be left out. Spitzer said his exclusion from a committee also concerns her.
“We are in critical budget seasons and the fact that he wasn’t represented in any committees has me concerned,” she said. “We, as a district, are suffering for that.”
Although Brecker is not a constituent of Ardila’s, her board’s purview overlaps with his district. The board works closely with elected representatives at all levels of government and Brecker said that as of late, she doesn’t think that Ardila has been an effective representative.
“If he's not effective in Albany, he shouldn't be in Albany,” she said. “He's not doing the job.”
“I thought he was kind of good, but I feel like right now, [his constituents] are not being represented,” she added. “I was in Albany three weeks ago advocating for things in the budget. I didn't see him. I saw both of my electeds, I saw all the area electeds…I didn't see him anywhere.”
An average assemblymember is not negotiating the state’s budget line-by-line. Instead, they advocate for their position during their party’s conference meetings or they advocate for their position in public through rallies, the press or town halls with their constituents.
According to an assemblymember who requested anonymity, Ardila has been iced out of budget talks over the past month.
“I think there are a number of members who do not want to share space with him…I mean that in the very literal sense – if he's on the floor, I know that there are people who don't want to be on the floor,” the assemblymember said. “His presence in a room has an impact on whether or not people want to be in that same room.”
Assemblyman Juan Ardila ditched a pro-bail reform rally at the Capitol on Monday before refusing to answer questions from The Post about sexual misconduct allegations made against him by two women. The freshman Queens Democrat has avoided the press in recent weeks without explicitly saying whether he forcibly touched two women without their consent while they were intoxicated at a 2015 party.
One of the women says Ardila exposed himself and forcibly kissed her as well.
“I put my statement out and am focusing on doing the work,” the lawmaker said during a four-minute, one-sided interview in which The Post pressed him to clarify his contradictory statements about whether he did what he is accused of.
Fellow Democrats have mostly shunned Ardila, 29, ever since the Queens Chronicle revealed the accusations against him on March 13, weeks after he took office.
65 comments:
Sheeple voted for him even after Marxist Sandy backed him, he supported defund the police and he still won.
“Bail reform keeps communities safe?” Never have I seen so many stupid and ugly people in my life.
Hey! Leave the guy alone, he's just focusing on the work. Just what work remains to be seen.
Don Juan Ardila! LOL...
Here in the great red state of [ Enter generic red state name here ] we would blame all of this on fake media and encourage him to run for president. God is great.
I'm not surprised. It's the dem0rAts way. Make believe it never happened and ignore! They are all ignorant fools and the joke is on you the sheeple!
Strong and brave leader
I'm happy for NYC !
Fake news. It’s a deep state plot to go after a great leader. Thank God for Juan.
Conservative Normies REFUSE To Engage & Let Democrats Win, They MUST WAKE UP
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDMq_sWGLTE&ab_channel=TimcastIRL
FROM BUD LITE TO DUD LITE
I'm sure Biden will be offering Juan a govt cabinet position. He's perfect for the administration.
I drink Yuengling said...
The NYC Sheeple voters are the Losers of the week !
I'm happy you're happy !
THANK YOU JOE BIDEN !!!!!!!!!
I'm not surprised. It's the Repiublicans way. Make believe it never happened and ignore! They are all ignorant fools and the joke is on you the sheeple!
I lived in Queens for 30 years.
I had enough, so I sold my house for $750,000, packed my stuff and moved to the great state of Mississippi. I bought myself a nice house with a view of the swamp for $125,000. It's got a great view of the chemical factory down the road. I've got parking for my pickup truck and ATV on the front lawn and plenty of room on the side for my "Let's go Brandon" signs.
Not much crime except for the usual school shootings and a few massacres at the local mall. Most of the good church going white folk are happily overdosing on fentanyl. The governor is doing a great job keeping our freedoms, by banning books we don't like and making sure or women's vaginas are inspected regularly. Speaking of which, our freedoms loving schools regularly inspect the kids genitals just to make sure they're really boys and girls.
It's not too late. You still have a chance to pack your bags and move to a freedoms loving red state.
I don't like the guy, but I don't like this whole 'guilty until proven innocent' thing we've got going on in our culture right now. This guy worked so hard to make it this far, and everyone wants him to drop it all because of someone claiming something happened a decade ago?
Fellow democrats: "Job well done!"
Well, if the NY Post says it's true, I bet $787.5 Million that they are lying.
Prove me wrong ...
Whoever is investigating this, should be investigated.
This is obviously a witch hunt by un-American right wing extremists.
Tucker Carlson: Democrats are stoking racial violence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzgOlunQA48&ab_channel=FoxNews
Elon musk lost more money buying twitter but freedom of speech is priceless.
Yeah well, first they came for Alex Jones....
@“ Conservative Normies REFUSE…”
Sorry buddy, but “conservative normies” went extinct in the 1980s. Now it’s just rightwing nuts, Trumpanzees and QAnon creeps.
Sad …
Ha Ha Ha!!! A wacky full of herself progressive calling for the ouster of another wacky progressive is amusing. However, it is not amusing that Brecker thinks a Community Board is the appropriate place for her to voice her political opinions. She sure must have missed the memo that said Community Board Chairpersons preside at meetings and have to do it fairly. Ardilla may be a slime, but he has not been proven guilty of anything. On the other hand, Brecker should be removed by King Donovan as the required record of that meeting will clearly prove Brecker violated her responsibility as a presiding officer of a governmental body.
Why dose it matter to some what party he is in ?
Nice to see a NY Dem0rAt speechless for once.
Expose them all. Ridicule them back into obscurity and shame.
I wonder if Juan says (Most Dems Do) not giving kids puberty blockers is a form of mutilation.
I'm not shocked at all said...
Hunter Biden: Not indicted
The Big Guy: Not indicted
The Clintons: Not indicted
Epstein’s clients: Not indicted
Anthony Fauci: Not indicted
DC insider traders: Not indicted
Iraq War criminals: Not indicted
COVID criminals: Not indicted
BLM rioters: Not indicted
Sandy faces ethics complaint from Heritage Foundation for ‘defaming’ Libs of TikTok creator.
https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1641453002765787140?cxt=HHwWiIDTleWzzsctAAAA
We all need to Save and protect the children and women of America !
He should resign and do the right thing.
He's a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody
I deleted all social media in 2014, and my happiness improved dramatically.
Leave this woman alone.
Q said...
Sad situation, very sad...
NY Electurds Really keeping us safe, huh
@"THANK YOU JOE BIDEN !!!!!!!!!"
Your welcome!
@"Sheeple voted for him even after Marxist Sandy backed him, he supported defund the police and he still won."
What are you on about, defund the police. Who defunded them and when?
@"“Bail reform keeps communities safe?” Never have I seen so many stupid and ugly people in my life."
Time for you to get a mirror.
"This guy worked so hard to make it this far,"
He cheated he lied about his character . If thats hard work?
He didn't even know where he was half the time during his campaign(s).
According to his colleagues he's not even in Albany for the budget hearings, WTF Juan?!
This guy should be president, everyone is saying it. If TrumpTurd can be the darling of the Religious Loonies and Fakriots, this Dodo could be the redeemer of the whatever.
The evil dem/Soros hellscape of NYC
@"He cheated he lied about his character . If thats hard work? "
Have you got Trump derangement syndrome?
@"Tucker Carlson: Democrats are stoking racial violence"
$800M says he's lying.
Shame that the Murdoch empire got away with just a slap on the wrist for lying about stolen elections etc. Why aren't Murdoch, Carlson and Hannity behind bars?
Even more hilarious is that there are still some dimwits out there who believe the lies that this corporation spews.
Sad.
@"The evil dem/Soros hellscape of NYC"
Yeah, this Soros guy seems to be everywhere.
Remember his campaign manager Derek Evers and his penis? https://imposemagazine.com/bytes/humor/derek-evers-menage-a-trois
>He cheated he lied about his character . If thats hard work?
Are you confusing him with George Santos?
He is not alone.
NY State probes soft-on-crime NY Judge Naita Semaj over claims of abusive, unprofessional courtroom antics.
Semaj is one of the worst of them all. Lives far out in country club away from all the crime of the Bronx but she lets all the terrible criminals out to repeat more crimes.
"Yeah, this Soros guy seems to be everywhere" That's dam
right
Some Sheeple I know are demanding that Fat Alvin Bragg be appointed to investigate, and determine what punishment is appropriate, using his 'Equity in Criminal Sentencing' policy.
Does anyone believe this guy ? He's a demoRat...
@"NY State probes soft-on-crime NY Judge Naita Semaj"
Well, that should suit the newly minted soft-on-crime right wing nuts. Is this the judge that TrumpTurd is looking for his case?
@"Are you confusing him with George Santos?"
No you and your absolutely zero intelligence !
Low Class, very low class...
@ No you and your absolutely zero intelligence !“
There you go, spreading rightwing hate again..,
I'm waiting for more leftist trolls to say exactly why this isn't true.
>No you and your absolutely zero intelligence !
Rude!
Speaking of the NY Post. I see that Tucker the Liar is gone.
Sad ...
It’s like Fox hired Budweiser executives to run the network.
Tucker is going to have a great podcast. Rumble ?
@"I'm waiting for more leftist trolls to say exactly why this isn't true."
'why this isn't true' !
Signed,
Leftist Troll.
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