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U.S. NEWS Saturday 2 March 2019

HARASSMENT Developmental Disabilities. and counseled, though it
Continued from Front The agency's No. 2 official, declined to offer details.
Dominie has acknowl- Jay Kiyonaga, was fired last The women interviewed by
edged engaging in "locker year after an investigation the AP tell a much different
room" behavior — "I tell her revealed "reprehensible" story.
to 'shut her whore mouth' and "sexually inappropri- They said the two supervi-
and I'm the big villain?" he ate" acts by him that went sors witnessed the behavior
said — but denied expos- back years. and didn't properly handle
ing himself or threatening Dominie, 44, acknowl- multiple complaints, some
or touching anyone inap- edged in an interview with of which date to at least
propriately. He has been the AP that he engaged in 2015. Instead of reporting
suspended from his job "locker room" behavior that them for further investiga-
without pay since his arrest, included calling female co- tion, the women said, the
pleaded guilty to a harass- workers "whores," providing supervisors would repeat-
ment violation — less than marijuana to supervisors edly call Dominie in for This Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019 photo shows Mary Tromblee in the
a misdemeanor — and and viewing pornography meetings with his accusers office of the Solomon Law Firm in Albany, N.Y.
paid $120 in court costs. To in the office. and ask him to "do better." Associated Press
date, he remains a state He contended that he The women said he would
employee, pending the was only punished after he reform for a few days, only Opportunity Commission. ment Free Albany, was a
outcome of a disciplinary threatened to report the to go back to his old ways. Tromblee and another driving factor in the Legis-
proceeding. improper behavior of su- One woman recalled how woman who spoke about lature's decision to hold a
"This has to stop," said Mary pervisors, and that his con- Domine not only used ex- Dominie still work in the of- hearing on harassment last
Tromblee, the woman who duct and language were plicit language but also as- fice; a third has retired. month — the first hearing
accused Dominie of threat- long tolerated as part of signed letter grades — A, Tromblee recounted how dedicated to the topic in
ening sexual assault and in the office "culture." B, C, D or F — to female one supervisor, a wom- three decades.
the previous nine months "I was never offended by co-workers based on their an named Alexis Barlow, "Why were devoted pub-
complained that he twice it," he said. "I'm an old Ma- outfits and appearance on asked her whether she had lic servants like Mary left to
lifted her skirt, reached rine. It was a joke. We were any given day. The woman provoked the harassment defend themselves- not just
down her blouse to grope just horseplaying." said he showed a particu- by flirting with Dominie. against their harasser but
her breast and exposed Dominie, a 21-year veteran lar interest in feet, forcing Tromblee said in her EEOC their supervisors who are
himself by her desk. of the state agency who her to swear off open-toed complaint that another enabling victim-blamers?"
"Not one person protected made $41,000 a year be- shoes. "It got to a point supervisor, a man named the group tweeted. "We
me," said Tromblee, who fore his suspension, says the where I stopped caring Liam Stander, sometimes deserve better. We expect
took out a restraining order allegations of harassment what I look like. I stopped exchanged pornography more."
against Dominie and has prompted his wife to di- doing my makeup, doing with Dominie over their Caitlin Girouard, a spokes-
now filed a federal harass- vorce him, and he expects my hair. I gained a lot of smartphones and simulat- woman for Cuomo, called
ment complaint. "I want to be fired later this year. weight," one of the women ed sexual intercourse with the allegations raised by
people to know — you can To make ends meet, he's recalled. "I would wake up him through their clothes as the women "absolutely de-
stand up for yourself." been working as a youth every day thinking 'what employees watched. spicable and 100 percent
Though leaders such as sports referee. can I do to stop him from Stander has since retired. unacceptable" and said
Democratic Gov. Andrew Two supervisors, one of bothering me today?'" He and Barlow declined to the governor has worked
Cuomo insist New York whom has since retired, de- AP generally does not iden- comment for this story. to improve laws prohibit-
has a tough law on sexu- clined to comment to the tify those who say they were In response to the story, a ing harassment in both the
al harassment, with more AP. But the agency issued sexually assaulted or ha- group of former legislative public and private sectors.
changes proposed this a statement defending its rassed. Of the three women staffers who say they were "We fully expect the disci-
legislative session, the al- handling of the situation. AP interviewed about Do- harassed by lawmakers plinary processes to result
legations that roiled this of- "Upon learning of the alle- minie, it is identifying only called for additional legis- in appropriate penalties
fice of less than two dozen gations, OPWDD immedi- Tromblee, a 53-year-old lative hearings on harass- against anyone who has
in Glens Falls underscore a ately reported the incident registered nurse, because ment. The group, Harass- violated the law,"
familiar criticism: Aggres- to law enforcement and she said she wanted to tell
sive policies aren't of much the accused employee her story publicly. To our readers and clients: In lieu of Carnaval 65
use if managers don't take was placed on adminis- The two other women gave celebrations, Aruba Today will not be published on
action. Harassment is not a trative leave," it said. The accounts that were consis- Monday, March 4th, 2019. We will resume normal
new problem in New York statement added that tent with the formal com- operations on Tuesday, March 5th, 2019.
state government, nor is it unnamed employees in- plaints Tromblee lodged As always we appreciate your support and enjoy
for this particular agency, volved in the matter were with the state and with the Aruba’s No.1 tourist attraction after us, Carnaval 65!
the Office for People with "appropriately disciplined" federal Equal Employment