Westchester’s highest ranking legislator resigned from her leadership post Friday amid allegations she mishandled claims that an ex-aide tried to solicit sex from a teen girl.
Board of Legislators Chair Catherine Borgia stepped down, though only after she brought an unsuccessful lawsuit against her peers on the board in a bid to stop them from tossing her from the leadership position this week.
In a statement Friday, she said “institutional misogyny” forced her from the post.
She will remain a legislator, though she’s term-limited and will be out of office at the end of this year.
Democratic colleagues said Borgia took insufficient action when she found out in December that a now-fired aide allegedly attempted to meet up with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl.
When lawmakers scheduled a meeting Wednesday to boot her from her post, Borgia sued to prevent the move, but lost in court Friday, according to The Journal News.
Another vote to remove her was set for Friday following the judge’s ruling, but Borgia instead vacated the chair before being pushed out.
“This board was fully prepared to act on the items on today’s agenda, however at 3:30 p.m. today Legislator Catherine Borgia resigned her position as chair of this board,” Legislative Vice Chair Nancy Barr said at Friday’s meeting.
Trouble for Borgia started earlier this month when a video from catch-a-predator group OBL Global emerged that purports to show an aide allegedly exchanging sexually explicit texts and phone calls with a decoy whose posed as a teen. Anand Singh, 33, is then confronted during the sting operation after he allegedly arrived at a New Jersey building to see the teen decoy in December.
Singh, who was fired April 13, has not been charged, but the Westchester District Attorney’s Office is probing the case. Borgia previously said the FBI was also investigating.
In a public resolution before Borgia resigned, legislators said the staffer continued to attend work in-person and his responsibilities were not altered. They also claimed Borgia has not been forthright with them about her actions before Singh was fired.
Borgia in a previous statement said she fired Singh right after the video was publicly released, but also acknowledged she was aware the damning video possibly existed months ago. She said she contacted the county’s Department of Public Safety to investigate, but the video could not be substantiated back then. She said during that time Singh was taken off of public-facing duties.
Borgia’s explanation was not good enough for lawmakers, who called on her to resign for her handling of the case. She resisted that request which led to the legal and legislative standoff before Friday’s resignation.
In a statement to The Post Friday evening, she called it an honor to serve as chair since January 2022 and touted her various accomplishment. She also slammed her colleagues.
“I believe the events of the past ten days have been politically motivated and based in institutional misogyny that is all too pervasive in the brutal, reactive, and mean-spirited political world in which we all now live,” Borgia stated.
“However, the past ten days have also included an overwhelming amount of support, encouragement, love, and well wishes; some from surprising quarters. I cannot tell you how heartened I have been to receive it. Thank you to all of you.”
“The action to remove a Chairwoman of the Board of Legislators is a precedent that will dangerously weaken this institution. Every Chair of this body will be seated knowing that if nine colleagues disagree with any of the myriad decisions that the position requires, he/she/they can also be removed at any time. I’m saddened that my colleagues chose to take the path that most endangers the work of the County.”
Barr, the vice chair, will be the Board of Legislator’s chair in Westchester until a new chair is picked within 60 days.