PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jose Bello (917)-783-9161
August 4, 2010

OVER 100 COMMUNITY MEMBERS COME TO ETHICS

COMMITTEE HEARING IN SUPPORT OF YDANIS RODRIGUEZ
Ethics Committee votes to remove the community members present

New York, NY– Over a hundred community members packed the standing-room-only
hearing room today at the hearing held by the Standards
and Ethics Committee to consider charges against
Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez. Rodriguez has
been accused of “touching” a central staff member of
the City Council in an offensive manner, an allegation
which he absolutely and unequivocally denies. The
seven members of the Ethics and Standards Committee,
Robert Jackson, Inez E. Dickens, Anabel Palma, Joel
Rivera, Vincent M. Ignizio, Karen Kolsowitz, and
James S. Oddo voted unanimously to remove the
community from the hearing room and to hold the
meeting behind closed doors.

Ydanis Rodriguez has maintained from the very beginning that he has done nothing
wrong, that he has never touched anyone in any way that could remotely be considered
offensive. He repeatedly asked that any hearing on the allegations made against him be
held in the open to ensure a transparent proceeding and so that the community and other
members of the Council could reach their own conclusion based on the evidence.

A remarkable aspect of this proceeding is the fact that not even other members of the
council are allowed to be present at the hearing, although they will be asked to vote on a
recommendation made by the Ethics committee based on evidence that only them, not
other council members, will be able to see and hear.

From the beginning, Council Member Rodriguez offered to talk to the complainant to try
to clear any misunderstanding about the alleged incident. His offer to resolve this issue
in a non-confrontational manner was inexplicably turned down, and it is not clear that the
complainant was presented with that option.

“We are very disappointed that the Committee has

decided to hold a secret meeting to decide the fate of
an official we elected into office – without giving us
an opportunity to see the evidence used against him,”
said Mireya Rodriguez, an Inwood resident for 44
years.

In protest, community members taped over their mouths to demonstrate how the
Committee’s actions in silencing their Council Member are, in effect, silencing the
community he represents.

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