State Senate aide accused

ALBANY, N.Y. _ The chief of staff for state Sen. Simcha Felder allegedly groped and sexually harassed a female lobbyist last week during a private campaign fundraiser for Sen. George Amedore.

The woman's allegations have been leveled against Rodney C. Powis, an attorney from East Greenbush who works at a private law firm in Rensselaer County and has been a longtime Senate aide, according to his law firm's website, interviews and state payroll records.

The alleged groping and harassment, which were witnessed by at least two people, took place last Thursday at the Guilderland residence of William F. Lia Jr., 49, a Capital Region businessman whose family owns the Lia Auto Group.

Powis, 48, attended the event as Felder's representative. Amedore gave a 40-minute speech to the dozens of people who attended the evening fundraiser. The alleged encounter between Powis and the woman unfolded about 90 minutes later as guests lingered at the catered event, which was running behind schedule.

The woman, who is in her mid-30s, filed a criminal complaint with a local police agency on Monday. One of her colleagues also notified Felder's office on Monday; that individual said the office was later contacted by representatives of the state Senate's personnel department.

Powis did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Monday afternoon.

The woman, who agreed to an interview on Monday with the Times Union after being contacted over the weekend, said that Powis began making inappropriate comments to her as she sat at a table with him and two other women.

The woman _ who was accompanied at the interview by her supervisor and an attorney for the lobbying group _ said Powis, who was sitting next to her, inquired about her marital status and allegedly made more aggressive and unsettling comments when he learned that she's a single mother, and that a man she had been talking to at the event was not her husband.

"He told me I looked hot," she said. "He said, 'I'll introduce you to the most eligible bachelor in the room.'"

The woman said that Powis asked another man to come over and meet her and that he asked the other man, "Do you not like her?" she said.

"It was like he was trying to sell me to him," she said. "He (Powis) said, 'Look, I'm married and have two kids, so it's not going to happen with me _ and if it does you're going to have to shut the (expletive) up.' ... He was drinking heavily."

She said that Powis suggested she and the other man have sex that night.

The woman said she was still sitting at the high-top table with the other women when Powis circled back a short time later, and he allegedly groped her right breast before one of his hands slid down and touched her buttocks.

"Then he announced to the table, 'I just grabbed her boob,'" she said. "I looked across the table to a woman who was with us and I mouthed the word 'help.'"

She said the woman at the table eventually came to her aid and suggested they go get some food. A little while later, she said, as Powis continued to approach her, another woman who tried to help her get away _ and the woman's husband _ helped her retrieve her purse from the table and escorted her out of the event.

The alleged victim said the husband of the woman who helped retrieve her purse said he knows Powis, that they both own vacation homes in Bolton Landing, and that the husband described Powis' behavior as "typical for him _ he has one drink too many and goes over the edge."

The female lobbyist posted a troubling account of the incident on Facebook last Thursday evening after she returned home, but quickly removed it.

Those who attended the fundraiser paid a minimum of $250, but some also gave thousands of dollars to Amedore's campaign. He was elected to the chamber in 2014 after serving as a state Assemblyman from 2007 to 2013.

When asked late Monday whether he had been made aware of the incident, Amedore declined to comment: "I really don't know, really, what you're talking about, and I don't feel that I should, at this particular time, chat with you because I don't know," he said.

Then he added, "I'm hearing rumors or speculation but I can't talk about any of it right now because I don't know enough about it."

When asked whether he had reported the rumors about the incident to the Senate leadership, as required, Amedore said: "Again, I really can't talk about this or comment on it. You and I, I think, will have a conversation at a future date."

About an hour later, after the Times Union's story was posted online, Amedore called back and said "You totally caught me off guard." He said that he had reported the incident to the Senate leadership, but declined to say when he had done that.

"I can't speak on personnel matters," Amedore said, adding that he is "furious" about the incident that was reported. "I've got zero tolerance for crap like this. It shouldn't have happened."

Felder could not be reached for comment. A spokesperson for his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lia, who hosted the fundraiser at his Guilderland residence, could not be reached for comment.

Powis, who has served as counsel to the Senate's Codes Committee, is paid $9,192 a month (roughly $119,000 annually) as Felder's counsel and chief of staff. He had previously been counsel and chief of staff for Sen. Michael F. Nozzolio, R-Seneca Falls, according to Senate payroll records.

It's unclear how long Powis has been chief of staff for Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat who has caucused with the Senate Republicans since being elected to the Senate in 2012. Felder's allegiance with the GOP has made him a polarizing figure in the Legislature because he holds the critical 32nd vote needed to help the Republicans pass legislation.

The Senate's sexual harassment policy may require an investigation because Powis attended the private event on Felder's behalf and the alleged victim interacts with the Legislature in an official capacity as a lobbyist.

"This policy applies to all applicants, employees, persons involved in the operation of the New York state Senate, and prohibits unlawful or improper harassment, discrimination and retaliation whether engaged in by any member, employee of the New York state Senate or someone not directly connected to the New York state Senate (e.g. outside vendors, consultants, etc.)," the policy states.

It defines sexual harassment as "unwelcome or unwanted sexual advances, requesting sexual favors, or any other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature."

The Senate's policy directs that "Senate members and employees are expected to appropriately respond to and report any activity which they feel constitutes such conduct. Harassing conduct by anyone, whether in the Senate's offices, at work assignments outside the office, or at office-sponsored social functions, may be unlawful and will not be tolerated."

The colleague of the woman who reported the allegations said that he believes Felder's office reported the incident after he notified them on Monday, in part because the Senate personnel office contacted him after he sent an email to the senator.

The allegations against Powis were made two weeks after a jury convicted former state Senate aide Robert Nickol of misdemeanor charges for whipping his ex-girlfriend with an electric cord and slapping her. Nickol, an aide to Sen. Bill Larkin, R-Orange County, remained on the Senate payroll for four months after his September 2017 arrest.