(Bloomberg) — The chancellor of the State University of New York system resigned Thursday, the latest fallout from the scandal involving former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Jim Malatras said his resignation as leader of the 64-campus state-university system will be effective on Jan. 14. In a letter to the SUNY board, he said recent events have become a “distraction.”
A growing number of state lawmakers and good government groups had called for Malatras, a long-time Cuomo ally and adviser, to step down after state Attorney General Letitia James released transcripts and documents from an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo.
In the documents, Malatras and other Cuomo allies mocked Lindsey Boylan, a former economic-development aide who claims Cuomo harassed her. Malatras apologized for his Boylan comments, but refused to step down.
Audio of him berating and insulting a SUNY employee prior to his appointment as chancellor, obtained by the Albany Times Union this week, elicited further calls for him to step down.
“I believe deeply in an individual’s ability to evolve, change, and grow, but I also deeply believe in SUNY and would never want to be an impediment to its success,” Malatras said in the letter.
Malatras is the latest of several Cuomo allies who have resigned since August, when Cuomo, a three-term Democrat, quit under pressure following a report from James that documented several claims of sexual harassment. Cuomo has denied all allegations.
The SUNY Board of Trustees in a Thursday statement thanked Malatras for his service, saying he’s been a “champion for our students, for access, for equity, and for deeper public investment in this great institution.”
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