CM King suspended for harassment, retaliation, disorderly conduct
BY ALEX MITCHELL
AMNEWYORK REPORTER
Councilman Andy King received a
month-long suspension from offi ce following
a probe into harassment and
confl ict of interest charges dating back
to early 2017.
The City Council voted down a resolution
to expel King, but opted instead
to ban the lawmaker from City Council
for 30 days and fi ne him $15,000. It’s the
lengthiest suspension voted on in the
modern history of the Council, according
to Speaker Corey Johnson, who addressed
the charges prior to a vote.
Johnson also said that King will be
required to hire an offi ce monitor on
staff — another dubious fi rst for a sitting
city lawmaker.
In the end, 44 Council members
voted in favor of King’s suspension.
King voted against his own suspension,
and two others — Brooklyn’s Inez
Barron and Queens’ I. Daneek Miller
— abstained.
The term-limited councilman, who
represents the 12th District in Co-op
City and north Bronx neighborhoods,
ran into trouble after the council’s
Committee On Standards and Ethics
released a 48-page report detailing the
allegations of harassment, confl ict of
interest, retaliation, disorderly conduct
just a week earlier. King previously
had to undergo training for similar
issues in 2017.
Going through the report and tran-
scripts against King made Johnson
“literally sick to (his) stomach,” the
speaker said.
The council’s Ethics Committee has
been investigating King since early
on in 2017, alleging that he “engaged
in gender-based harassment” regarding
a photo accidentally posted to his
Twitter account by a staffer that was
intended for their personal account in
June 2015.
The report on King said he allegedly
Bronx Veterans Day Parade in Throggs Neck, Sun., Nov. 10th
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N 2 OVEMBER 1-7, 2019 BTR
referred to that photo being the same
“as child pornography” in front of staff
while also alleging King to have set up
his wife, Neva Shillingford-King to “essentially
help run his offi ce” while also
giving her the power to hire staffers.
The council also resolved that Shillingford
King may not have any future involvement
in her husband’s offi ce.
He’s also accused of misappropriating
council funds for a ‘retreat’ fi t for
a king in the U.S. Virgin Islands, one
that both the council member and his
wife attended.
King was also alleged to have allowed
a staffer to behave “in a verbally
and physically threatening manner,”
according to the report.
The Ethics Committee also alleged
that King retaliated against staffers
that he believed would cooperate with
the investigation.
King said “ever since I’ve been in
offi ce I’ve treated my staff like family,”
during his Monday afternoon hearing—
which he referred to as a crucifi
xion while also saying his due process
was being violated.
Queens Council member Jimmy
Van Bramer made the motion to expel
King, which was vocally supported
by Brooklyn Council Member Carlos
Menchaca — though that was voted
down by a count of 34 to 12.
King’s suspension also entails that
he will be removed as chair from the
council’s Committee on Juvenile Justice
in addition to being removed as a
member from the Committee on Civil
Service and Labor, Committee on Education,
Committee on Parks and Recreation,
Committee on State and Federal
Legislation and Committee on
Youth Services.
He could reapply for those and other
committee positions in a year.
Johnson also noted that King may
still face criminal charges, pending an
investigation.
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (at right) had introduced a resolution to expel City Councilman
Andy King Photo by Alex Mitchell
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
The Bronx veteran community
is getting ready to wave
their fl ags and pay tribute to
vets across the borough.
The 35th annual Bronx
Veteran’s Parade in Throggs
Neck kicks off at noon on Sunday,
November 10, at Lafayette
and East Tremont avenues and
marches via Randall Avenue to
Bicentennial Veterans Memorial
Park.
This year’s parade—sponsored
by the Veterans Day Parade
Committee of Greater
NY—commemorates the 100th
Anniversary of the American
Legion, which was founded after
WWI and the 244th birthday
of the United States Marine
Corps.
The streets will be lined
with brand new American
fl ags as well as service fl ags
representing the Army, Marine
Corps, Navy, Air Force,
Coast Guards and POW (Prisoner
of War).
The grand marshal for the
parade is local Roberto Oviedo,
who served as a legal support
specialist in the U.S. Marine
Corps from 1988 to 1993 and
conducted security operations
during the Gulf War in 1991-92.
Following an honorable
discharge from the U.S. Marine
Corps in December 1993,
Oviedo pursued a career in
law and worked for several law
fi rms. He is currently an NYPD
detective working for the Community
Affairs Bureau at the
44th Precinct, serving as a liaison
between the community
and NYPD.
Oviedo also serves as the
fi rst vice commander of the
Throggs Neck American Legion
Post 1456.
“It’s truly an honor. When
I graduated high school, my
mother gave me two options:
join the military or get out
and get a job,” said Oviedo,
who grew up in the Patterson
Houses on Morris Avenue. “I
chose to become a U.S. Marine
Corp.”
As the grand marshal,
Oviedo is looking to shine
awareness on veteran and
NYPD suicides, as he marches
down the parade route distributing
suicide prevention
hotline bracelets.
“We all know that 22 veterans
of all eras a day commit
suicide. We want to let these veterans
know that there is help
and there is someone to talk
too, and there have also been 10
NYPD offi cers who have committed
suicide,” Oviedo said.
To help veterans coping
with Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD), Oviedo and
his wife established the organization,
Creating Pets and
Vets.
“We saw that providing service
dogs to those qualifi ed
vets that have PTSD or even
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- will help them with both mental
and physical illness,” said
Oviedo, who has a service dog
that was honored.
Oviedo also spearheaded
the creation of the fi rst Bigs in
Blue program (Big Brothers
and Big Sisters of America) at
P.S. 218 in the south Bronx and
expanded across the city. The
organization is a one-to-one
mentoring program connecting
youth with police in communities
throughout the nation.
According to Ron Watson,
retired lieutenant colonel of
the U.S. Marine Corps who
served 22 years on active duty,
there will be 10 honorary grand
marshals – veterans that have
passed away within the past
year.
Ron Watson (l.) retired lieutenant colonel of the U.S. Marine Corps and
co-chair of the Veterans Day Parade Committee of Greater NY, with Bronx
Veteran Parade Grand Marshal, Roberto Oviedo, who served in the U.S.
Marine Corps from 1988-1993. Photo by Carlotta Mohamed
Additionally, the parade
will include the NYPD, color
guards, the NYPD Band, NYPD
Marine Corps Association,
the NYPD Explorers, bands,
schools, and the American Legion
Units.
Following the parade, community
members and businesses
that made a donation to
the fl ag fundraising effort will
be recognized.