PRESS STATEMENT FROM COUNCIL

MEMBER YDANIS RODRIGUEZ

July 21, 2010

A member of the City Council central staff has alleged that I yelled at her and “touched”
her in a non-sexual manner. She was apparently sufficiently offended that she made a
complaint to the Council’s Standards and Ethics Committee.

I absolutely and unequivocally deny that I touched the staff person in any type of
offensive way. I also absolutely and unequivocally deny that I engaged in an argument or
raised my voice to her.

I have asked the Committee for a “sit down” between myself, the staff member, and any
other people the Committee and the staff member deem appropriate, at a time and place
to be selected by the staffer. Since she perceives that I did something offensive to her,
and I believe I did not do anything that could be remotely construed as offensive, I
thought such a conversation would help clear the air and allow the two of us to continue
what had been an effective professional relationship. Unfortunately, my offer has been
declined. We now understand a hearing is to be held on the matter. I only ask that it be
conducted in the open and be fully transparent.

As I have already described to the committee, to the best of my recollection I do not

believe that I touched her even in an incidental or inoffensive manner. However, in the
close quarters of the doorway leading into the red room, where many people were present
-- including a number of city council members, such as Joel Rivera, Fernando Cabrera,
Robert Jackson, Carmen Arroyo -- the possibility that I made an incidental contact
without realizing or recalling it is possible. I therefore apologize if I made any incidental
and unintentional contact with her that subjectively offended her.

Finally, when I was informed later that Friday evening that a committee was looking into
the allegation, I was told that it must be kept confidential to maintain the integrity of the
inquiry, and to protect the privacy of the person making the allegations and my own until
more facts were uncovered. Nevertheless, by Monday afternoon I was getting calls from
the press about the inquiry. My reputation was tarnished, and it may very well have
invited unwelcome attention to the staffer who complained. I will be asking the
committee to look into the leak to ensure the integrity of future investigations.
At that Friday meeting the only people present were Ramon Martinez, Nadir Joshua and
another staff attorney, and therefore the only people who could possibly have known at
that early date that an inquiry was to take place.

Without even attempting an inquiry as to the source of this leak to the media, the integrity
of this process has already been put in question.

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