ALBANY — The ethics officer for a state agency felt a colleague might be improperly steering a contract to a politically connected law firm.
So last September, Melissa Saren filed a complaint with New York’s ethics oversight body. Before doing so, she'd received approval from her supervisor at the New York State Insurance Fund, acting Executive Director Mary Beth Woods.
Three days after the complaint was filed, a top aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul allegedly instructed Woods to resign. Hochul's director of state operations, Kathryn Garcia, allegedly told Woods that her services were “no longer needed.” And less than three weeks later, Saren was fired from her longtime job at the Insurance Fund — also without explanation.
Saren has filed a lawsuit against the state, contending that her “retaliatory termination” was “executed with the knowledge and approval of Gov. Kathleen Hochul’s Executive Chamber." The state Court of Claims lawsuit, filed in mid-March, contends Saren was fired simply for "doing the job that she was hired to" — to report unethical behavior.
The unrest at the obscure state agency played out during the hectic early weeks of Hochul's tenure, which began Aug. 24. Citing the ongoing litigation, the governor's office declined to comment on the allegations or Garcia's alleged involvement.
Saren’s ethics complaint last September contended that Insurance Fund General Attorney Tanisha Edwards may have improperly sought to steer a contract to a Manhattan law firm,...
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