Calls roll in for Juan Ardila to resign following sexual assault allegations

Assemblymember Juan Ardila is facing calls to resign after two women accused him of sexual assault at a 2015 party. Photo via Ardila’s campaign

By Ryan Schwach and Jacob Kaye

A growing number of elected officials are calling on freshman Democratic Assemblymember Juan Ardila to resign after two women accused him of sexual assault during a 2015 party shortly after he graduated from college.

One of the most powerful lawmakers in the State Senate, elected officials whose districts overlap with Ardila’s, one of the women Ardila allegedly assaulted and the longtime lawmaker whose seat Ardila inherited last year have all demanded the representative of the 37th Assembly District step down from his post.

The allegations were first reported by the Queens Chronicle and the Eagle earlier this week, after an anonymous woman came forward and said that she and another woman were sexually assaulted by Ardila at a party they all attended in 2015.

Ardila initially denied the incident to the Chronicle but later apologized for his behavior in a statement sent after the publication of the allegations on Monday.

He issued a lengthier statement Tuesday evening as early calls for his resignation began to come in.

“I fully take responsibility for my captions and I am committed to a process of accountability,” he said. “I want the public to know that I am deeply apologetic for my past behavior and acknowledge that my actions have caused harm. I recognize that this harm was not only to the individuals who came forward, but extends beyond these victims, and impacts survivors everywhere.”

“I do understand that those who have experienced harm should determine if this kind of process is one they want to pursue and respect their decisions,” he added. “I believe in second chances and hope to be able to earn one with our community.”

The apology was not enough for many, including the first victim who came forward with her allegations against Ardila.

“I am calling for Juan Ardila to resign from his position as Assemblymember, and I would like to see the organizations and elected officials who have publicly supported Juan to publicly retract their support,” she said in a statement sent to the Eagle.

City Councilmember Robert Holden, who Ardila challenged and lost to in the 2021 Democratic primary for the seat, was the first to call for Ardila to step down and for those elected officials and organizations who endorsed him in his 2022 race for the Assembly, rescind their endorsements – Holden himself has been under fire recently for not rescinding his own endorsement of Congressman George Santos.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, who called Holden’s call “hypocritical,” also said that he took the “allegations seriously.”

“I don't know if there's some sort of investigation playing out where we certainly want to give just due to anybody who's accused of something,” Richards told the Eagle on Tuesday. “But if the allegations are found to be true, then absolutely, he should resign.”

State Senator Jessica Ramos, who previously endorsed Ardila, said that she was “extremely disappointed,” but did not go as far as to call for Ardila’s resignation, instead saying that he “needs to work this out with his constituents.”

The New York Working Families Party, one of Ardila’s key endorsements in his successful 2022 bid for office, pulled their endorsement on Tuesday.

“The [Queens Working Families Party] Steering Committee unequivocally believes these brave women, and we have already asked our organization to rescind its endorsement of Juan,” said Aleda Gagarin, the co-chair of the Queens chapter of the party.

But others have been unequivocal in their demand that the young lawmaker step down.

On Wednesday morning, State Senator and Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, State Senators Kristen Gonzalez and Julia Salazar, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, City Councilmember Julie Won and State Committee Members Émilia Decaudin and Nicholas Berkowtiz said they no longer believe Ardila has a place in elected office in Queens.

“As elected officials representing Western Queens, we call on Assemblymember Juan Ardila to resign,” they said in a joint statement. “The accounts from the women who experienced sexual assault are harrowing and reveal indefensible actions – to which he has admitted.”

“While we believe in restorative justice, this process cannot occur while holding a position of power,” they added. “As Juan Ardila’s fellow elected officials in government, we share a collective duty to hold ourselves and each other accountable.”

Queens City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán and Brooklyn-Queens Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez issued a separate statement demanding Ardila resign.

They said that Ardila should have immediately taken full responsibility for his actions, a standard they said he has not lived up to.

“His immediate response was to deny the facts,” they said. “Following this, he released a statement chalking his misconduct up to youthful indiscretion. The fact that it wasn’t until his third statement that he began to take full responsibility makes it hard to believe that he is sincerely ready for and committed to that hard work.”

“Until he is, we believe he should resign his seat and take a step back from public service,” they added.

Danielle Brecker, chair of Queens Community Board 2 and a Democratic district leader in district adjacent Ardila’s, was the first local Democrat who had not run against him to call for his

resignation.

“I supported Assemblymember Ardila in his run for New York Assembly and he has proven to be a good Assemblymember for the district thus far, but these accusations must not be ignored,” she said on Twitter. “The accusations are serious, disturbing, and the Assembly Member’s response has not been adequate. This is a breach of trust for the constituents Assembly Member Ardila is accountable to serve.“

“Assemblymember Ardila must take full responsibility for the harm his behavior caused the survivors and the broken trust with his constituents,” she continued. “The way forward is for Assemblymember Ardila to resign.”

Former Assemblymember Cathy Nolan, who represented Ardila’s district for over 30 years, also said that Ardila should resign.

Nolan did not support Ardila in his bid for her former seat. Instead, she endorsed Johanna Carmona, a court attorney in Queens Civil Court and a former Nolan staffer.

“I cannot rescind an endorsement of Juan Ardila because I never extended one in the first place,” Nolan said in a statement. “I was, and remain, troubled by his earlier bigoted Facebook comments. I was deeply concerned as to how he would handle the responsibilities of being an Assemblymember. All those accused have rights too, but Mr. Ardila has admitted to predatory treatment of at least two women and will not be able to represent us fairly in Albany. The 37th Assembly district supports survivors.”

“My endorsement in June went to an outstanding woman for the 37th Assembly district because, as this episode illustrates, Albany needs to hear the voices and experiences of women,” Nolan added. “Mr. Ardila never showed me that he would be an effective advocate for our district and its people. This has proved to be the case.”

Ardila’s former boss, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, also said the lawmaker should resign. Ardila was working for Lander at the time of the alleged assaults and when Lander was a city councilmember.

“There can be no tolerance for sexual assault,” Lander said in a statment. “After learning this week about reports of sexual assault in 2015, I believe that Juan Ardila should heed the call of the women he harmed to resign from the New York State Assembly.”

“As someone who has seen Juan grow over the past eight years, I hope to see him take accountability now,” he added. 

Ardila was at a party in 2015 when he allegedly began groping a 21-year-old woman who was extremely intoxicated at the time, the woman told the Eagle. He then grabbed her and began to lead her to the bathroom before a friend of the woman intervened and pulled her away, the woman said.

Later that same evening, he led another intoxicated woman to the bathroom, where he pulled out his penis and allegedly began stroking it, an account of the incident shared with the Eagle shows.

Shortly after the incident, Ardila is believed to have left the party.

The next morning, he sent a message to the first victim asking if she’d like to meet up with him.

In 2018, at the height of the Me Too Movement, Ardila sent a message to the first victim apologizing for his behavior.

The woman, who requested anonymity, only recently discovered the message shortly after she moved to Queens, living close to the district where Ardila holds office.