After the Vito Lopez and Micah Kellner scandals, the Assembly's harassment policy was overhauled. But the culture of unfettered power and sexual harassment didn't disappear overnight. In this episode, we look at the cases of two Assembly members from Buffalo: Dennis Gabryszak and Angela Wozniak. Gabryszak's case shows what can happen when superiors are complicit and don't report, and Wozniak's shows that the abuse of power is not the sole domain of the patriarchy. We hear from Elias Farah, former Legislative Director for Wozniak, who says that, thanks to the Internet and the media, the retaliation he experienced never truly ended.

At first, Micah Kellner’s “charm offensive” had new staff members Danielle Bennett and Eliyanna Kaiser fooled. Quickly enough however, they got to know another Micah — a Micah who yelled at his staff, threw things, punched walls, and demanded his staff play internet Scrabble with him. In this episode, we hear Danielle and Eliyanna’s story of harassment, reporting, and the media frenzy that followed.

After Leah and Rita left Assemblyman Vito Lopez's office, no protections were put in place for the staff who replaced them: Victoria Burhans and Chloe Rivera. The playbook was the same: text the member after hours, wear revealing clothing to the office, or have responsibilities taken away. After Tori and Chloe reported that they, too, were being harassed, no one in the counsel's office could talk about Leah and Rita's settlement because of the non-disclosure agreement - until it all blew up, and the tabloid press incessantly pursued them all. But this time, Vito would finally be brought to justice, and an investigation would be opened into how the Assembly handled it.

As the story goes, you couldn't get a dog license in Brooklyn without Assemblyman Vito Lopez's blessing. A big man in both politics and stature, Vito seemed untouchable. Leah Hebert and Rita Pasarell had never worked in politics before becoming staffers in his office in 2011. In this episode, we hear the harassment and outrageous demands from Vito himself, and Leah and Rita's difficulty reporting the harassment to the Assembly.

In 2001, Elizabeth Crothers was 23 and wanted to be taken seriously. As a staffer in Albany, she says she was raped by the Assembly's chief counsel, Michael Boxley. At the time, all harassment allegations went through one powerful man: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. This is her story, and another woman's - Jane Doe, who was sexual assaulted by Boxley in 2003 and whose story has never been told before.

How did Albany's past lead to a culture of sexual harassment? For decades, the old unspoken agreement among lawmakers in New York's capital was known as the "Bear Mountain Compact" - what happens in Albany stays in Albany. Hosts Kacie Candela and Andrew Seger explore this history in depth, speaking with current and former lawmakers, and a former intern about her own experience in the 1980s.

Sexual harassment isn't about sex, it's about power. Tucked away in district offices and in Albany, out of the public eye, state senators and assembly members exercise seemingly unchecked power over their employees. For decades, staffers reporting sexual misconduct have struggled through a convoluted reporting process, retaliation, and retraumatization at the hands of investigators and the press. Women in the Room investigates how the same cast of power brokers enabled harassment, and tells the stories of the survivors, activists and elected officials fighting to change the status quo. Episodes airing Spring 2019.

You listened. You decided. You voted. And now your favorite prickly hosts Kacie and Andrew are bringing you all the midterm election results you need to know. A lot will change, but at least in New York state, a lot is staying the same. This is our last episode for a while. We're taking some time off to work on a special prickly project. It's not goodbye - it's a see you later!

November 6th is coming fast. Do you know who you’re voting for? Listen for a fiery gubernatorial debate recap, a review of New York’s not-so-great voting laws with Fordham Law Professor Jerry Goldfedder, and our favorite NY politico Jeff Coltin of City & State’s predictions for Tuesday. Special message from Kacie and Andrew: GO VOTE! And then hang out with us on election night on 90.7 FM and wfuvnews.org starting at 8pm!

Biaggi Myrie Ramos May. These are the names you should (probably) know for next year's legislative session. We've spent a lot of time watching the race for governor in New York, so now hosts Kacie and Andrew take you through the most important State Senate races this November. Democrats are the closest they've been in nearly a decade to achieving a trifecta: control of the Assembly, Senate, and governorship. We've chatted with four likely members of the freshman class, and zoom in on the most contentious races.