By Colleen Carey, President Albany Area NOW

Shame on you, Mr. Spitzer.

 Women and men across the Albany area, like the rest of New York State, voted for you to lead us as Governor. We thought you had a progressive stance towards women. You had gone after prostitution rings and human trafficking, which addressed the problems in the sex industry in a thoughtful, responsible manner. I personally pulled the Spitzer lever with glee, thinking to myself that finally, we would have a leader who put these values on the agenda. 

We didn’t know you were such a hypocrite.

In case you don’t understand, let me lay it out for you. What you did was illegal. What you did was completely disrespectful to women. We are not commodities to be bought and sold by international companies for sex, “unsafe” or otherwise. Paying thousands of dollars, as opposed to $50 on the street, does not make it okay. A john is a john.

It pained me to watch your wife’s face during your statement. But your marriage is your business. Just don’t forget you have another business – the government of New York State. Is this scandal a private matter? Yes. But it’s also a public one. As governor, we count on you to hold our standards. We count on you to follow the law. If you cannot do this, we cannot count on you to lead the state.

Please resign.