WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (WENY)--Watkins Glen Village board members held a special meeting to appoint a new Mayor after former Mayor Luke Leszyk unexpectedly resigned last week.  

The Mayor of Watkins Glen announced his resignation on Thursday after allegations of his personal misconduct behavior were brought up at a board meeting on July 5th.

"The mayor's behavior out in the public is outrageous and completely outrageous. It's not just me it's not just the girl who came forward last week there are many women," Danielle Matthews said.

Matthews accused former Mayor Leszyk of misconduct. She was at tonight's meeting and shared her message with the village board.  

In 2021 she accused Leszyk in a notice of claim that he sexually harassed her before and after he was elected mayor, as well as threatening her husband's job as a police officer when she refused his sexual advances.

Another woman from Watkins recently came forward and accused the Mayor of making made comments towards her that were sexual in nature in an encounter on April 1st at a bar in Watkins Glen. 

Matthews says numerous officials in Watkins Glen who she went to about these allegations failed to support her.

"I came forward about sexual allegations against the former Mayor Luke Leszyck and I felt strongly about the way the board handled that situation there was a lot of evidence that showed things were done incorrectly. Our ex-Mayor was a New York state trooper formerly and a situation happened on my property with the state police and I felt the connection between his sexual harassment of me and threatening my husband's job and what happened on my property that day was intertwined," Matthews said.

 Matthews said it was important for her to be at tonight's meeting. 

"I had an idea there would be a one-one split and was encouraging the board to decide who was mayor and come together as one and make the right decision for our community," Matthews said. 

We asked Laurie Denardo Trustee in the Village of Watkins Glen who was nominated at this evening's meeting to become the new Mayor about former Mayor Leszyk's resignation.

"The village went through a pretty extensive lawsuit about a year ago and there were additional allegations and so he stepped down so we just have to move forward," Denardo said.

Deputy Mayor Louis Perazzini who is now the acting Mayor for the Village explained what happened at tonight's meeting was a stalemate, and says out of the four village board members it was a two-to-two vote.

"With that stalemate according to NYCOM laws which is the New York Commission Of Mayors, the law states the stalemate goes to the deputy mayor until they can possibly resolve getting another appointment for Mayor or it runs until the next election in March of 2023.

As far as the sexual misconduct allegations brought up against Leszyk by two women Deputy Mayor Perazzini says he has no comment and told me his plans for the village moving forward.

"I am not able to comment but I can tell you the allegations were dropped. There were issues within the village and he did it for all the right purposes, the right reasons.  The village is going to thrive we are going to take care of the people of Watkins Glen," Perzssini said.

Leszyk said in his resignation letter that the harassment and sexual allegations are false. In March of 2023, there will be an election for a new Village Mayor.

Denardo will throw in her hat for that seat and Deputy Mayor Louis Perazzini said he is considering doing the same.