Ada L. Smith

In 1996, staffer LaSone Garland-Bryan accused Smith of menacing her with a knife while they were alone in Smith's office. According to Garland-Bryan's statement, the senator became angry when she overheard Garland-Bryan telling family members that Smith "sometimes forgot to take her medication". Garland-Bryan declined to press charges, but wrote an official complaint about the incident to then-Senate Minority Leader Martin Connor, who responded by asserting that he had "no authority" to punish Smith.[7]

In 1998, New York City police arrested Smith after she allegedly became belligerent and bit an officer following a traffic stop in Brooklyn. Police were eventually forced to mace Smith and drag her from her car in order to subdue her.[8]

In 2004, Smith was arrested and cited for reckless driving after refusing to stop to present identification at a police checkpoint at a state garage in Albany. Smith attempted to accelerate through the checkpoint, almost running over a state trooper with her car in the process.[9][6] Smith's actions led to a conviction; following that conviction, then-Senate Minority Leader David Paterson removed her from a leadership post.[10]

In 2004, a former Smith staffer, Wayne Mahlke, alleged that Smith had subjected him to verbally abusive comments relating to sexual orientation. The following year, the state's Division of Human Rights dismissed his claims due to insufficient evidence.[10]

Smith attacked a staffer, Jennifer Jackson, on March 21, 2006. The attack occurred in Smith's Albany office. Smith flew into a rage and threw hot coffee in Jackson's face after the staffer commented on her weight. Jackson also alleged that Smith pulled off her hairpiece, injuring her neck in the process, and threatened to kill her if she reported the incident. The senator had just returned from a Weight Watchers meeting that morning to report she had lost 4.3 pounds. According to published reports, Jackson did not intend to insult Smith; rather, she lightheartedly commented that she would have expected her boss to have shed more pounds given her constant on-the-go lifestyle. Smith's lawyer denied the charges and accused Jackson of lying to authorities, claiming that Jackson actually told the senator she needed to lose 100 pounds. Originally charged with misdemeanor battery, Smith rejected a plea offer that included anger management counseling and chose to go to trial. On August 26, 2006, Smith was convicted of misdemeanor harassment in Albany City Court.[8] In the aftermath of the coffee attack, then-Senate Minority Leader David Paterson stripped Smith of her state-issued car, her honorary title, and a $9,500 per year stipend attached to her leadership position. Paterson stated that the coffee attack was the latest example of what he called "a pattern of inappropriate, unprofessional and often abusive behavior" from Smith.[11]

In 2006, The New York Times reported that tabloids referred to Smith as "'the Wild Woman of Albany'".[10]