No Rush to Judgment

On Friday morning, August 3, the other shoe dropped in the alleged rape case filed against City Councilmember Dennis Gallagher. Gallagher, 43, accompanied by his wife, brother and attorney, surrendered to police at the 112th Precinct and was taken into custody and arraigned on 10 counts, including rape and sexual assault.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on $200,000 bail.
His alleged victim, a 52-year-old grandmother, told police in the 104th Precinct that on Sunday evening, July 8, she was forcibly raped by a person known to her - Gallagher - in his Middle Village office.
The incident, according the alleged victim, started at Danny Boy’s, a Middle Village bar, with an offer of a ride home by Gallagher. She claims that Gallagher, who is married with two children, then took her to his Middle Village office and once there tied her hands, forced her onto her knees, raped her and forced her to have oral sex.
Following two hours of intense questioning before a Queens grand jury on Wednesday, August 1, Gallagher admitted he committed adultery - not rape - with the woman. Maintaining that her alleged injuries were a result of consensual sex after both parties had consumed alcohol, Gallagher said after leaving the grand jury, “I am an innocent man, and that fact has not changed.”
Gallagher, who earns $112,500 a year as a City Councilmember, along with an additional $5,000 for serving as minority whip, said he has no plans to resign from the Council.
After weeks of denial and posturing about not testifying before a grand jury, Gallagher finally, did, saying in published reports, “In my life, I’ve made some mistakes, and I’ve done some things I’m not proud of. But I always tried my best to represent my community and hope to do so.”
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, in a statement, said, “The Council and I take very seriously the deeply troubling allegations against Councilmember Dennis Gallagher. Therefore, the matter is being immediately referred to the City Council’s Standards and Ethics Committee, which will meet at the beginning of next week.”
The Council will have the power to sanction Gallagher with everything from a reprimand to ouster from his seat.
“Obviously, this a difficult time for me and my family,” Gallagher said to the media, adding, “But my family believes in me and know I would not do what I am accused of doing.”
We hope that no one rushes to judgment before all the facts are uncovered in court. We all deserve to be considered innocent until proven guilty in this country.
Gallagher is due back in court on September 28 and a lot can happen between then and now. We are confident in our judicial system and know that justice will be done.