ALBANY, N.Y. -- Weeks after police say they responded to a 911 call at the home of Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse, the Times Union reports that abuse claims date back to the 1980s. 

When reached by phone on Sunday, Assemblyman John McDonald said he witnessed one of the accounts discussed in the article. According to the paper, Morse is accused of dragging his then-girlfriend by the hair out of the Cohoes pharmacy owned by McDonald's family.

The assemblyman says it was like nothing he's ever seen before. McDonald and Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy were both present at an already scheduled Albany County Democratic Committee meeting Sunday night. Fahy was the first official to speak out against Morse.

"When I see the multiple people coming forward as first hand witnesses, you can call them allegations if you'd like, but those are pretty, it's pretty strong," said Assemblywoman Fahy.

Now, the party, which backed Morse's 2015 campaign, says if these claims are true, the mayor should resign. A statement released by council president Jack Flynn reads: "The Albany County Democratic Committee does not condone domestic violence or any form of violence. If in fact, the allegations are found to be true, we ask that Mayor Morse resign from office immediately. The Ethics Committee of the County Democratic Committee will be examining and discussing this matter further to determine if additional actions are needed."

Morse released a statement Monday afternoon which read, in part: "I refuse to dignify news stories that are based upon unnamed sources, political opportunists, rumor and innuendo from thirty years ago. I respectfully urge those who have expressed their opinion to refrain from rushing to judgment on this matter based upon unnamed sources in a newspaper story. In the absence of a credible, sworn allegation that I engaged in wrongdoing, I respectfully request my fellow Democrats and the good people of Cohoes to keep an open mind and permit any such allegations to be resolved by the Courts, where I am entitled to the same measures of due process as any other citizen."

When reached, Morse's lawyer Joseph Ahearn said to refer to a previous statement made to the Times Union. In that, Ahearn said the mayor is confident an investigation will show his innocence.