COHOES — Three protesters stood outside City Hall on Thursday and called on Mayor Shawn Morse to step down over allegations he physically abused his wife, a daughter and two former girlfriends.

One woman held a sign that simply said "R-E-S-I-G-N."

The three women, part of a group called Neighbors United Against Domestic Violence, waved signs and shouted slogans as city employees peered down at them from City Hall windows.

"This is a pattern of behavior by the mayor, this is not an isolated incident," said Heather Boltz, a former Cohoes resident. "We want to make sure an investigation is done."

At one point, Morse himself came outside and appeared to applaud the women. Morse has denied the allegations against him and said his wife is making them up due to what he has claimed are drug and emotional problems. He did not return a request for comment on Thursday.

Another woman, Dawn Grimmick, showed up to support Morse and became emotional as she told the protesters that Morse's wife was lying and that Morse had done good things for the city.

"This is ridiculous," she told them. "He's a wonderful man. He's brought confidence back to this city."

The public reaction to the protest was mixed. Some drivers beeped in support as they drove by or shouted that they supported Morse. Others who walked by stopped and thanked the women for protesting.

The women say they plan on holding more events this month, including a candlelight vigil. October is domestic violence awareness month.

Morse, a Democrat and former county legislator who took office in 2016, is facing a litany of potential legal problems.

He has been accused of physically abusing his wife and younger daughter last year, and harming the mother of his adult son years ago; state Assemblyman John McDonald described seeing Morse drag another former girlfriend out of McDonald's family pharmacy in the 1980s.

Most recently, police in Colonie launched an investigation after Morse confronted his estranged wife outside a Wolf Road restaurant. Police documented bruises on her arm and shoulder, and a scratch on her left ear.

Morse has consistently denied physically abusing women.

On Sunday, the Times Union reported that Morse is also the target of an FBI investigation that is examining his use of campaign funds and his attendance at a part-time security job he obtained in February at the federally subsidized Glenmont Job Corps. Patrick Thomas, a friend of the mayor's, is head of the organization's security force.

Members of the Cohoes City Council have asked Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to consider whether he can removed Morse from the mayor's office. Last month, Cuomo urged Morse to resign after the publication of a Sept. 16 Times Union report that detailed allegations the mayor abused his wife and one of his daughters. The State Police closed an earlier investigation of abuse by Morse, but the governor said the probe was being reopened in the wake of the new revelations.

While the mayor has been combative in response to the allegations of abuse, he has said little about the FBI's case.

On Wednesday, the Times Union reported on efforts by members of the city's Common Council to unseat Morse from the Cohoes Industrial Development Agency.

Morse, a Democrat and former chairman of the Albany County Legislature, was confronted by FBI agents who interviewed him at his residence on Sept. 24. About an hour later, FBI agents delivered a federal grand jury subpoena to Ralph V. Signoracci, who is the city's director of operations and Morse's longtime campaign treasurer. The subpoena directed Signoracci to turn over digital copies of Morse's campaign records dating back years.