What did he do to create such angst for the residents of America's eighth largest city?
Mayor Bob Filner sexually harassed a minimum of 18 women. At least, that is how many women have come forward. There may be others who are simply too embarrassed to talk about the things Mayor Filner said and did. Among his less savory activities:
Asking an employee to not wear underwear to work
Groping women or putting his hands in inappropriate places on their body
Grabbing women and kissing them on the lips, even when they tried to push him away
Licking the sides of their faces
Whispering inappropriate comments in their ears
Asking women to "forget" they were married
While some of these women were employees who worked under him, others were women that he met for the very first time when he engaged in his inappropriate behavior.
Although in some cases it is only the woman's word against Mayor Filner's, on other occasions there were shocked witnesses standing nearby. On at least one occasion, he was photographed groping a woman after a business meeting.
Personally, I am glad to see him go. He undoubtedly engaged in this behavior for years before he was forced to resign. In my opinion, it is time that powerful men learn that sexual harassment is always inappropriate, especially if the men involved have the power to hire or fire the women or can control whether or not they can get business contracts for their companies.
In addition to losing his job, the Attorney General for the State of California is considering a possible criminal case against the mayor. At least some of the women intend to file civil lawsuits against him. As a result, he will have to deal with the consequences of his behavior for the next several years. At the very least, he deserves whatever happens as a result of the legal complications of his inappropriate behavior. Meanwhile, I hope he will treat other women with more respect in the future.
You are reading from the blog: http://lies-and-liars.blogspot.com
Photo of San Diego at night is courtesy of www.morguefile.com
