There was a major development in San Diego today, as notorious civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred just finished a press conference with her client, a woman charging Mayor Bob Filner with sexual harassment:
Irene McCormack Jackson, Mayor Bob Filner’s former communications director, has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the city of San Diego, attorney Gloria Allred announced Monday afternoon.Allred said she filed a lawsuit against the city on behalf of McCormack Jackson, who is the first woman to come forward publicly with sexual harassment allegations against the mayor.Allred repeated a previous accusation that Filner had told a staffer she would work better “without panties on,” and noted that the identity of that woman had been unknown.Irene is that woman,” Allred said at a downtown news conference, with McCormack Jackson sitting by her side.
This site’s legal scholars can click here for the copy of McCormack Jackson’s lawsuit.
McCormack Jackson said that Filner “was not fit to be Mayor of this great city”. This also corresponds to statements made during another press conference, held earlier in the day, with San Diego City Councilmen Kevin Faulconer and Todd Gloria.
“We know that we have a city in crisis right now, but we know we have the ability as a council to come together and make sure that it works. That’s going to be my focus in the coming weeks and as long as it takes.”Faulconer also renewed his call that Filner step down immediately.“It’s time for him to go. He does not represent our city,” he said.
I suspect it will be quite some time before Bob Filner is compelled to leave office of his own volition, no matter what is said of him. For instance, Filner has now become the subject of comedy skits, as TV jokesters have a feeding frenzy discussing the “Filner Dance” and “Filner Headlock”.
Sadly, Colbert does make a valid point in the skit: Modern Americans are very forgiving when it comes to representatives caught in sex scandals. Voters gave Mark Sanford another chance by granting him a seat in the House of Representatives (as South Carolina governor, he disappeared for six days for an extramarital fling), and are poised to make porn-tweeter Anthony Weiner the next mayor of New York City.
I think that our city’s citizens are made of sterner stuff.
More than 80 supporters of a fledgling effort to recall San Diego Mayor Bob Filner rallied outside City Hall this past Friday, and are signing-up volunteers to collect petition signatures. Despite the celebrity lawyer distractions and comedy skits, the new revelations are likely to inspire San Diegans to force out a man unsuited in every important aspect to the office that he holds.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY