Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Questions about McCormack Jackson suit

And questions about the mayor's response to it.

The sexual harassment suit against Mayor Bob Filner filed today (July 22) by Irene McCormack Jackson raises many questions. First, the suit outlines extremely offensive statements allegedly made to her by the mayor in January, February, February/early March, April, late April/early May, and June. But there is no mention that I could find indicating that she officially complained until July 18, when she filed charges with the state about harassment having taken place on or before June 20, 2013. She would have had sexual harassment training at the Union-Tribune, probably at the Port, and maybe even at the City. It seems to me she had to know that she could come forward and file an official complaint about sexual harassment without fear of being fired. The "severe mental anguish and emotional distress" she allegedly suffered might have been abated had she complained or resigned earlier. She apparently saw inappropriate behavior against other women. She was a senior official. Did she do anything to protect those women? Much is being made that she took a $50,000 pay cut to join the mayor's staff. But that cut was from $175,000 to $125,000. She was not starving and did not desperately need a job.

Filner's carefully worded response to her lawsuit suggests that his defense will be that he was teasing. His statement seems to have been written by a lawyer: "I do not believe these claims are valid," he says, when it would have been more like Bob Filner to say, "These claims are not valid." He also makes a questionable statement: "My dreams and plans for moving this City to new heights are continuing." But by appointing the arch-conservative Walt Ekard as chief operating officer, and giving him authority over such functions as approving contracts and making hiring decisions, and enthusiastically endorsing the fatuous convention center expansion, Filner has already moved the City backward -- into the hands of the downtown corporate welfare autocrats. By reaching out to Republicans and other downtown overlords, he has already forsaken the principles that got him elected -- doing something about rundown neighborhoods and a rotting infrastructure, and steering much less money downtown for taxpayer-subsidized projects that should be financed with private capital.

Left largely unsaid is the health of Bob Filner, as well as the health of others with similar alleged proclivities who are involved with media coverage of this incident.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

San Diego Holiday Experiences

As soon as Halloween is over, it's Christmas time in my mind
Next Article

Remote work = cleaner air for San Diego

Locals working from home went from 8.1 percent to 17.8 percent

The sexual harassment suit against Mayor Bob Filner filed today (July 22) by Irene McCormack Jackson raises many questions. First, the suit outlines extremely offensive statements allegedly made to her by the mayor in January, February, February/early March, April, late April/early May, and June. But there is no mention that I could find indicating that she officially complained until July 18, when she filed charges with the state about harassment having taken place on or before June 20, 2013. She would have had sexual harassment training at the Union-Tribune, probably at the Port, and maybe even at the City. It seems to me she had to know that she could come forward and file an official complaint about sexual harassment without fear of being fired. The "severe mental anguish and emotional distress" she allegedly suffered might have been abated had she complained or resigned earlier. She apparently saw inappropriate behavior against other women. She was a senior official. Did she do anything to protect those women? Much is being made that she took a $50,000 pay cut to join the mayor's staff. But that cut was from $175,000 to $125,000. She was not starving and did not desperately need a job.

Filner's carefully worded response to her lawsuit suggests that his defense will be that he was teasing. His statement seems to have been written by a lawyer: "I do not believe these claims are valid," he says, when it would have been more like Bob Filner to say, "These claims are not valid." He also makes a questionable statement: "My dreams and plans for moving this City to new heights are continuing." But by appointing the arch-conservative Walt Ekard as chief operating officer, and giving him authority over such functions as approving contracts and making hiring decisions, and enthusiastically endorsing the fatuous convention center expansion, Filner has already moved the City backward -- into the hands of the downtown corporate welfare autocrats. By reaching out to Republicans and other downtown overlords, he has already forsaken the principles that got him elected -- doing something about rundown neighborhoods and a rotting infrastructure, and steering much less money downtown for taxpayer-subsidized projects that should be financed with private capital.

Left largely unsaid is the health of Bob Filner, as well as the health of others with similar alleged proclivities who are involved with media coverage of this incident.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

A closer look at Filner's accusers

Next Article

More Filner business to settle

Complaints allegedly fell on communications director's deaf ears
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader