On Wednesday, San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith announced that the city had reached a potential deal with Mayor Bob Filner concerning the sexual harassment lawsuit recently filed by Filner’s former communications director Irene McCormack Jackson. Today that deal has been leaked and it involves Bob Filner finally, finally resigning.
Originally, according to the Associated Press, details about the deal were to be revealed during a City Council session on Friday, with no word as to whether or not Filner would be resigning. Then, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that aides to potential Mayoral candidates were expecting campaigning for a special election to begin this weekend, with an election possible in the next two to three months. However, City Attorney Goldsmith said that any speculation about Filner resigning was too early, because no one on the City Council had been told any details surrounding the deal:
“The City Council has not heard of this proposal and our process at City Hall as well as the mediation process requires that we maintain the confidentiality of the proposal until they have heard of it. This is the process we follow. Any rumors you hear about the proposal you may deem to be untrue because the people standing here are the ones who know of it and we have all committed to Judge Irving that we will maintain the confidentiality of the mediation.”
But on Thursday, San Diego’s NBC local news affiliate reported that sources had told them that a resignation was part of the deal and that Filner was “spotted leaving City Hall with packing boxes Wednesday night.” He’ll apparently leave office Friday afternoon, with the San Diego council president taking over as interim mayor.
At this point, almost 20 women have come forward and accused Filner of sexually harassing them. The most recent accuser is Diane York, a businesswoman who, according to CNN, said that Filner “put his hands on her buttocks during a photo opportunity that followed a meeting three months ago.”
Before these most recent developments, residents of San Diego petitioned for Filner’s recall after news that he grabbed and kissed a great-grandmother came out. Ugh and before that there was this and this and…well, you get it. It’s been a long, sexually harassing road.
Remember the days when Bob Filner spent two months in jail because of his actions as a Freedom Rider in the south? That seems like a different dude.
Image via Gregory Bull/AP