The Creepy Sex Life of a San Diego Mayor.

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Bob Filner was the Mayor of San Diego. Before that he was a 10 term member of the California Congress. And now? Guilty of sexual harassment, he’s also a convicted felon. How the mighty have fallen…

Sentenced to three months of home confinement, along with three years or probation in exchange for a plea deal to one felony count of false imprisonment, and two misdemeanor counts of battery, Filner was also the subject of a lawsuit (probably the first of many), brought by his former communication’s director, Irene McCormack Jackson.

Apparently, Filner’s nine months in office as the mayor of the 8th largest city in the United States was characterized by a long string of sexually inappropriate behavior.

Accused of making advances towards a woman at a fund raiser, and then when rejected, placing her in a headlock (the basis for the false imprisonment charge), kissing another woman on the lips without her permission at a “Meet the Mayor” event, and grabbing another woman’s buttocks at a rally to clean up Fiesta Island in Mission Bay, Filner’s list of victims is actually longer than the number of months he served in office.

Almost 20 women have come forward with accusations, though understandably many wished not to be identified. They include a retired Navy rear admiral, a San Diego State University dean, and a great-grandmother who regularly volunteered at City Hall, answering questions from senior citizens. He is accused of groping, kissing and repeatedly requesting dates. And those accusations don’t even include the bases for the lawsuit brought by McCormack.

The former staffer was the first to come forward publicly about the mistreatment from the Mayor, in a lawsuit for sexual harassment. She began what would become a landslide of voices calling for the resignation and even prosecution of San Diego’s highest officeholder.

She alleged that Filner asked her to come to work without her panties on, demanded kisses, told her he wanted to see her naked, and dragged her against her will in a headlock while whispering in her ear, over a nearly 6 month period of inappropriate behavior.

That lawsuit resulted in a settlement, after being defended by the city pursuant to State law that holds the city liable for sexual harassment misconduct by a supervisor directed at a city employee. The settlement was for $250,000 plus an apology; a very good deal for the City, avoiding a trial which was originally set for next year.

Jan Goldsmith, San Diego City Attorney, stated that the settlement ‘avoids a year of intense and expensive litigation that probably would have cost the parties more than this settlement amount and would have been grueling for all parties.” She called McCormack courageous for coming forward against the Mayor with her allegations.

The 71 year old former Mayor laid low between the filing of charges and his sentencing earlier this year, staying home, seeking therapy and allegedly receiving advice from friends. McCormack resigned from her position on April 1st of this year.

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