![]() ![]() “He has already admitted,” she said, “that he’s only staying out of self interest.”Īs KPBS’ Metro Reporter, Sandhya Dirks covers city news and politics for radio, TV, and online. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, since 2008, said she was impressed with the “courage it took” for McCormack Jackson to come forward this week.įink said she never wanted “to be defined by this incident.” But she said she’s motivated now to “make sure this sort of thing doesn’t happen again.” Fink added that she has traded stories with several other women over the years who told her of similar unwanted advances by Filner.Ī common thread among them, Fink said, is that “they were all folks beholden to him in some way.”įink said her fervent hope now is that Filner resigns as mayor. Buckles returned to that position with the mayor earlier this month after Filner’s former chief of staff resigned amid the harassment scandal.īuckles soon called, Fink said, to ask what she wanted.īut Filner’s half-hearted effort at that apology soon afterward left her sad and disappointed, Fink said she added that Filner never responded to her email.įink, who also worked as political director for Rep. She emailed Filner demanding an apology copied on the message was the congressman’s chief of staff, Tony Buckles. But Fink said, “the more I thought about it, the more upset I became.” Filner brushed it off.įink said the incident left her “in disbelief that it could have happened.” Moments later, Fink said, one guest tried to gently upbraid the congressman, telling him Fink was not his wife and that he shouldn’t treat a woman like that. She then escorted Filner to the next table. ![]() Once she’d turned, Fink said, Filner “took his hands, patted my posterior, laughed, and said: 'No, it’s still there!'"įor a moment, Fink said, she was in shock, “and it certainly gave the people at the table pause.” "As a staffer, I know it sounds silly to say that you just do it, but you just do it," Fink said. At one point, Fink said, an attendee singled her out for praise saying, "this girl has worked her ass off for you.”Īt that, Fink said, Filner told her to turn around. Her job was to escort Filner from table to table during the dinner. The Democratic congressman was making amends to the LGBT community, she said, for his “yes” vote years earlier on the highly controversial Defense of Marriage Act. I intend to defend myself vigorously and I know that justice will prevail.”įink said her troubling encounter with Filner happened when she was staffing him at a fundraising dinner. “I do not believe these claims are valid. I humbly ask that through this vicious storm of controversy, people take a moment and temper their rush to judgment. My dreams and plans for moving this City to new heights are continuing. “I remain committed to the people of San Diego and the work that needs to be done. Once due process is allowed to unfold, I am certain there will be a better understanding of this situation. ![]() “I am saddened by the charges that were leveled against me today. But in a written statement issued yesterday in response to the McCormack Jackson lawsuit, Filner said: The mayor did not respond to a request from KPBS for comment. McCormack Jackson’s allegations include being trapped in the “Filner Headlock,” in which she said he would grab her, try to kiss her, tell her he loved her and wanted to marry her and that they should “consummate their relationship.”
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