Editorial:
“Sex offenders are not only sick, but are ‘addicts.’
Mayor Bob Filner has demonstrated his addictive behavior as we read and hear each report and story from women that we respect and know: Donna Frye and Laura Fink. These women do not make acquisitions lightly or without thought.
These women, in fact, all the women that have come forward, have been strong supporters and at one time respected Filner.
In the face of these mounting charges, there has been an outcry for Filner to do the right thing and step down as mayor, both out of respect for these women and to save the city from this embarrassment. We are not going to join in this chorus for Filner to quit. Filner is entitled to his day in court.
Yet, it is our hope that Filner will do the right thing and acknowledge that his ability to run the city has been compromised to the point that he no longer is an effective leader. He can save the city and taxpayers the millions of dollars it will cost in a court case, the cost of punitive damages by resigning, and the potential cost of a recall vote election.
Will Filner retire? The obvious answer is no. As with most politicians, he believes he can overcome this scandal and survive.
La Prensa San Diego endorsed Filner for mayor. The disappointment we feel with these allegations are almost beyond words. We feel betrayed. We had hoped for a progressive leader who would shake up the status quo. We had looked forward to the next four years. Now all those hopes are dashed. All respect is lost.
Sexual harassment, being a sexual predator, does not happen in a vacuum. Many of the reports allude to Filner’s harassment taking place in public and at least one claim of harassment had been e-mailed not only to then Congressman Filner seeking an apology, also to his chief of staff.
But Filner’s position as a congressman enabled his sexual harassment because only the voters could terminate him on those grounds.
Filner acted with the tacit support from those that worked with him and knew the real Filner. Their silence was deafening. Now many of those same folks are calling for his resignation.
La Prensa San Diego endorsed Filner, despite the fact that we had heard the stories of Filner’s propositioning women. We knew about his marriages, divorces, and about his affairs. We saw the red flags and seriously questioned whether we should endorse him. Some of our female friends had pulled back on their support and others told us not to endorse him based on his lack of morals.
Faced with the choice between Filner and DeMaio, the political decision was clear for us and we justified the endorsement, not fully knowing the depths of Filner’s depravity.
We should have known better, we should have listened to our female advisors. But we didn’t and we enabled Filner and for this we apologize.