Emerald, Filner, Cole | Photo Credit: Sam Hodgson
By Megan Burks
Councilwomen Marti Emerald and Myrtle Cole issued a joint statement Friday asking Mayor Bob Filner to resign. They were the last two holdouts on the City Council in calling for a resignation.
The about-face, they say, stems from new details about the mayor’s alleged misconduct toward women.
“Disturbing new evidence about the mayor’s conduct makes it crystal clear he can no longer remain the chief executive of the city of San Diego…Now, additional women in his own office are telling investigators about harassment and abuse they suffered on a daily basis.”
Emerald’s office did not elaborate on any new claims against the mayor. Local, state and federal officials are at City Hall looking into sexual harassment allegations against Filner and a possible quid pro quo with developer Sunroad. U-T San Diego reports investigators from the FBI and City Attorney’s Office have interviewed 30 City Hall employees.
Emerald told Fox 5 San Diego she delayed taking a strong stance against the mayor, instead urging him to complete therapy at a July 30 City Council meeting, because a trip to Boston for a governance symposium kept her from gathering all of the facts.
The slow response caused outrage among constituents and inspired a “Recall Marti Emerald” effort. The group said it would publish a notice in Sunday’s U-T San Diego – the first step in recalling an elected official – but the ad did not appear.
The San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, which ardently supported Filner, Emerald and Cole in the last election, and its new leader, Richard Barrera, have not joined the chorus asking the mayor to resign.
San Diego Unified Board of Education President John Lee Evans asked the mayor to resign over the weekend.