We’ve all known this day was coming. Now it’s finally here (via CNN):
This is the day San Diego Mayor Bob Filner enters a behavior counseling clinic for two weeks of what he describes as intensive therapy.
The 70-year-old is battling a tide of sexual harrassment allegations, and is hoping that voluntarily subjecting himself to the counseling will quell the mounting calls for his resignation.
He has repeatedly said he'll not leave the office he was elected to barely eight months ago.
San Diego's city charter does not require him to appoint an interim mayor during his temporary absence.
His decision is unlikely to appease his opponents.
Not surprisingly, the number of women accusing Filner of inappropriate sexual behavior reached double digits over the weekend:
Over the weekend, another woman accused the mayor of unwanted sexual advances -- making her the 10th woman making such allegations.
And yet the man still won’t resign. He was elected to do a job, my friends, and he’s going to damn well do it. Incidentally, Filner has only been Mayor of San Diego for about eight months, but his serial spanking and creepy sexual advances have reportedly been going on for decades. But can he weather the storm any longer? His symbolic and utterly meaningless public act of “getting help” is certainly one way to avoid unwanted media attention, but if he hasn’t resigned yet is there any chance he actually will? Three-fourths of his constituents say he should and there’s already whispers of a possible recall election on the horizon. But if recent history is any indication, he’s not going to resign until the last possible moment when he has no other option. Lucky us.
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