While it sometimes can seem only bad things can come from bad situations, former Lansing Councilmember Louis Adado did a good thing Monday night by resigning from his leadership position.

Adado’s decision came on the heels of accusations from two city council staff members, who claim he sexually harassed them. The councilmember has denied the allegations.

In March, council receptionist Heather Eman filed a notice of claim with the city, the first step in pursuing a lawsuit against the municipality.

Eman, 32, alleges Adado had sent her smutty e-mails and cards, made crude comments and touched her inappropriately since she began working for the council in 1999. Adado has sat on the council since 1998.

Eman’s claim prompted city officials to hire a private investigator and personnel expert to look into the matter.

During the inquiry, a second woman, whose name has not been released, told investigators Adado had grabbed her buttocks at work at least twice, made comments about her chest and told her he wanted to have an affair with her.

After receiving the investigation report, the council appointed a four-member panel to review whether the allegations violated the council’s charter. The council planed to make its a decision by the end of April.

Adado, while still denying the sexual harassment allegation against him, said the matter was too distracting for the council, which has more important issues to attend to, such as working on the city budget.

It is commendable that Adado put the public business of the council before his private concerns.

It is important the public doesn’t rush to judge whether Adado is guilty of the allegations against him because of his decision. Guilt should be determined by a court of law.

Although Eman’s attorney said she has yet to decide if she will continue her case against the city in light of recent events, we would urge her to do so if she truly believes she was wronged by Adado. Sexual harassment does not have a place in decent society.

We also urge city leaders not to let the issue totally fall by the wayside given Adado’s decision.

While the council already enacted several changes to improve its workplace atmosphere as recommended by the personnel expert who investigated Eman’s allegations, it should continue to work toward measures that will help prevent the issue from occurring again. The personal expert did not conclude whether Adado sexually harassed Eman.

Although Adado made a good decision, the bad situation has not gone away. It’s up to Eman and the council to make the next steps.