Despite a Lansing City Council member’s unexpected resignation Monday, a city employee is still considering a sexual harassment lawsuit against the city.
Councilmember Lou Adado announced his resignation at Monday night’s city council meeting, citing negative attention on the city due to two women’s charges that he sexually harassed them. The city council will decide Thursday what process to use to appoint a new council member, a move expected within 30 days.
City council secretary Heather Eman and a woman who has not been identified have said Adado touched them inappropriately. Eman has filed a notice of intent to sue the city.
Adado, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, has denied the charges.
The decision to leave city council has not altered the charges Eman has brought forth, said her attorney, Hugh Clarke Jr. Eman has said Adado started sexually harassing her when she began working for the city in 1999.
Clarke said he and Eman spoke only briefly about Adado’s resignation Monday night. Clarke said he doesn’t know if the resignation will help or hurt the case. “Right now we will see how she wants to proceed and we will see how she wants to file suit,” he said.
Clarke said Adado offered Eman money for her panties, sent her inappropriate e-mails, offered to buy her a house and touched her inappropriately at work.
Adado served on the council since 1998 and is chief executive officer of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association. Council members make $19,600 per year.
“This situation is distracting all of us on city council, not only me personally, but my colleagues on council, from very vital work on issues that are absolutely critical to our city,” Adado wrote in a statement released Monday.
The city charter requires the seat be filled within 30 days of the vacancy, council Vice President Carol Wood said. If the council doesn’t find someone to fill the vacancy an election will be held.
Adado’s abrupt departure came as a surprise, Wood said.
“He had not given any indication to any council member that was something he was planning to be doing,” she said. “I think that it was something that was, in the beginning, was in the back of people’s minds, but I think that every day that it went by, the decision seemed further away.”
Anyone who replaces Adado will have to run in the November general election to keep the seat.
“That person will have to run probably in November and there may be people that challenge that person,” Councilmember Harold Leeman said. “So there will be an election one way or another.”
Adado’s departure came before the council had an opportunity to discuss next year’s budget. Officials don’t know if the resignation will push the process back.
“We are always very busy and we are starting our budget soon,” Leeman said. “We receive the first part in May, but to be quite honest anybody that is appointed will have little to do with it.”
