Even Politics Can Be Civil

Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) admits making an obscene gesture last week at his rival for a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors but says the man had it coming to him. Wrong. Even in the heat of a political campaign, taste and civility can be and should be maintained.

Two years ago a onetime intern in Conroy’s Sacramento office charged him with sexual harassment, which Conroy denies. Conroy claims that his foe for the supervisorial seat, Deputy Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer, has constantly referred to the charge during the campaign. Last week’s incident occurred at a Republican Party rally.

Conroy should have put the intern’s allegation to rest one way or another by insisting that the civil trial of the lawsuit she has filed against him be held before the election. The assemblyman says he wanted the trial held months ago but first there was no courtroom available and then the lawyers involved had schedule conflicts.

Conroy is being forced out of the Assembly by term limits. Spitzer, a member of the Brea-Olinda school board, finished second to Conroy in a crowded field in the March primary elections. Because no candidate received more than 50% of the votes, the top two are in a runoff in the November election. The supervisors’ positions are nonpartisan; both finalists are Republicans, and both appeared at the rally, held at county party headquarters.

By not insisting that the sexual harassment case be resolved before the election, Conroy has left it a question during the campaign. He would be naive to think an opponent would not refer to the matter. A report by the state Assembly’s legislative counsel concluded that Conroy violated the Assembly’s sexual harassment policies by embracing, kissing and making inappropriate comments to the intern.

If true, the civil charge represents a serious violation of rules of workplace behavior. All employees are entitled to respect and freedom from offensive behavior. Conroy deserves his day in court, but since the charge has not been disposed of at trial, he should not be surprised to have it raised in the course of an election campaign.