Face the State

Romanoff should lead investigation into other allegations of misconduct
Face The State Editorial

In the aftermath of last week’s shocking resignation by state Rep. Michael Garcia, D-Aurora, due to allegations of sexual misconduct, capitol insiders are now questioning the environment the allowed his behavior to flourish.

Over the last month, Face The State has talked with several lawmakers and lobbyists, including the woman whose allegations led to Garcia’s downfall, about the Capitol’s culture. While we printed the woman’s allegations, we have demonstrated restraint in not printing others made against the lawmaker.

In our newsroom, we have a firm commitment to printing truthful news that has value to our readers. Unlike some other online news sources, we will not repeat vicious gossip for the sake of driving traffic to our site.

Romanoffwww.leg.state.co.us

With every single every allegation we print, we seek a response from the accused. We contacted Garcia’s office before we published our report. Our call was never returned.

We printed the allegations against Garcia because they were newsworthy. No legislator should subject women to situations where their professionalism is unfairly compromised. Based on multiple reliable sources at the Capitol, the incident in question was representative of a troubling pattern of behavior by Garcia.

We debated about whether to print the allegations without also printing the accuser’s name. After conducting substantial investigative research, including interviewing others familiar with both individuals and the night in question, we felt comfortable that the allegations of sexual misconduct were truthful. Based on Garcia’s resignation Friday morning, our readers can only assume she was telling the truth.

After our story ran, we received calls from concerned individuals—people who work at the Capitol every day. There was a consistent refrain: There is a culture of intimidation for many women working there. For the one woman who had the courage to come forward with her allegations, we have reason to believe that several others out there remain shrouded in silence. Currently, our sources say that at least four other women—including one who is also alleging similar misconduct by Garcia on the night of Jan. 7—have been subjected to the disrespect of being treated like sex objects.

Rep. Garcia made the honorable decision to step down. It would be wrong, however, to assume that this is where the story should end. State legislators, including House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, should insist on a full investigation into the other allegations. In addition, Romanoff and Senate President Peter Groff, D-Denver, along with Republican leadership, should immediately establish a bi-partisan committee to evaluate whether current House and Senate rules properly protect the interests of all parties involved every time a serious allegation surfaces.

House rule 49 requires Romanoff to notify his leadership team upon receipt of written complaints alleging misconduct by a state representative. Romanoff handled the situation entirely within his office on the basis the complaint was made directly to him, but not in writing. The Speaker should initiate a review of House policies on professional conduct to ensure future complaints are not kept under wraps based on such a technicality.

No female lobbyist should be expected to make moral compromises in exchange for votes. Capitol leadership must now begin the work of convincing everyone - including us - that adequate safeguards against such abuse are in place and are being taken seriously.