A day after former City Councilwoman Donna Frye accused San Diego Mayor Bob Filner of sexually harassing several women and called on him to step down, the mayor released a videotaped apology. “As someone who has spent a lifetime fighting for equality for all people, I am embarrassed to admit that I have failed to fully respect the women who work for me and with me, and that at times I have intimidated them,” he says. Filner goes on to say that he’s “humbled to admit that I need help,” and is working with “professionals to make changes in my behavior and approach.”
Despite the mea culpa, Filner clearly has no intention of stepping down. “I only ask that you give me an opportunity to prove I am capable of change, so that the vision I have for our city’s future can be realized,” he says. It might be hard for San Diegans to see how he’s changed, since two days into the scandal we still don’t know exactly what he did to the women in his office.
