Second woman claims Puyallup mayor touched her inappropriately
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PUYALLUP, Wash. -- A former member of the Puyallup City Council came forward Tuesday to accuse Mayor Rick Hansen of touching her inappropriately.
The stunning accusation came during a Puyallup City Council meeting meant to address a separate incident in which Hansen was accused of inappropriately touching a female city employee.
At the meeting, several attendees took to the podium to address the controversial issue.
Some spoke out in support of Hansen and others were outraged, but the night came to a standstill when Nicole Martineau approached the microphone. The former councilwoman said during her two-year stint on the council, Hansen touched her inappropriately.
"I just want to tell you that in early 2011 you put your hands on both of my shoulders and you shook me back and forth before a council meeting," Martineau said.
After the meeting, Martineau detailed how Hansen allegedly touched her.
"It was prior to a council meeting, we were in our office and I was approached by Mr. Hansen," she said. "He put his hands on my shoulders and shook me back and forth. It made me feel very uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that the next day I verbally reported it to our city manager."
Martineau said the city manager asked her if she wanted him to take action against Hansen, and she declined. She did have a message for the original employee who came forward and filed a complaint against Hansen.
"I appreciate her coming forward. I look back and think maybe I should have formally filed a complaint but I don't think it matters if you have a verbal or formal complaint, what's important is that we educate through this process and learn moving forward," she said.
In May, City Manger Ralph Dannenberg sent Hansen a memorandum to "address concerns recently raised related to your conduct, specifically, boundary issues with female employees." The memo also included a copy of the city's official anti-harassment/anti-discrimination policy.
At Tuesday's meeting, the council voted unanimously to admonish Hansen for the first allegations of unwelcome touching.
"The female responded as she should. I chose to take an awareness class which makes clear it is inappropriate to touch any city employee in any manner other than a handshake," Hansen said.
The stunning accusation came during a Puyallup City Council meeting meant to address a separate incident in which Hansen was accused of inappropriately touching a female city employee.
At the meeting, several attendees took to the podium to address the controversial issue.
Some spoke out in support of Hansen and others were outraged, but the night came to a standstill when Nicole Martineau approached the microphone. The former councilwoman said during her two-year stint on the council, Hansen touched her inappropriately.
"I just want to tell you that in early 2011 you put your hands on both of my shoulders and you shook me back and forth before a council meeting," Martineau said.
After the meeting, Martineau detailed how Hansen allegedly touched her.
"It was prior to a council meeting, we were in our office and I was approached by Mr. Hansen," she said. "He put his hands on my shoulders and shook me back and forth. It made me feel very uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that the next day I verbally reported it to our city manager."
Martineau said the city manager asked her if she wanted him to take action against Hansen, and she declined. She did have a message for the original employee who came forward and filed a complaint against Hansen.
"I appreciate her coming forward. I look back and think maybe I should have formally filed a complaint but I don't think it matters if you have a verbal or formal complaint, what's important is that we educate through this process and learn moving forward," she said.
In May, City Manger Ralph Dannenberg sent Hansen a memorandum to "address concerns recently raised related to your conduct, specifically, boundary issues with female employees." The memo also included a copy of the city's official anti-harassment/anti-discrimination policy.
At Tuesday's meeting, the council voted unanimously to admonish Hansen for the first allegations of unwelcome touching.
"The female responded as she should. I chose to take an awareness class which makes clear it is inappropriate to touch any city employee in any manner other than a handshake," Hansen said.
This is absolutely ridiculous. I understand if it made her uncomfortable. So ask him to stop. You don't run it up the damn ladder. He should sue her for defamation of character because it is hurting him a hell of a lot more than he ever hurt her (which was unintentional to begin with).
My boss touched me on the elbow several years ago,I feel so cheap and exploited....Where do you get one of those attorney's?
Balderdash! way to get your panty-hose in a bunch over nothing.
This is ridiculous to me. Good grief!
you know if someone stands to close to me on the bus, or does something I dont like, I ask or tell them to back off or stop. Funny how these women operate, years after the fact; oh wait the possibility of a lawsuit and money seem to justify it.
I smell a law suite and subsequent money payoff to these women.....
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Dang have we gone mad with being overly pc??!!
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Why can't we be adults and just say please don't ouch me that way?? What happened to using our voices instead of an attorney??Â
He probably got toner cartridge residue all over her burka.
If someone touching my shoulders without prior consent is inappropriate/harassment then I've got a few dozen men and women who's lives need to be ruined too.Â
kick someone in the groin because they shook your shoulders...yeah that makes sense.
Should have touched the mayor back with a knee to the groin............
I always thought of inappropriate touching as groping someone in a "private place" on their body. I can hardly believe a grown woman could call someone putting their hands on her shoulders and rocking her back and forth inappropriate. I might do that to someone and would never consider it to be inappropriate. These women need to get a life.
This seems very petty to me. And I am a woman. Like someone else said, I came to this story expecting to read she had been groped or something more.
In this day and age, everyone in the workplace is educated to not touch a co-worker...a tap on the arm between the wrist and elbow is sort of okay...but the training all says to steer clear. If she didn't like what he did, she should have told him right them and there. If he did it a second time, then there's a big problem. Having said that, I think it's pretty lousy of her to come forward a year later and make this public announcement.Â
Give me a break. Do these women even give a thought to the distress they have caused this man with their petty little "he touched my shoulder" gig? I could see if he had tried to force himself on them, that is a different matter but this... what a sham for a bit of publicity. Shame on you women, get a life!
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What a non-story. Another woman looking to cash in on the bandwagon of accusations when nothing was really done wrong.
i like it when i'm touched inappropriately..
I wonder if this isn't just a bunch of sour grapes. It almost sounds like much ado about nothing.
At work, with women, I only talk shop. No hand contact, or eye contact. I don't trust them. Most of these women are professional victims and the best thing to do is ignore them and their come ons, regardless of their intentions. What are their motivations. Then there are the real victims of sexual assault/rape and the like. For them, I have the utmost of compassion and sympathy, but only from a very safe distance. You just never know.
What is this world coming to? If she was uncomfortable with that minor touching she should have told him that she didn't like it and move on. I think the mayor was better composed than I would have been. I think I would have had to laugh at her. 1 instance like that in 2 years of working together???
The title makes it seem as if he molested her. Sounds like he was being playful or flirting and she should have just asked him to stop instead of trying to ruin him publicly.
@Magic 8 Ball ... Well I mostly agree, it depends on how soft, or violent, the shaking was.Â
 @Dave Lancaster  @Magic If it was violent, she should have filed assault charges..  obviously, it must not have been that violent..Â
I'd hate to see what they would have said if he put his arm around their shoulders and said how are you doing today?....
I agree. I'm led to believe that it was gentle or else she would have stated that she was violently shaken. When you're upset you remember everything. When you're distracted you remember very little. She couldn't remember the conversation.
I believe this could have been handled in a better way. I'm always suspicious of people that come come forward with allegations months and years later.