Puyallup mayor: 'I am truly sorry and embarrassed'
PUYALLUP, Wash. -- Puyallup Mayor Rick Hansen is facing accusations that he touched two women inappropriately. Hansen now admits that what he did was wrong, but he insists it wasn't sexual.
At Tuesday's City Council meeting, Hansen was officially admonished for his actions toward a female city employee. That woman filed a complaint against Hansen after she said he came up behind her at a copy machine, touched her shoulder and asked, "What would you say if I told you I was a little bit afraid of you?"
"I am truly sorry and embarrassed," Hansen said of the April incident.
Hansen now knows the interaction was wrong, but he said it shouldn't be construed as being sexual.
"That really was about her exercising, that she's a strong person and I had been exercising now," he said. "It was just small talk."
Five days later the same woman complained Hansen touched her hip near her abdomen, pointing out that her shirt color matched the color of cancer ribbons at City Hall.
"I wasn't intending to do anything except emphasize when I said it was purple and she said it was something else I was emphasizing it was purple," he said.
A city report on the issue describes the woman's blouse as being fuschia.
Hansen has since undergone sensitivity training, and he said he's glad the employee complained. He said he now knows that the only touching that's acceptable in the workplace is a handshake.
On the same night he was admonished for his actions with the city employee, a second woman came forward to accuse the mayor of touching her inappropriately.
Former City Councilwoman Nicole Martineau told the council on Tuesday that Hansen put his hands on her shoulders and shook her back and forth. The touching allegedly happened more than a year ago, and Hansen said he has no recollection of it.
"If there is anything I did that made anyone feel I comfortable, I would hope they would come and tell me," he said.
At Tuesday's City Council meeting, Hansen was officially admonished for his actions toward a female city employee. That woman filed a complaint against Hansen after she said he came up behind her at a copy machine, touched her shoulder and asked, "What would you say if I told you I was a little bit afraid of you?"
"I am truly sorry and embarrassed," Hansen said of the April incident.
Hansen now knows the interaction was wrong, but he said it shouldn't be construed as being sexual.
"That really was about her exercising, that she's a strong person and I had been exercising now," he said. "It was just small talk."
Five days later the same woman complained Hansen touched her hip near her abdomen, pointing out that her shirt color matched the color of cancer ribbons at City Hall.
"I wasn't intending to do anything except emphasize when I said it was purple and she said it was something else I was emphasizing it was purple," he said.
A city report on the issue describes the woman's blouse as being fuschia.
Hansen has since undergone sensitivity training, and he said he's glad the employee complained. He said he now knows that the only touching that's acceptable in the workplace is a handshake.
On the same night he was admonished for his actions with the city employee, a second woman came forward to accuse the mayor of touching her inappropriately.
Former City Councilwoman Nicole Martineau told the council on Tuesday that Hansen put his hands on her shoulders and shook her back and forth. The touching allegedly happened more than a year ago, and Hansen said he has no recollection of it.
"If there is anything I did that made anyone feel I comfortable, I would hope they would come and tell me," he said.
It's just a matter of time when an unwanted handshake or gesture of one, will be considered sexual harrassment.
@Jolly: very well put.
I am ok with most people's friendly or innocent touch. However, there are a couple of people that I would feel like every nerve is tensed the second they come within 10 feet of me. Don't you ever have the uneasy feeling about someone?  I personally do not think the two women overreacted; if they felt uncomfortable with his touching, then his touching was inappropriate.  Sexual or not? Only he knows exactly what he was thinking when he touched them. Â
But I have to admit, I do not trust him for being innocent because I do not believe someone at his age, and espeically at his position, could possibly not know anything about being sensitive at workplace.
This reminded the SNL video made to educate employees and employers about what constitutes sexual harassment in the work place and what does not.Â
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http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/sexual-harassment/258532/
Ridiculous. Mr. Mayor should be sorry and embarrassed that these women are such fragile individuals. It sounds like he is a good guy to work with/for.
The problem I see with this is while he is apologizing, that means he is admitting it. So these women will probably get a settlement. Isn't that the point of this anyway? They are after money.
What a shame this turned into "news."  It's also a shame that there are people who get personal satisfaction out of humiliating another person.  Â
how embarrassing for this guy, over nothing. I don't understand how a spineless person would file a complaint and call the news instead of just saying "please don't touch me.''
what a bunch of crap....
I think our society is becoming excessively fearful of any touch whatsoever. It's very sad that the only touch allowed is a handshake.........what isolation we have to live in.
This is beyond rediculous. It sounds like "over-sensitivity" classes will need to be developed for this one. From what the women described, it doesn't sound like anything sexual. Just being a personable human being. The sad fact is that from now on, the entire envioronment at city hall will change..and I'm willing to bet that most employees won't like it because it will become an impersonable, sterile place to work. I saw this happen in my office several months ago. One person complained about the smell of another's lunch and it came dome to not allowing any food in the workplace, including our popular prime rib pot luck lunch for Christmas. This is how complaints have to be dealt with due to PC out of control. I hope these people realize that a comforting hug when a fellow work mate is hurting (family crisis, ilness, etc) will no longer be tolerated. A generic handshake will have to do. Think about it...
 @rj I couldn't agree more.  .  Â
In my day Women complained they weren't treated as equals in the workplace. None of the guys ever complained if they were punched in the shoulder when they screwed up.
The story makes me think "a mountain of a mole hill" but in this day and age doesn't suprise me he got such a big reaction. The good old days are looking better and better. At least back then you could talk and make small gestures without worrying about sexual harrasment.
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I would assume that since the new forums allows us to see who "likes" a comment if you were to add a "dislike" feature it would also allow us to see who "dislikes" a comment as well, perhaps that would discourage excessive use of a dislike feature.
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 "He said he now knows that the only touching that's acceptable in the workplace is a handshake."
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It took him this long to figure this out?
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What a creep...
@Smashquail What a dummy
Getting touched on the shoulders or abdomen is harassment? Heck the ladies at work spend half the day smackin me on the ass, i should make a fortune in court!
It doesn't sound like it was necessarily sexual so much as this guy not understanding boundaries with this woman. Maybe I'm wrong and he is a total sleaze, but either way, I don't get why anyone is getting huffy about her filing a complaint. When someone's workplace behavior makes you uncomfortable, that is one perfectly viable option. Yes, it sometimes makes more sense to talk to someone about it face to face, but especially in situations where there is an uneven balance of power, that often isn't a realistic or comfortable option. If my boss was coming up behind me and touching my shoulders, even if I knew it wasn't sexual, I would feel very uncomfortable too, and would probably rather talk to the HR person than have to have that kind of conversation with someone I like respect professionally, and interact with daily. It seems like he learned his lesson about getting touchy-feely with people who might not welcome it, and seems to have handled it very, very well, so I'm glad it worked out for everyone involved.
Wow. I feel sorry for this mayor! He's not perfect and he's not a pervert from what I read. However, perhaps, there's a history between these two women and the mayor as far as past "sexual harassments" from him or ones that seemed to be harassments? I don't know. From what has been reported, I think this poor man has been railroaded.
pc correct everything. He didn't sexualy hit on anyone. P.S. Don't like the new forum not coming back.
I agree, I dont like the new commenting forum either. I'm still giving it some time but thus far I'm not impressed.
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OMG, oh yeah OMG, sounds like someone is looking for a really big fancy and expensive vacation courtesy of the city
Oh, how stupid. I've worked in offices all of my adult life and people touch each other. It's like being with friends, nothing more. Only one time have I ever said anything: A male co-worker came up behind me and massaged my shoulders as I was typing something for him. I very nicely asked him to stop and he did. No biggie. Grow up, people, and quit making much ado about nothing!!
Innocent touching is one thing, but if a man at work grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me like a child, he might be pulling back a bloody stump.
 @justmyopinion Looks like your workplace is way too uptight.
If you think a grown woman being treated like a child in the workplace is "uptight" then I hope, for your companies sake, that you are not a supervisor.
I'm truly sorry i was caught, and I'm embarrassed  that they weren't more horny and just simply reciprocated
 @blaster Wow... you have a really sick view of the world. I hope people manage to keep you a good distance from children and dogs.
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Not every touch is sexual to normal people but I'm a little concerned about you.
Relieved of office now please!
 @ChrisP Really? A bit hypersensitive perhaps?
What a weirdo
We truly are becoming too sensitive.Â
 @heyjoe Agreed
If the story is true, that he touched someone's shoulder and "near her abdomen" while pointing out her shirt color, and he's being persecuted for that, we're all damned! How ridiculous!
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If that's all it takes to be smeared in the press and workplace... Good grief!
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Maybe windtreeman is right. Throw Vin Diesel, Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfur, or Robert Pattinson in the office place and the guys would be the one's being touched.
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 @HonkeyCat Absolutely....apparently there are quite a few cougars at my workplace who feel it's quite alright to come up and be hanging all over you while they are getting their computer fixed. Obviously if women were held to the same standards as men, they would no longer be working there.
 @dg54321 They should be held to the same standard. If you don't like it, report it just like the women in Puyallup did.
Replace him with a good looking 28 year old and I get the feeling no employees would have complained...just goes to show you it's all about perception and how they 'perceived' the interaction...he didn't do anything that was, without a doubt, sexually motivated and thus, I think It'd be a darn shame if he lost his position because of it.
 @windtreeman Your right nobody would complain. I used to work in a office where if the "ugly" guy said hello, certain women would complain of harrassment, but if the "hot" guy said hello, then there was no problem
I really kinda feel bad for this guy. It is those interactions with people you really don't even think about, even if maybe you should. And I am sure he will from now on. If they had used their words (like we encourage kids to do if they are upset) then maybe this mess would not have happened.
 @lovestolearn Seriously....all she had to do is say "Please don't do that" and it would have been no issue at all. If it was, then she would have a story to put in the news.
 @dg54321 EXACTLY... My daughter was taught in school to say something if someone makes her feel uncomfortable, because sometimes they don't know that they are.Â
 @dg54321 Looks like someone is looking for a lotto payout. God, I hate people like that. They make life in the workplace so miserable that you don't dare tell someone their new haircut looks nice,
Good lord, he touched you on the shoulders. Â Wow. Â I mean to drag this guy through the mud for just that is a little overkill. Â Maybe he is just like that, some men are and it's not really appropriate but really it's not like he grabbed your ass or anything. Â Obviously who ever has been touching you hasn't been doing it right.
@keri555 Some women are like that as well. Some people are just "touchy".