While the Denver City Council is sitting on their hands, waiting for the city attorney to come up with an excuse why they can’t investigate a sexual harassment complaint against Mayor Hancock, the victim’s lawyer has found the city code that does in fact allow them to take action.
It’s pretty simple, but then the best course of action usually is. Here’s what attorney Sean J. Lane determined, on behalf of his client, Detective Leslie Branch-Wise:
It appears that there is a fundamental dispute that could be resolved by using the City Council’s subpoena power to summon witnesses, question them under oath, conduct the investigation and issue a public report of its findings.
On March 19, 2018, Mayor Hancock participated in an interview with Tony Kovaleski and stated that he knew his intent when he wrote the text messages that Detective Branch-Wise has already disclosed.
Certainly, at the very least, the City Council could use its powers to ask the Mayor to state, under oath, his intent when he wrote the subject text messages to Detective Branch-Wise. The Council could also question Detective Branch-Wise under oath and then publish a public report of the investigation, pursuant to Denver Municipal Code, Chapter 13 §§ 13-31 and 13-35.
The dispute, for those of you not following along, is that Branch-Wise says she was sexually harassed by Han(d)cock, the mayor denies it.
The council discussed it secretly for nearly three hours in an executive session Tuesday night. Now we’re all just waiting to hear what the city attorney recommends.
As if we couldn’t guess.