UPDATE at 8:37pm on November 15: Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway releasing the following statement late Friday addressing the domestic abuse and sexual harassment allegations against elected officials.
“Domestic abuse and sexual harassment are serious issues that affect too many lives in our community. The effects are both immediate and enduring, and we must do all that we can to prevent abuse and harassment and to respond fully when it occurs. The City supports survivors and spares no effort to hold accountable anyone found to have violated the law.
While the City has high standards for our employees and has an established process for addressing abusive or harassing behavior, City administration does not have similar jurisdiction over independent elected officials. In that case, the recourse is with the public and the political process.
No one who harasses or abuses women should be in a leadership position at any level of government. While such behavior may be normalized elsewhere, I would hope that in Madison we have higher standards.”
MADISON, Wis. — After months of investigating, the City of Madison finds that there is “insufficient evidence” to support allegations of harassment policy violations by an alderperson.
Three women accused Alder Charles Myadze from Madison’s 18th District with sexual harassment and domestic abuse in April. Alder Myadze denied the allegations at the time as “entirely baseless, defamatory, without merit, and made solely for the purpose of tarnishing my reputation, in the hopes of influencing the upcoming elections”.
Myadze further reiterated that “I take these allegations seriously as domestic violence is a serious issue in our community and should never be trivialized”.
The allegations caused 15 Dane County supervisors and community leaders to call for Myadze’s resignation. The public letter referenced a previous incident of abuse against his former spouse, and a call believe victims of abuse.
The City of Madison concluded its investigation into potential harassment and inappropriate conduct policy violations by Alder Myadze in November. In a statement released by Madison Council President Yannette Figueroa Cole on November 13, she acknowledges that “[t]he report reveals a troubling pattern of behavior we cannot overlook, detailing instances of unwanted and inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature that created significant trauma for all complainants. It also uncovers an unwelcome pattern of bullying, repeated aggressive behaviors, and creating an unacceptable power imbalance”.
Those findings prompted the Madison Common Council to update their Code of Conduct to define a clear reporting process for sexual harassment claims.
“As a result of this investigation, we have identified the need to dive deeply into our policies and processes to ensure that when victims come forward, they feel supported and heard. We also want to make any changes necessary so our policies and processes take into consideration the trauma victims have experienced and the many ways it can show up in their response. Finally, we also want to make sure the policy and outcomes address behavior that causes harm and is counter to our values and goals, even if those behaviors do not technically violate the law.”
Alder Myadze has not commented on the results of the investigation, and there are no criminal charges filed based on the allegations.
