Democrats must call for Rep. Zabel’s resignation
State Rep. Mike Zabel, D.-Delaware, has been accused of sexual harassment by Andi Perez, the political director for the Service Employees International Union in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Since then, other accounts of inappropriate behavior and sexual misconduct by Mr. Zabel have surfaced.
State Democratic leaders, including newly elected Speaker Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia and Gov. Josh Shapiro, must toss political considerations aside and call for Mr. Zabel’s resignation. No partisan advantage is worth making women in the Capitol feel unprotected.
Nor can Mr. Zabel serve effectively in the legislature in the shadow of this moral cloud. Even allowing him to try would send the wrong message — to women and men — about what constitutes acceptable behavior in the state capitol.
The allegations against Mr. Zabel include one from an anonymous legislator that was reported by the conservative website Broad & Liberty, and another from Mr. Zabel’s former campaign manager. They describe a consistent pattern of misbehavior involving alcohol, inappropriate touching and intimidation.
Harrisburg is, thankfully, showing more sensitivity to sexual abuse and other misconduct. Mr. Shapiro’s signature action as Attorney General was releasing the grand jury report on historic clerical sexual abuse. Short-lived Speaker of the House Mark Rozzi, D.-Berks, pushed a constitutional amendment to open a litigation window for victims of abuse. And Ms. Perez’s allegation led, on Tuesday, to a longawaited change in House rules allowing people other than members and employees of the chamber to file official ethics complaints about sexual misconduct — a reform that had been resisted by the former Republican majority.
And yet, Mr. Zabel remains a member of the House in good standing, with no Democratic leaders calling for his resignation or disciplinary actions.
In December 2017, when several former staffers accused state Sen. Daylin Leach, D.-Montgomery, of inappropriate sexual remarks and touching, Gov. Tom Wolf called for his resignation the same day. In March 2018, when two women — including fellow legislator Tarah Toohil, R.-Luzerne — accused state Rep. Nick Miccarelli, R.-Delaware, of sexual assault, Republican House leaders called for his resignation the next day. The same occurred in January 2019, when a woman accused state Rep. Brian Ellis, R.-Butler, of sexual assault.
Now, it time for Democratic leaders to do the right thing in this case, regardless of the political stakes. The chamber’s Democratic leadership said they learned of the accusations against Mr. Zabel on Tuesday, but Ms. Perez says she immediately reported the 2019 incident to the caucus, then led by Rep. Frank Dermody of Oakmont. When reached by the Post-Gazette editorial board, Mr. Dermody refused to comment on whether he initiated an investigation.
House Democrats hold a tenuous 102-100 majority, which will likely become 102-101 when voters in the conservative 108th district elect a replacement for new senator Lynda Schlegel-Culver. Mr. Zabel’s resignation would trigger a special election in a fairly safe Democratic district. Even so, it could be enormously timeconsuming and expensive to defend the seat — and the majority.
But the political importance of retaining the House majority is all the more reason Democrats must act with unmistakable moral clarity and demand Mr. Zabel’s resignation.