Democrats: Walk your talk
Political party structures are somewhat of a dinosaur in these days of rogue candidates and cash-rich political action committees. Still, parties serve to unite activists, put feet on the ground to get out the vote and otherwise bring together likeminded people to work for particular points of view. In New Mexico, of course, our political parties also run the primaries that select nominees for the November general election — and as such, it behooves the bosses in charge of the parties to stay behind the scenes.
Santa Fe’s Richard Ellenberg, until Tuesday the state Democratic Party chairman, unfortunately found himself in the news rather than in the background. That did not work out well for Ellenberg. His quick downfall as party chairman is a cautionary tale about the swiftness of judgment in the modern age.
Ellenberg, it turns out, owned property with Jon Hendry, former president of the New Mexico Federation of Labor and longtime business agent for the IATSE Local 480 representing film and TV crews. Hendry is the subject of a lawsuit claiming he harassed a former union employee; he won’t discuss the allegations and no longer heads the powerful union.
Given the Democratic Party’s strong support for victims of sexual harassment, it made sense for reporter Phaedra Haywood to ask Ellenberg about the lawsuit against his partner. What did not make sense was Ellenberg’s response. He told Haywood that the claim did not feel “credible” and that, “I think it needs to unfold more, and I have some information about the allegations in this case that I’m told would cast some of this in a very different light.” That was reported Tuesday morning. By afternoon, Ellenberg had resigned his position, obviously with the assistance of top elected Democrats. He was shown the door.
The forced goodbye makes sense. Ellenberg, as party chairman, was hardly proactive in the case of a Doña Ana County commissioner also accused of sexual harassment. After Democrat John Vasquez was accused of sexual misconduct, it took complaints from party Vice Chairwoman and Vasquez accuser Neomi Martinez-Parra for Ellenberg finally to ask Vasquez to leave. Party heavyweights joined in, and the commissioner has resigned.
That was one strike against Ellenberg. Calling a victim’s claims not “credible” was a second. There will be no opportunity for a third.
Given the history of the powerful taking advantage of their positions and the reality that so many women have been ignored for so long, accusations must be taken seriously. Due process is necessary for fairness, whether the kind the accused receives in a court of law or what takes place in more informal investigations.
No one deserves to lose reputation and livelihood willy nilly. At the same time, all of us deserve to be able to work, attend school and go about our lives without worrying that someone who is bigger or more powerful will coerce us into unwanted favors.
Since the revelations about powerful (mostly) men using their positions to harass subordinates became one of the big stories of 2017, we have all been pushed to listen, become aware and understand how much suffering has occurred.
Now #MeToo — a hashtag under which people relate their stories of harassment and abuse — has morphed into the Time’s Up movement. Abuse and harassment must stop.
In resigning, Ellenberg had this to say: “I regret the way in which I have managed complaints of survivors who have come forward about sexual harassment, and take full responsibility to continue to learn and grow so that I can be an advocate and ally in the future.”
He’ll be an ally from the sidelines, and that’s as it should be. Now, with the primary weeks away, Democrats need a party leader who walks their talk. After all, time is up.