Colorado’s Democrats battling sexual assault

After #MeToo, party reviews its workplace policies

The questions about a pervasive culture of sexual harassment in Colorado’s political arena are prompting the state Democratic Party to review its workplace policies and candidate training, an effort that dovetails with an ongoing review at the state Capitol.

Democratic Party Chairwoman Morgan Carroll is expected to announce Friday the creation of a panel that will make recommendations about how to combat “sexual harassment and assault on the campaign trail.”

“My question is: What can we do to prevent (sexual harassment) in the first place and what can we do to be the leaders in changing the culture?” said Carroll, a former Senate president. “A lot of people have for a long time felt like this is just something that they had to put up with from anybody in a position of power. And I want to make sure that is never part of anyone’s experience.”

The creation of the 10-member Gender Equity and Workplace Safety Commission comes after four state lawmakers, including two Democratic lawmakers, faced allegations in recent months for sexual harassment.

State Rep. Steve Lebsock, a Thornton Democrat and a candidate for state treasurer, faces three formal complaints, including one from Rep. Faith Winter. A complaint filed against Rep. Paul Rosenthal, DDenver, was later dismissed by House Speaker Crisanta Duran because it took place when he was a candidate. Both men deny all the allegations.

Carroll said her decision to launch the commission is not in response to any particular complaint but rather the broader #MeToo movement that revealed the problem in Colorado politics.

“I am frankly appalled at talking to aides and interns about how many people had unspoken lists about people to avoid,” Carroll said in an interview. “That there are interns coming into the Capitol that in any way felt like this was something that they should expect is unacceptable.”

The recent complaints prompted the General Assembly’s top leaders to require additional training for lawmakers as well as hire an outside consultant to review the legislature’s policies and a new human resources position, even though some experts in harassment law and human resources say problems can be more influenced by a workplace’s underlying culture.

The Democratic Party’s commission — led by JoyAnn Ruscha, a local party officer and Democratic strategist, and state Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Long-

mont — has wide latitude to examine gaps in candidate training and party policies, as well as how to ensure compliance.

“This can happen in any office, on any campaign,” Ruscha said. “It’s important to understand that people who commit sexual misconduct or make inappropriate remarks might also agree with you on political issues.”

The transient nature of campaigns means there often is “little accountability,” Carroll said.

But the effort is designed to set a tone from the start that workplace and sexual harassment won’t be tolerated.

“The smartest place to address this is at the very beginning when someone is making a decision about running,” she said.

The executive director for the Colorado Republican Party said the organization makes clear to its candidates that it has no tolerance for sexual harassment or discrimination.

“We’ve made that position clear to our candidates and will continue to do so,” said Shana Banberger, the party’s executive director. “In general, blue-ribbon commissions serve only public relations purposes, but we’d be happy if something positive came from this one.”

Two Republican state senators are the subject of ongoing harassment complaints at the statehouse.