SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) – Bob Filner’s former legal adviser spoke with CBS News 8 about the 73-year-old’s sex scandal.
Lee Burdick stepped up as the former mayor’s chief of staff amid allegations of sexual harassment, and she is now calling him a “monster” in her new book.
Burdick’s “Monster: The Unraveling of an American Mayor and What We Can Learn From It” is a tell-all-book. Everything from the scandal itself to her thoughts on Filner, and she did not hold back.
Burdick said working for Filner was one of the worst professional experiences of her life. She called him an ass who was passionate about his constituents but cruel to his own staff.
“People thought they really knew. What I tried to do is give them the behind the scenes,” she said.
After Filner was elected mayor in 2012, Burdick left her position with the Port Authority to become his director of special projects and legal affairs.
Soon after, Burdick transitioned to chief of staff during a time when several women were coming forward accusing Filner of sexual harassment and assault.
By the time Filner resigned in August of 2013, just nine months after taking office, 19 women had come forward accusing him of sexual harassment.
Burdick told CBS News 8 she believes there are woman who still have not come forward that she believes were sexually harassed, including elected officials.
In her book, Burdick recounts how she never witnessed any of the harassment, nor did she fall victim to it, but she does,however, detail what happened to her fellow co-workers.
One particular example, the former communications director, Irene McCormack Jackson, accused Filner of telling her to work without her panties on.
Burdick claims she initially doubted those claims, something she now regrets.
The book is more of a journal that helped her deal with the dark period, she said. By deciding to publish it, she hopes in part to explain why she continued to work for Filner until the very end.
“There was no one else to do it. If I didn’t do it, who would,” said Burdick.
Burdick said she does have regrets. Her biggest regret, perhaps, is the fact she did not listen to her own intuition, she said.
More than anything, she wants to start a dialogue about sexual harassment in hopes of eliminating it in the workplace, especially in San Diego’s most powerful political offices.
Burdick has not spoken to Filner since August of 2013, but she does have a message for her former boss.
“You need help. You need to spend more time looking at yourself and come face to face with your monster,” she said.
As for Filner, in a recent interview with The Voice of San Diego, he denied harassing women. He called the accusations made up fantasies.
Filner did plead guilty to false imprisonment and battery charges.
Burdick’s new book will be available February 8th.