NASHVILLE — A Middle Tennessee lawmaker said Sunday she is astonished that newly elected House Speaker Kent Williams, R-Elizabethton, is denying the charges of sexual harassment she leveled against him nearly two years ago.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mount Juliet, said. “I was very surprised when he did that because quite honestly, I think the easiest thing to do would have been to say, ‘You know what? I said it. I apologized, and so far as I know, that was the end of it.’”
Rep. Williams, elected Jan. 13 in a Democratic-engineered victory over Republican Majority Leader Jason Mumpower, R-Bristol, has said General Assembly disclosure rules have “tied” his hands on responding specifically to the allegations.
However, he has maintained, “I have never harassed anyone.”
The informal spring 2007l account of the complaint against Rep. Williams, which Rep. Mumpower said he released last week at news organizations’ requests, forms the foundation of a formal ethics complaint filed Wednesday by Rep. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, against Rep. Williams.
Rep. Kelsey, who campaigned on behalf of Rep. Williams’ GOP primary opponent last year, accuses the new speaker of “making a false, public statement with the intent to deceive.” The complaint seeks to remove Rep. Williams as speaker.
The day after Rep. Williams was elected speaker in a 50-49 vote with the support of all 49 Democrats, Rep. Kelsey called on him to resign.
The 12-member Ethics Committee, comprising six Republicans and six Democrats, is scheduled to meet Wednesday to hear the charge.
Rep. Williams does not serve on the standing committee. He said the panel’s membership was determined by House Republican and Democratic leaders. Taking any action requires a majority.
House Minority Leader Gary Odom, D-Nashville, said he finds it “very interesting” the matter has resurfaced and finds it “unusual” for Rep. Kelsey to file the complaint “when (he) was not the alleged victim.”
Rep. Lynn said she didn’t file a formal complaint at the time of the March 27, 2007, incident because she believed that while serious, “it didn’t rise to the level of requiring punishment. I just thought I’d go to my leader and help this freshman (Williams) understand that we treat each other with a certain professional decorum.”
But she said that while she never wanted any of the information to be made public, she believes Rep. Kelsey now “has every right to have a fair hearing on his complaint.”
Rep. Mumpower has said he handled the matter informally and released the information last week to news media because he had no choice after they made formal requests for it.
The Mumpower memo was accurate, Rep. Lynn said. But she noted she never knew of its existence until a House Republican staffer told her it would be released.
The memo says Rep. Williams approached Rep. Lynn and Rep. Debra Maggart, R-Hendersonville, and told Rep. Lynn he would “give you a week(’)s pay just to see you naked.”
The Mumpower memo says the incident was witnessed and confirmed by then-Rep. Doug Overbey, R-Maryville. The memo says Rep. Williams later apologized.
It also details an April 5 incident in which a “quite upset and distraught” Rep. Lynn complained Rep. Williams “came up behind her, put his arm tightly around her and embraced her. She said he then put his face close to hers and told her, ‘Have a nice weekend.’”
The memo says Rep. Williams later apologized and assured her it would not occur again. The second incident, according to the memo, was witnessed by Rep. Janis Sontany, D-Nashville.
“I don’t recall that’s the way the whole thing went down,” Rep. Sontany began telling the Chattanooga Times Free Press last week before her comments were cut short by House Democratic Caucus spokesman, Addison Pate.
Mr. Pate told Rep. Sontany House rules prohibited her from discussing harassment allegations.
Rep. Lynn said Rep. Sontany “did see it and when he (Williams) walked away she looked at me with furrowed eyebrows and said, ‘Who is that?’”
Efforts to reach Mr. Overbey, who is now a senator, were unsuccessful.
Andy Sher is a Nashville-based staff writer covering Tennessee state government and politics for the Times Free Press. A Washington correspondent from 1999-2005 for the Times Free Press, Andy previously headed up state Capitol coverage for The Chattanooga Times, worked as a state Capitol reporter for The Nashville Banner and was a contributor to The Tennessee Journal, among other publications. Andy worked for 17 years at The Chattanooga Times covering police, health care, county government, ...
Why is she surprised? He's lied before....
As with most RINOs, Williams' "peccadillos" are coming home to roost. Perhaps he should just throw in with the losers across the aisle...oh, wait...he already has.
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