Platinum Contributing Member SnowRider Posted March 13, 2018 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted March 13, 2018 Iowa Repug and quality of life.... Iowa Senate leader resigns; video shows him kissing lobbyist DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The majority leader of the Iowa Senate resigned Monday after a website published video showing the married lawmaker kissing a statehouse lobbyist. Sen. Bill Dix submitted a one-sentence resignation letter several hours after the liberal website Iowa Starting Line published its report about the Shell Rock Republican. Dix did not comment on the circumstances surrounding his resignation as majority leader and as state senator, though Republican Senate President Jack Whitver alluded to the website's allegations in a statement. "I believe he made the right decision for himself and for his district, but most importantly, I believe he made the decision in the best interest of his family," said Whitver about Dix. Republicans in the GOP-controlled chamber plan to elect a new majority leader on Wednesday. The resignation caps a swift response from Senate Republicans, after Iowa Starting Line posted video and photos on Monday showing Dix and a woman sitting together at a Des Moines bar. The video shows the two kiss. The website said the incident was recorded March 1. The woman was identified as a lobbyist for Iowa League of Cities, an organization that seeks to sway legislation at the state Capitol. She did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Robert L. Palmer, director of government affairs and legislative counsel for the organization, said in an email to AP: "We are taking what we believe are appropriate actions, but because this is a personnel matter we cannot comment further." After Dix's resignation, GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement: "I believe he made the right decision in stepping down ... Iowans hold their elected officials to a high standard, and as elected officials, we have an obligation to lead." Senate Minority Leader Janet Petersen, a Des Moines Democrat, released a statement calling the video a "serious matter." "Because this involves Senator Dix and a lobbyist, there will be questions about the impact of this relationship on legislation," she said in a statement. Petersen also reiterated her criticism of Dix for how he handled the fallout of a recent sexual misconduct case within the chamber, which involved a former Senate GOP staffer. The ex-employee filed a lawsuit several years ago that claimed she was fired after reporting misconduct in the workplace that included the use of sexual language. The lawsuit went to trial last summer, and she was later awarded $1.75 million. Dix has maintained the ex-staffer was fired for poor performance. An internal report later revealed senators made "sexually suggestive comments" or discussed "sexual preferences" on the chamber floor in recent years, and staff members in the Republican Senate office were unlikely to report misconduct because of fear of retaliation. The Iowa Legislature has since hired a human resources director to oversee harassment complaints at the state Capitol. Separately, a former Republican senator was tasked late last year with reviewing workplace culture at the Iowa Senate. The ex-lawmaker released recommendations in January that included suggesting all employees at the state Capitol — including elected lawmakers, nonpartisan staff, lobbyists and the media — receive training "regarding what constitutes inappropriate behavior." Legislative leaders in the Republican-controlled Iowa House did not immediately comment on Dix, a 55-year-old pumpkin farmer from an area about 130 miles northeast of Des Moines. A biography online said he and his wife have three teenage children. Dix was first elected to the Iowa House in 1996. He was later elected to the Iowa Senate in 2010, where he served as minority leader for several years. He became majority leader after GOP lawmakers took control of the chamber following the 2016 election. https://www.yahoo.com/news/iowa-senate-leader-resigns-video-shows-him-kissing-202923959--politics.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zambroski Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Highmark Posted March 13, 2018 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted March 13, 2018 Hey at least we don't fuck dead deer like Wisconsin people do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member steve from amherst Posted March 13, 2018 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted March 13, 2018 That is so terrible. But it happens , here,s the democrat version of it. Four men allege sexual misconduct by Senate president’s husband But Bryon Hefner, then the fiance of Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, appeared in his doorway. As the advocate recently described it, Hefner took a step forward, grabbed the man’s genitals, and didn’t let go. He recalled Hefner asking him to have some fun with him, telling him Rosenberg wouldn’t mind, that Hefner and the Senate president were a team on Beacon Hill, and that they would take care of him. The advocate tried to do the calculations. Several times before that night, Hefner had boasted to him of his great pull in state politics, and of his influence with Rosenberg. He had described the Senate president’s priorities as what “we” — Hefner and Rosenberg — were trying to accomplish at the State House. The advocate needed Rosenberg on his side. Hefner left the man in no doubt that he was asking for sexual favors in return for help on Beacon Hill. The advocate, well-known in the insular world of Massachusetts politics, is one of four men who told the Globe that Hefner sexually assaulted and harassed them over the past few years. Three of the men say Hefner grabbed their genitals (two allege he did so more than once), and one says he kissed him against his will. Though three of the alleged incidents took place when Rosenberg was mere feet away, the Globe found no evidence that the Senate president knew about the assaults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer254 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 4 hours ago, steve from amherst said: That is so terrible. But it happens , here,s the democrat version of it. But democrats don't worry about family values or what happens in private so that makes it ok. Remember, they are the saint's of politics. snowbeavis still doesn't grasp the reason democrats keep losing support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member steve from amherst Posted March 13, 2018 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted March 13, 2018 45 minutes ago, racer254 said: But democrats don't worry about family values or what happens in private so that makes it ok. Remember, they are the saint's of politics. snowbeavis still doesn't grasp the reason democrats keep losing support. Hefner left the man in no doubt that he was asking for sexual favors in return for help on Beacon Hill. But that part was nothing but pure corruption. That's why we are hearing crickets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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