Inappropriate Sexual Behavior By Our Privileged Elites

Perverts: Father Denis Lyons of Orange County & Don Vito Lopez of Brooklyn

When you want to talk about corruption in Brooklyn the discussion begins with Party Machine Boss and Bushwick Assemblyman Vito Lopez. The Ethics Committee found that he had sexually harassed two female employees (yes, he's a Democrat, so it wasn't underage boys) and unanimously recommended that he be removed as chairman of the Housing Committee. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Lower East Side) fired him and stripped him of his seniority. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) went further, calling on him to resign from the Assembly and as chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. “In light of the reprehensible conduct revealed by the Ethics Committee, I call upon Assembly Lopez to do the only honorable thing by immediately resigning his positions as a Member of the Assembly and as the County Chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party."

Lopez tried kissing one and made a dirty grab between her legs. Apparently there was no rape that we'd need to ask Todd Akin about being legitimate or otherwise. The NY Daily News summed it up by explaining Lopez had "created a hostile work environment through 'unwelcome verbal and physical conduct' that escalated over time, including one instance where he placed his hand 'as far up between [a staffer’s] legs' as he could go, according to an Assembly ethics committee report made public Friday."

Driving Lopez out of Democratic Party politics will be the bright side of this sordid story. Brooklyn progressive activist George Martinez is well acquainted with Lopez's corrupting influence on local politics. "What so many of us have known for far too long in Brooklyn has come to light once again," George told us Friday afternoon. "Politics in Brooklyn is a cesspool of corruption embodied in the powerful Democratic County machine and its leader, Vito Lopez. Lopez was one of the power brokers working to marginalize my congressional candidacy through his proxy City Councilman Erik Dilan.

"This latest scandal however, is not the run of the mill landlord extortion, judicial bribery, campaign embezzlement or other 'political scandal'. This time Vito, the Don, crossed the line of sexual harassment, in a case so egregious, even his long time political ally and Speaker of the Assembly, Shelly Silver, had to get tough with him and stripped him of his leadership positions in the Assembly. Worst of all, this is another damaging blow to the public trust which is already been shattered by these by types of scandals. I am calling on Vito Lopez to step down as the Democratic county chair and to resign as a member of the NYS Assembly. But if he is unwilling to do that under his own integrity, then I am calling on the Democratic district leaders and the voters of his district to 'bum rush the vote' and remove him with the power of the vote."

Way across the country, in good ole Orange County, there was another kind of sexual harassment case finally coming to a conclusion. Denis Lyons, a Roman Catholic priest, was sentenced to a year in prison for molesting a 14 year old alter boy at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Costa Mesa from 1992- 1995. Lyons, who pleaded guilty to "lewd acts with a child" would have faced 14 years without the plea deal. He's now 78. He finally left the priesthood in 2004, a decade after sexually assaulting a boy on two occasions in the rectory and two different occasions in the sacristy. The D.A. read a statement from the victim: "I have spent the last 16 years living in pain, living in shame. He took away my innocence as a child. This man has ruined my life and many others besides me." Other boys-- as young as 7-- have also complained that Father Lyons molested them as well. Two cases were dismissed of rapes in 1978 and 1981 because of the statute of limitations. The Catholic Church protected Lyons for years and paid off his victims in return for non-disclosure. Is there anyone anywhere that would still allow their underage child to be alone with a Roman Catholic priest under any circumstances?

Of course, as far as I know, there's nothing inherent about being a priest that has anything whatsoever to do with child molesting. It's all about the frustration and mental illness that comes from being forced to live a life in the closet. That's probably the reason most child predators are Republicans, priests and other conservatives. They're the ones menatlly torn apart about their sexual identities. Normal gay people are cool with it and accept themselves and don't molest young boys-- at least not usually. There are still some Democratic politicians with the Republican problem of living in the closet, not many... but a few. Minnesota state Rep. Kerry Gauthier (D-Duluth) isn't one of them. He's not in the closet. Wednesday he ended his reelection campaign because of a rest stop encounter with a 17 year old boy. (The boy had told Gauthier he was 18 and, in any case, the legal age of consent in Minnesota is 16, so there are no criminal aspects to this story. Gauthier had advertised on CraigsList for a sexual encounter and there was no money involved.)

When the scandal first broke Gauthier said he wouldn't resign and would, in fact, seek reelection. That announcement went badly. He wound up in a hospital after overdosing on painkillers.

"I took an overdose of pills to not feel any pain and this resulted in my hospitalization," he said in the statement, adding that he has been in recovery from chemical dependency for 30 years with one relapse.

Gauthier told the station his unwillingness to accept he is gay led him to engage in the inappropriate liaison in a public place. He said he is getting counseling. He also said he feels badly for the teen and wouldn't talk specifically about the incident to protect the boy.

"I can change my behavior, but I cannot change the fact that I am a gay man, and have known this since my college days. I simply must act like a mature gay man would act, and not as the incident portrays me," the network quoted him as saying.

His decision drew condemnation from Democratic leaders including Dayton, who urged Gauthier to drop out of the race. Democrats need to gain at least six House seats in November to take control of the chamber. Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin and House Minority Leader Paul Thissen said Gauthier would get no support from the party or the House DFL caucus.

"It's a terrible mistake on his part," Dayton told reporters at the Capitol. "I think it's just something that goes beyond the morals of Minnesotans-- to solicit on Craigslist sex with a minor and do it in a public area, publicly owned area, as a state legislator, and come back to the parking lot with his clothes disheveled. It's not about whether it's a same-sex or a heterosexual act. It would be the same if it were the same circumstances involving a heterosexual individual."

Sen. Roger Reinert, DFL-Duluth, who shares a district with Gauthier, earlier urged Gauthier to skip a Friday special session on flood relief for his district and surrounding areas hit by severe flash floods in June. Reinert said Gauthier would be a distraction and could end up being censured by majority Republicans, or even blocked from taking his seat in the House chamber.

"That's not what we need right now," Reinert said. "What we need is all eyes and efforts focused on recovery."

Republican leaders called on Gauthier to resign immediately, but Dayton and other Democrats have not.

Dayton said his signed agreement for the special session with top Republican and Democratic legislative leaders would preclude a House vote on Gauthier's conduct because it limits the scope of the special session. A spokeswoman for the GOP House caucus had no immediate comment.

Rep. Tom Huntley, a Democrat whose Duluth district adjoins Gauthier's, told the Duluth News Tribune he considers Gauthier a "child molester."

"Why would anybody support someone that did what he did?" Huntley said in an Associated Press interview. "I am a strong supporter of gay rights, but that does not mean 55-year-olds with 17-year-olds. And I just can't imagine the public would approve of that."

But Gauthier has support from labor activists, including Alan Netland of the Northeast Area Labor Council.

"He had a personal problem but it doesn't affect the fact that he's a great representative for working people," Netland said.

Duluth firefighter Erik Simonson launched a bid as a write-in Democratic candidate for Gauthier's seat Tuesday. Duluth City Councilor Jay Fosle also has filed paperwork to run as a write-in candidate. Republican Travis Silvers already is on the ballot.