By Jessica Boehm | Arizona Republic
Phoenix’s Government Relations Manager John Wayne Gonzales resigned Monday following a city investigation that uncovered a “pattern of advances towards women” that “was so pervasive that city employees and women from other cities were warned about him.”
Gonzales, who had worked for Phoenix for 18 years, served as the city’s liaison between the state, neighboring cities and other governmental bodies.
In May, an intern for the Phoenix Budget and Research Department filed a sexual harassment complaint against Gonzales with the city’s Equal Opportunity Department.
The city launched an investigation and interviewed former city interns and employees from other cities that worked with Gonzales. It revealed a pattern of unprofessional behavior toward women dating back years.
City investigators found evidence that Gonzales sent inappropriate text messages to female colleagues, attempted to influence women with his city position and treated female interns differently than their male counterparts.
Gonzales’ comments “skirt the very razor’s edge of sexual harassment,” the city report concluded.
Gonzales did not return a request for comment for this story.
