House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello broke his silence Friday about embattled Democratic Party official Joe DeLorenzo, saying that DeLorenzo should apologize for critical remarks about progressives and for questioning Rep. Teresa Tanzi’s account of experiencing sexual harassment.
“There is absolutely no place in society for any type of harassment, particularly sexual harassment,” Mattiello said in a statement Friday afternoon. “The work environment is a place where you must feel safe and secure. I stand strongly with women, and any type of harassment is deplorable.”
“The comments made by Joe DeLorenzo were insensitive and out of place with societal values,” Mattiello continued. “I will speak with Joe and suggest and expect that he will apologize for his comments. Regretfully, his remarks began as part of the local and national trend where the left and the right within our party are attacking one another, which is completely inappropriate.These ideological attacks must stop and we must respect every viewpoint within the party. I will work with the progressives, moderates and conservatives to make sure that the Democratic Party is inclusive of everyone.”
Mattiello, through his spokesman, had previously declined to respond to questions about whether DeLorenzo should resign.
Earlier, a growing number of Rhode Island elected officials called for DeLorenzo to resign from his longtime post as 2nd vice chairman of the state Democratic Party, after he used a radio interview to question Rep. Tanzi’s account of experiencing sexual harassment at the Statehouse.
Mattiello effectively controls the Democratic State Committee, since committee members are elected through the districts of state representatives.
Meanwhile, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio joined the chorus Thursday morning. In a tweet, he said, “Joe DeLorenzo’s comments and exclusionary attitude are contrary to the values of our party. I think it is appropriate for him to resign.”
Rhode Island’s newly elected Democratic National Committeeman, Joseph R. Paolino Jr., offered a qualified call for DeLorenzo to step down: “After being out of state for the past four days, I heard the full extent of Joe DeLorenzo’s comments on the John DePetro Show, and I was deeply bothered by them. This is not a Democratic or a Republican issue. It is not a progressive or a conservative issue. It is about recognizing that women face many more challenges in the workplace than we do as men. I am the father of three daughters, and speaking with them, they’ve told me about their experiences and the challenges they’ve faced, and it truly troubles me to hear their stories. I believe he showed a lack of understanding of what women are experiencing in the workplace. Our party stands for sensitivity, equality, and respect. If he truly believes what he said, then I suggest he step down.”
Governor Gina Raimondo called on Wednesday for DeLorenzo to resign. She said his remarks questioning Tanzi’s experience with harassment amounted to a forfeit of his qualifications to serve in a leadership role with the state party.
DeLorenzo has defended his position during a string of talk radio appearances. He has said he does not plan to step down. He has served in his leadership role with the state Democratic Party for more than 20 years.
In a joint statement Thursday night, U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Reps. David Cicilline and Jim Langevin said, “The Democratic Party stands for equality, diversity, and respect. If former Representative DeLorenzo doesn’t respect others’ views, he should not serve as a leader of the party.”
In a statement Thursday morning, the Women’s Caucus of the Rhode Island Democratic Party said, “Joseph DeLorenzo’s divisive statements in the Providence Journal, followed by his radio interview in which he trivialized sexual harassment and directly attacked the integrity of elected women, undermines the mission of the Women’s Caucus and the Democratic Party as a whole.”
“The Women’s Caucus calls for Mr. DeLorenzo to be immediately removed from his position as second vice chair of the RI Democratic State Committee. If the party leadership does not immediately remove Mr. DeLorenzo, and further condemn his sexist and dangerous remarks, we call on the members of the state committee to call for an emergency meeting and vote for his removal.”
A number of other lawmakers and activists have used social media to call for DeLorenzo to resign.
“Through the ‘Me Too’ movement women from across the nation have bravely shared their accounts of experiencing sexual misconduct,” Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “In doing so, they have placed a spotlight on an issue that we as a society, cannot stay silent on. There is no place for such repugnant behavior in any level of government. There is no place for comments, like those made by former Representative Joe DeLorenzo, in our political party or our community. He does not represent our values and should resign from his position with the party.”
DeLorenzo remarks came in an interview with John DePetro on WADK. He was responding to Tanzi’s description, in an interview with The Providence Journal, of being told by a higher ranking lawmaker that her bills would move further if she provided sexual favors. She has declined to identify the legislator who she said did that.
Meanwhile, Tanzi clarified remarks after telling a Boston TV station she had also been harassed by a federally elected official.
“To clarify a detail here, I was not referring to an allegation of sexual harassment in connection with the comment made by a federal official, and it most definitely was not a Rhode Island official,” Tanzi said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “What I was referring to was an instance of sexual objectification. While far from the same, I referenced it because objectification is perhaps a more common experience for women, and a part of the culture I am working to change. Moreover, objectification and harassment are often witnessed by self-aware, sympathetic individuals who simply do not possess the skills to respond effectively. It is a skill that must be cultivated, and exactly why people everywhere could benefit from the type of bystander intervention training the General Assembly will now be providing to its staff and members in January.
“I have been in touch with the State Police, and they have been incredibly supportive. They have affirmed that each individual should be comfortable and confident that when sharing their own stories, and that the survivor will maintain autonomy and be in control of how things proceed. I imagine they will play an important role in helping us in the study commission as we review existing statute and make sure we are offering the best protections for anyone coming forward with their story. I am looking ahead, not behind, and what is important to me is that, moving forward, anyone who experiences inappropriate, unwanted comments, harassment or abuse has options in pursuing a course of justice that works best for them. We want to make sure that every person who experiences this has the greatest protection available.”
On Monday, state Democratic Party Chairman Joseph McNamara, a state rep, offered this statement, after DeLorenzo lamented how, in his view, progressives were taking over the state party: “I find these comments to be unfortunate, and not in the spirit of the meeting on Sunday, nor the Democratic Party itself. As a Party, we must commit ourselves to inclusion and tolerance whenever we can. We will continue to focus on a strong economy that allows everyone who wants a job in our state to get one, ensuring that everyone in our state continues to have access to quality and affordable healthcare, and other substantive issues that Rhode Islanders care about rather than allowing these comments to distract us from the hard work of building a Democratic Party that can continue to rise, organize, and build a stronger future for our state in 2018 and beyond.”
The General Assembly has responded with plans for new training on sexual harassment and an expected study commission on the subject.
This post has been updated.
