The chief of staff of disgraced former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has published a book about her experience and what can be learned about sexual harassment at the highest levels of power.
In “Bob Filner’s Monster, The Unraveling of an American Mayor and What We Can Learn from It,” Lee Burdick shares her insider perspective and writes of her experience, insights and feelings during that period, calling attention to the courage of the women who came forward to shine a light on the mayor’s behavior.
“This was a terrible chapter in many lives, mine included, and one that everyone in the City of San Diego might prefer to forget. By revisiting it and keeping the dialogue going, I hope to help eliminate sex harassment in the workplace, especially in our most powerful political offices,” said Burdick.
“Stories of the sexual abuse of power continue to resurface around the country, in entertainment, business and politics; and what I realized from my experience is that these stories need to be heard,” she said.
Burdick, who now runs her own communications agency and lives in Fresno, said she came to see why some women were slow to report their sex harassment because the risks of standing up to it still far exceed any personal benefit.
The book includes several revelations, one being that the mayor’s suite of offices, Burdick’s own office and other private meeting areas had been bugged.
“I knew Lee long before she went to work for Bob Filner. She is a woman of tremendous integrity and professionalism. Her story about what happened from the inside of this scandal is worth the read for anyone interested in politics,” said San Diego Councilwoman Marti Emerald.
The self-published book will be available Feb. 8 in both hard copy and e-book formats from Prima Publishing Group and through Amazon and other book sellers.
