The mayor of a small town in Florida has been accused of soliciting sex from a resident in exchange for installing speed bumps on her road. The Florida Commission on Ethics investigated the claims against Lantana Mayor David Stewart and found that there was probable cause that he "misused his position to attempt to obtain a sexual benefit for himself."
The investigation stems from a complaint made by Catherine Padilla, who claimed that Stewart took her to a motel in August 2015 and told her that if she slept with him he would approve the speed bumps that she had been vocally campaigning for. Stewart has continued to deny the allegations, even after he was caught lying about having lunch with Padilla before he took her to the motel.
"In the 18 years I've been mayor there has never been a quid pro quo or anything asked for or given in favor of me voting in a special or certain direction," he said.
Stewart now has the option of settling the charges or requesting a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. If he is found to have violated the ethics law, he faces a fine of $10,000 and can be removed from office.
Padilla said that she believes Stewart should just step down now.
“The mayor should be ashamed for what he did,” Padilla told the Palm Beach Post. “I think it’s time he steps down. He needs to be accountable for his actions and he needs to do the right thing and step down.”
Photo: The Palm Beach County League of Cities