Nancy Oakley: Politician who repeatedly licked man's face resigns
A Florida politician resigned this week over sexual misconduct allegations, including licking a man’s face and groping him.
Nancy Oakley stepped down from her role as city commissioner of Madeira Beach on Tuesday, just days after being fined by the state ethics commission for allegedly sexually harassing former city manager Jonathan Evans.
Ms Oakley was fined $5,000 by the Florida Commission on Ethics, who had urged the governor to issue a public statement rebuking her.
Following their investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations, the Florida Commission on Ethics released a report citing that Ms Oakley potentially violated state law because she engaged “exhibiting inappropriate behaviour” when she licked Mr Evans’ face during a fishing tournament in 2012.
The report stated multiple witnesses testified that Ms Oakley was intoxicated and touched the former city manager inappropriately, the Miami Herald reported.
Several others said that Ms Oakley’s face-licking habits are not exclusive to Mr Evans. The sponsor of the fishing tournament, and some volunteers, said that she had also licked their faces at the event and at other tournaments.
Mr Evans told the state ethics commission that he didn’t initially report the incident since he was afraid of losing his job. It wasn’t until 2017, when Ms Oakley filed for re-election, did the former city manager submit a formal complaint.
Upon the election, Ms Oakley, another commissioner, and the newly-elected mayor suspended the city manager. They claim they knew the ethics complaint against Ms Oakley was pending.
Ms Oakley wrote in her resignation letter on Tuesday that she made the “difficult decision” to step down from office to “still the controversy” over her actions.
“It is time for us all to move on,” she added, after insisting that she is innocent and declared her intention to appeal the ethics violating ruling.
