For years, Tom Schedler has operated relatively quietly in an unassuming building on Essen Lane, holding one of the more unassuming statewide elected offices—secretary of state—where his chief concern is overseeing Louisiana elections. But during the past week and a half, Schedler was dragged out from under the radar.
A lawsuit filed last week accuses Schedler of being a serial sexual harasser over the past decade, one who repeatedly punished one of his employees when she refused his propositions.
Schedler, the lawsuit alleges, also bought a townhome near the woman so he could watch her and sent love letters, gifts and sex tapes. Schedler, who’s held the elected office since 2010, quickly released a statement that didn’t address the specific allegations against him. He did, however, explain that he’s been separated from his wife for some time and that he takes sexual harassment seriously.
Later, Schedler’s office claimed he had a consensual sexual relationship with the woman, which her lawyer, Jill Craft, denied. This week, the allegations, and Schedler’s response, became untenable for some high-profile politicians in Louisiana.
First, the state’s Democratic party, and its chair, state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, swiftly condemned Schedler and called for his resignation. Then state Sen. Sharon Hewitt, an increasingly high-profile lawmaker with rumored gubernatorial ambitions, became the first major Republican to call for Schedler to step down.
Then came Gov. John Bel Edwards, who declared Schedler should resign immediately.
“I think it would be best for the Secretary of State himself, but also for his family and the state of Louisiana,” the governor said after a speech to the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge. Those were followed by editorials in the state’s two largest newspapers that said the secretary of state should resign.
The #MeToo movement has swept through many more powerful offices across the country and will undoubtedly sweep through many more in the future. For now, though, the movement has made its way to one of the few statewide elected offices in the Bayou State.
