Madison ordered investigation of new sexual harassment claims against Ald. Charles Myadze

The women told investigators that North Side Ald. Charles Myadze made sexually explicit comments and other unwanted sexual advances toward them, behavior that made them uncomfortable and impacted how they acted around him at work.

But investigators concluded that, although Myadze’s behavior was inappropriate, he ultimately did not violate any city rules. They said Myadze’s behavior wasn’t constant and didn’t disrupt the ability of the women to do their jobs, and that it was not sexual harassment under city rules or state and federal law.

Investigators said all three women were consistent, unbiased and reliable in their accounts, while Myadze was vague and inconsistent, avoided questions in his testimony, and was a “less credible witness,” according to the report by Milwaukee-based law firm OVB Law & Consulting.

City Council President Yannette Figueroa Cole said the report details a troubling pattern from Myadze of “unwanted and inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature that created significant trauma for all complainants.

“It also uncovers an unwelcome pattern of bullying, repeated aggressive behaviors and creating an unacceptable power imbalance. In various ways throughout the report, the complainants describe how to navigate hostile environments, fear paralyzing them and feeling compelled to appease their aggressor to avoid conflict and more harm while at the same time maintaining a professional environment to accomplish their work and goals.”

In an email, Myadze called the investigation thorough and thoughtful.

“I am pleased, though not surprised, that none of the complainants’ allegations were sustained,” Myadze said, adding that he intends to run for reelection in the spring. “I did not harass anyone.”

The three women filed complaints against Myadze after his former spouse and a former girlfriend accused him in the spring of physically abusing them. In 2002, Myadze was convicted of felony false imprisonment for pushing his then-wife into a door and striking her in the face.

The allegations against Myadze prompted about two dozen local elected officials outside of the city to call on him to resign. He has declined to do so, calling the allegations an attempt to ruin his reputation and political career.

Myadze’s son, Armon, has been among those calling for his father to resign from the council.

“My dad is a very temperamental and violent person,” he said.

The report

The law firm interviewed the three women who brought complaints in addition to Myadze and two other witnesses.

One woman, described as a local nonprofit health leader in Madison, said Myadze made sexually explicit comments to her and sexually stuck out his tongue at two different events in 2022 and 2023, according to the report.

Myadze denied these interactions to investigators, claiming the woman repeatedly came onto him in front of his girlfriend at various public events.

Myadze’s son told the State Journal that he saw his father act inappropriately toward the woman and make sexual comments about her on multiple occasions.

Another woman, a female city staffer, told investigators that Myadze sexually harassed her at an out-of-state conference in 2021, which led her to avoid him at future events and “significantly impacted her sense of safety and comfort in professional settings,” according to the report.

At the conference, Myadze surprised her from behind to whisper in her ear and touch her earrings. On the last night of the conference at a bar, Myadze took her arm and made her touch him on his bicep, she told investigators.

At city events since then, Myadze went out of his way to sit by the staffer and made comments about her physical appearance.

In his interview with investigators, Myadze denied that any of the interactions took place.

A female council member told investigators that during a 2022 conference in Washington, D.C., Myadze made remarks about her cleavage and falsely claimed she was having a relationship with a former council member.

After the council member told someone about the comments, Myadze confronted her in his car with the doors locked the following month, remarking: “If I ever hear you say anything like that again, you and me are done.”

The council member told investigators that the incident “made her feel ‘frozen’ and fearful of repercussions if she spoke out.” Myadze denied these interactions and claimed that he confronted his colleague at a different conference in Green Bay, not in his car.

In their initial report, investigators concluded that Myadze’s treatment of his colleague was a violation of the city’s policies on harassment and creating a hostile work environment.

But after reviewing text messages between Myadze and his colleague, the investigators argued that a hostile work environment did not exist because the texts had a professional and cordial tone.

The council member told investigators in follow-up interviews that the tone of the text messages was superficial and “did not reflect the true state of their working relationship.”

“’The way he talked over text is not the same in person,’ she stated, explaining that while their digital communications were cordial, their in-person interactions were more challenging and tense,” the report said.

Other complaints

The investigation is not the first city-ordered probe of Myadze’s behavior toward a female city staffer.

In June 2023, City Human Resources and its Department of Civil Rights found that Myadze asked out a staffer for drinks but she turned him down, according to records obtained by the State Journal. After the staffer told someone about the proposition, Myadze went to her supervisor to complain she was spreading rumors about him. In an email, Myadze then pointed out mistakes the staffer made in her work using a discourteous tone.

City investigators concluded that Myadze did not retaliate against the staffer or create a hostile work environment.

The most recent complaints against Myadze’s were investigated under an updated code of conduct for the City Council that includes sexual harassment and outlines a process for complaints to be reported.

Council President Figueroa Cole acknowledged that the complaints against Myadze were not sustained and called for updates to city policies in order to “take into consideration the trauma victims have experienced.”

“I want to acknowledge the courage and energy it took for the complainants to come forward and place their trust in the system,” Figueroa Cole said. “We also want to make sure the policy and outcomes address behavior that causes harm and is counter to our values and goals, even if those behaviors do not technically violate the law.”