For more than a year, a group headed by Sen. Loretta Weinberg has been meeting to discuss ways to stop sexual harassment in New Jersey politics.

Many stories have been told – from outright assault to such things as men nonchalantly rubbing a woman’s lower back.

The impetus for a group with a mouthful of a name – the Workgroup on Harassment, Sexual Assault and Misogyny in New Jersey politics – were stories in the Star-Ledger about women being abused and harassed at two of the state’s signature political events – the annual Chamber of Commerce train trip to Washington D.C. and the League of Municipalities Convention in Atlantic City. Both events – a bit ironically perhaps – were put on hold this past year because of the pandemic.

After a number of live and virtual meetings, one of which was today, the group is looking at legislation to officially put a spotlight on bad and abusive behavior.

The proposed bill would create a unit within the Election Law Enforcement Commission to review complaints of sexual misconduct in all facets of the political arena. A sum of $2 million would be appropriated to get the ball rolling. There would be at least three employees – a director and two investigators.

ELEC’s main charge is overseeing campaign contributions and other election activity. So, it certainly has an investigative background.

But will the Legislature go along with the idea? As of now, hearings on the bill are yet to be scheduled.
At an open forum today,  there were some comments that the bill should go further in mandating sensitivity training and providing victims with confidentiality.

And, as in past sessions, there were many complaints about what often is a sexist political culture. The group highlighted survey results that said about a fifth of those accused of some form of harassment are elected officials.

One of the more outspoken commentators at these forums has been Tia-Lyn Ghione, who said she’s been condemned after speaking out about the problem.

In fact, Ghione said she’s been called “Bergen County’s Political Hitwoman,” which she said she considers a badge of honor.

But she also raised a troublesome development. Challenging a view that sexual harassment is the province of older men who grew up in another era, Ghione said she sees too many young men engaging in inappropriate behavior.

And that, she said, “perpetuates misogyny” in New Jersey politics.