NBC 7’s Jackie Crea spoke to a psychologist about the potential pattern of certain behavior in political leaders who find themselves in hot water.
The news of San Diego County supervisor Nathan Fletcher's intent to resign, and the scandal attached to it, continues to roll out.
As of Thursday, Fletcher had resigned from the MTS board and planned on resigning from the county board of supervisors in mid-May. This all comes as Fletcher is accused of sexual assault and harassment by a former MTS employee and, at a minimum, improper behavior by a former intern.
NBC7 spoke to a psychologist about the potential pattern of certain behavior in political leaders who later find themselves in hot water.
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Fletcher confessed to "consensual interactions" with a county employee just days after announcing he was stepping back from a state senate race. His reasons, he said, were to seek treatment for childhood trauma, substance abuse and PTSD. That employee, Grecia Figueroa, was fired from her position with the MTS the same day that Fletcher announced he was withdrawing from a state senate race.
On Thursday afternoon, the MTS released a statement to NBC 7 that said Figueroa's termination was related to ongoing performance concerns and that no MTS board member, including Fletcher, was involved in the decision to fire her:
Psychologist Dr. Shauna Springer, who specializes in veterans' mental health, commented on the potential connection between past childhood trauma and actions of betrayal.
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“An affair or any new relationship kicks off the same hormones as people get when they take cocaine," Springer said, "and so it has an addictive process there that sometimes can distract from feelings of trauma. So that is a potential contributor. But we must take responsibility for our actions at the end of the day.”
Without commenting on the sexual-assault allegations, Springer said that in general, many times, politicians or leaders don’t think they will be caught, or they believe they can work through the consequences.
“Part of me feels that there’s just a truism that power corrupts among those who have it, and maybe the people, some of them, that are drawn to powerful roles are people that are capable of managing different identities and relationships on different planes potentially," Springer said.
Springer pointed out Fletcher's willingness as a veteran to share his mental health struggles is a rarity.
There is also the alternative theory that sharing personal struggles is a strategy to soften the blow of news of an affair and sexual-assault allegations.
“The outward appearance of a person can be different," Springer said. "At the same time, we are all human. So I want to hang those two things in tension and let things develop. And what we need as a society is people that tell the truth and do the right things. We are craving it."
Fletcher's resignation goes into effect on May 15 at 5 p.m. In the statement sent to NBC 7 on Thursday, the MTS also said the decision to terminate Figueroa's employment was made before the agency was notified of any accusations against Fletcher.
