Accusations against City Councilor and House 54 candidate, Dr. Nathan Boddie are prompting at least one of his fellow city councilors —and others—to call for him to step down. Boddie’s public response to Newbold’s allegation was reprehensible and beneath the dignity of a sitting city councilor and candidate for future office. Boddie is entitled to publicly deny the allegation, though his doing so strains credulity. But to trash the reputation of his accuser by sharing with the public what Boddie claims to be Newbold’s medical condition is disgraceful, particularly in light of the fact that Boddie is a physician. I stand with Moey Newbold and against Nathan Boddie.”
On Friday, OPB released a story in which Moey Newbold, a local woman who works for Central Oregon LandWatch, said Boddie groped her at a bar in 2012.
Boddie denied knowledge of that incident—though over the weekend, Newbold’s employer, Paul Dewey, confirmed he’d had knowledge of the incident since 2012, and had even spoken with Boddie about it back then. The Source continued to publish statements from Boddie and Newbold over the weekend, including Boddie’s response to Newbold that stated Newbold may have been struggling with substance abuse problems at the time of the alleged incident. Newbold stated that was false.
The allegations against Boddie came after FuturePAC, a fundraising committee representing Oregon House Democrats, pulled its support of Boddie last month, accusing him of “using a homophobic slur and promoting the illegal consumption of alcohol.”
This morning, City Councilor Sally Russell, who serves alongside Boddie on the council, stated, “The recent personal accounts related by Moey Newbold make clear that Dr. Boddie can no longer remain an effective City Councilor representing Bend, or an effective candidate for HD 54. His effort to impune Ms. Newbold’s character instead of acknowledging his actions is unconscionable, and I applaud her bravery in coming forward with her story. As elected officials, it is our responsibility to encourage an open and transparent dialog regarding an issue like this. Instead, Dr. Boddie has worked to obscure the truth and has shown only defensive excuses in the face of facts. Our community deserves better.”
Russell also said she’d be working to create a process for the City of Bend for dealing with complaints like this, and will introduce a new policy requiring city elected and appointed officials to participate in harassment trainings.
“With something this serious, it will be difficult for Dr. Boddie to effectively work with community leaders and his fellow councilors to serve our city. It’s time for Councilor Boddie to resign,” Russell wrote in the email sent to the Source this morning.
Meanwhile, other community leaders have also pulled support of Boddie as of Monday.
In a statement emailed to the Source this morning, District Attorney John Hummel said: “Boddie’s public response to Newbold’s allegation was reprehensible and beneath the dignity of a sitting city councilor and candidate for future office. Boddie is entitled to publicly deny the allegation, though his doing so strains credulity. But to trash the reputation of his accuser by sharing with the public what Boddie claims to be Newbold’s medical condition is disgraceful, particularly in light of the fact that Boddie is a physician.
I stand with Moey Newbold and against Nathan Boddie.”
In regards to FuturePAC’s accusation, Hummel stated, “Future PAC handled this matter in a ham-handed fashion and should immediately release the details of the allegations against Boddie so that voters and the entire public can judge their significance for themselves. As a prosecutor, I know that the details matter in cases like this.
Moey Newbold’s allegation on the other hand was clear, detailed, and moving.”
Boddie is the Democratic candidate for the Oregon House 54 race, a position currently held by Rep. Knute Buehler (R-Bend).
The Source reached out to Boddie again this morning to address several perceived inconsistencies in the last statement received from him, but has yet to receive a response.
This article appears in Jul 5-11, 2018.
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Individuals and their respective communities around the country, including Bend, are now experiencing the backlash of #MeToo. I understand the original intention and significance of its creation but at this point I can say it appears to have become a platform to defame and essentially ruin lives literally ruin peoples lives which not only includes the reputation of the alleged but subsequently their relationships and careers.
More than ever society is being faced with a multitude of He Said, She Saidwho do you side with men or women? Neither, for me. I look to my own personal experiences with the individual (man or woman) as well as how I have observed their interactions with others.
And, a man who lacks the social skills to court a woman (ie: make a bad pass) does not constitute sexual assault. But how strange that today, a compliment or even a single invitation to go out for a drink, dinner or some social event could get a man into trouble if the woman felt so-inclinedHe said, She Said.
I would assume most of us have a moral capacity to distinguish between sexual predation and a good mans uncharacteristic bad moments? And, societies do make moral distinctions between various crimes. A murderer is worse than a thief. A drug dealer is worse than a user. And so on.
Unfortunately, we are now starting to see examples of He Said, She Said occurring in our local politics. The current allegations against the House 54 candidate have me feeling sick and saddened as I watch my community divide.
The young environmentalist, Moey Newbold, claims that House 54 candidate, Nathan Boddie touched her on the rear while in a bar in 2012. As of late the candidates emphatic denial has not been enough to squash the allegations and his rebuttal has been labeled as character assassination. This seems unjust.
Unfortunately, irrevocable damage has already been done.
I will say the most shame though should fall on the organizations and former supporters who have prematurely chosen to pull support for Nathan Boddie based solely on allegations. I would ask all to reserve judgement.
From what I know about Nathan Boddie he has done many good works for the Bend community through service as a city councilor. His care as a physician to medically complex patients and to those suffering from alcohol/substance abuse and mental health disorders remains commendable.
I’ve seen some unhelpful comments here and in the Bulletin. Sally Russell squawking and wanting to punish, a woman livid that the Deschutes Dems initially doubted the PAC’s vague accusations, a couple of men who seem to think it’s ok for a 40 yo doctor to grope a 23 yo activist colleague. I’m disappointed in Nathan but I think the community should give him the opportunity to apologize and to redeem himself.