50°
The city has been embroiled in a debate on sexual harassment, free speech, and the responsibilities of elected officials since a comment by Ward 3 City Councilor Lucjan Galecki set off a firestorm.
On Facebook, in response to a question about whether it is a girl’s fault if she is sexually harassed while wearing “provocative” clothing, Galecki responded that it “depends” on the situation.
“Completely depends on the situation,” Galecki wrote in a Tuesday Facebook post that has since been removed. “If she goes somewhere that is known for sexually harassing girls and she knows that it is very likely to happen to her, then my answer is: ‘should have worn more clothing.’”
The question was posed by Kaween Fernando, who ran against Galecki for the Ward 3 seat on the city council in 2019. The original post has since been removed but lives on in multiple screengrabs posted to various news publications.
Members of Chicopee’s City Council and School Committee have called for Galecki to resign.
On Wednesday, Dec. 16, City Council President Shane Brooks said it might be time for Chicopee to create a way to recall elected officials, according to Masslive.
“Maybe it’s time we look at that avenue,” he said.
Meanwhile, Galecki hasn’t stepped back from his remarks. On Friday, Dec. 18, during an interview with Rock 102 morning hosts Bax and O’Brien, Galecki said he was baited into making the sexual harassment statement and that no one deserves to be assaulted or harassed, but …
If you’ve been “warned that areas are unsafe and you put yourself in a harmful situation and something happens - you shouldn’t be surprised,” he said during the radio interview.
Galecki said he has no plans to resign and that Chicopee does not need a mechanism to recall elected officials because their terms are so short. After two years, he argued, people can choose to vote him out if they like. Galecki was elected in 2019.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Hampden and receive free news updates.
