Woman Who Filed Harassment Suit Quits Chamber Job

PASADENA —  Allison Bedell, the woman who brought charges of racial discrimination and sexual harassment against the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, has resigned from her job there after what she described as months of isolation from fellow staff members and thinly veiled hostility from her supervisors.

“It’s gotten to be too much,” Bedell, 42, a contract worker whose job for the past four years has been to sell chamber memberships, said in an interview.

Bedell charged last fall that Bruce Ackerman, the chamber’s former executive director, had promoted a less qualified white woman to a management job in which Bedell was interested. Since then, Bedell--who is black--said the atmosphere around the chamber’s Colorado Boulevard offices has been one of hostility toward her.

“I’ve had to endure being the butt of derogatory jokes, things said in the office about the case,” Bedell said. “I’ve had to bite the bullet all these months. I’m really emotionally drained.”

Acting chamber Director Janet Whaley denied that there had been any systematic attempt to isolate Bedell.

“The staff continued to work cooperatively with Allison when there was a lot of stress on both sides,” she said. “Any derogatory comments were directed at the nature of what was going on rather than at her personally.”

Added chamber President Steven Ralph, “My general impression was that the staff was very professional and objective in the whole thing.”

In her suit, filed in November, Bedell charged that the chamber’s executive director, Bruce Ackerman had exhibited favoritism toward a tight clique of younger white women. Ackerman, the complaint alleged, “maintained a staff predominantly composed of young, white females, many of whom have been subjected to requests for dates, unprofessional touchings, and other sexual harassment and some of whom have engaged in consensual sexual and/or social relationships with Ackerman.”

An investigation by chamber counsel Carolyn Carlberg found that the charges were without legal merit. Carlberg acknowledged that the investigation had not been impartial, but she said that it had adequately addressed the legal questions raised by Bedell’s charges.

Details of Carlberg’s report were not released because it involved confidential personnel matters, chamber board officials said.

Ackerman resigned Dec. 31, denying the charges.

The “breaking point” for Bedell came when chamber officials honored Ackerman at the chamber’s monthly mixer Jan. 21, she said.

“I was appalled, in light of the circumstances, that the chamber found it appropriate,” Bedell said.

“A lot of members said they wanted to say goodby to him (Ackerman). That’s all it was,” Ralph said of the party.

Bedell, who has found another job, said she will pursue her lawsuit seeking punitive damages from the chamber.

“I understand people’s misgivings about the whole affair,” Bedell said, “simply because it’s been handled so badly.”

She said that she had not sought to publicize her charges until she was rebuffed by Ackerman and other chamber board officials.

“I wanted to work within the system,” she said.