Sonia Manhas Says Jeff Cogen Should Resign

She says Cogen has contacted her after admitting affair.

SONIA MANHAS: The county health department's director of policy and planning confirmed to WW on July 23 she traveled to Atlanta with Cogen in April—undermining his earlier story.
By AARON MESH

Sonia Manhas, the Multnomah County employee who resigned under duress today following an affair with County Chairman Jeff Cogen, tells WW she believes Cogen should resign.

She says his resignation is needed partly so the county can move forward, and partly because if he kept his job, it would create a double standard.

"I think the responsibility as an elected official for the standard of conduct is higher," Manhas says. "The man still having his job and the woman not... The man having more power than the woman... It doesn't feel right."

Manhas turned in her resignation this afternoon, telling colleagues and media county officials had forced her out. She described her relationship with Cogen as "an affair of the heart."

Late this afternoon, Multnomah County commissioners filed an emergency resolution demanding Cogen resign. It sets the stage for a dramatic—but merely symbolic—vote Thursday morning.                

Manhas also tells WW tonight that Cogen has been in contact with her since admitting the affair July 16.

"The affair, of course, is over.

WWeek 2015

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