Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist announced he would not run for re-election in 2004 following his agreement to pay the total amount of a settlement for a sexual harassment case he was involved in.
The $375,000 payment to Marilyn Figueroa, who claimed Norquist, only the third mayor of Milwaukee in the past 50 years, will be paid through the city's worker-compensation fund. Norquist will reimburse the city between $250,000 and $275,000 of that amount from his campaign fund for the upcoming election, and will pay the balance from his personal finances.
\I believe this is the right thing to do,"" Norquist said during a news conference, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. ""I made a mistake, as I have said before, and I have accepted the responsibility for that.""
The mayor's announcement that he will not run for re-election sounded the starting gun for challengers and hopefuls to begin their campaigns to take the top job in the largest city in the state.
