Wilber resigns House seat; cites health reasons
BY GEORGE KRIMSKY REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
TORRINGTON -- With the words "I'm done," George M. Wilber of Colebrook said Monday night he was immediately resigning his seat in the state House, two days after it was revealed he paid a woman $100,000 to settle sexual abuse allegations.
Wilber, a 63-year-old Democrat running for his fourth term in a seven-town northwestern district, said he was resigning for health reasons.
"I'm having trouble with my dialysis," he told the Republican-American by telephone Monday night, after he didn't appear as promised at a candidates' dinner here. Wilber has been suffering from kidney failure for more than a year and undergoes self-administered dialysis four times a day. "I'm done," he concluded, saying he would not campaign and would not debate his Republican opponent, John B. Rigby of Colebrook, as scheduled tonight in Winsted.
Wilber admitted that in 2005 he paid a woman who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was between 11 and 18 years old. Wilber denied any wrongdoing, saying he "took the high ground" by settling with her privately instead of taking the case to open court.
He said he and the woman, who has not been publicly named, cannot talk about the matter because they signed a confidentiality agreement as part of the settlement, which he paid for by refinancing his house.
His decision to step down came after calls for his resignation from state Republican leaders and on the same day that House Speaker James A. Amann reported he was briefed more than four years ago about the allegations.
http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2008/10/21/news/373402.txtEDITED: Thread moved to proper section: "News Articles " - okarol/admin
I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Author
