Lee County Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle confirmed he had an affair with an employee about five years ago. The female employee later filed a sexual harassment complaint against the Republican elections boss.
Revelations about the relationship are making headlines days before Doyle appears on a Republican Primary ballot seeking re-election. The Miami Independent first broke the news based on records connected to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) the employee filed and later dropped.
Those included a 2018 email from Doyle to the employee wishing his wife were dead.
"I hate to admit it, occasionally I fantasize about (my wife) having a car accident or dying from some natural causes," Doyle wrote. "I often wonder if I am the same person I use to be, or even if I know who I am."
Doyle's campaign verified the authenticity of the email, and said Doyle's wife has been aware of the since-ended relationship for a number of years. The two remain in counseling.
The EEOC complaint was filed after the employee was terminated, records show. Doyle's campaign said the termination was unrelated to the relationship. The complaint was dropped after Doyle's Office reached a settlement with the employee.
Doyle first won election to Supervisor of Elections in 2016, unseating incumbent Sharon Harrington. He won re-election in 2020 unopposed.
Notably, the time frame for the emails means Doyle was already engaged in the affair before he won election to his current term. But news unfolds as he seeks a third term and faces a challenge by Republican Mick Peters. Doyle has spent about $28,000 on his re-election, compared to Peters' more than $19,000.
Doyle expressed regret about the affair in his emails to the employee, and said she had tried to cut off the relationship multiple times.
"I fear what I'm becoming," he wrote, "and I fear that I will never again be who I once was. I fear God. I don't believe our affair is right and it is not best for our future."
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