Council member Warren Turner said he has been “going through...hell” since he was identified Tuesday as the possible subject of a sexual harassment complaint by a female city staffer.

Turner made those remarks at a council meeting Wednesday in which his colleagues voted to hire an independent investigator to look into an allegation of sexual harassment by a member of city council.

Neither the city nor council has identified which council member was accused. But the Charlotte Observer, citing three unnamed sources on council, reported Tuesday that Turner is the target of the allegations.

Turner, a probation officer who has represented west Charlotte since 2003, has denied wrongdoing.

At Wednesday’s council meeting, Turner complained that he was being treated unfairly, given that no formal complaint was filed by the woman.

"No one is going through the hell that I'm going through,” he was quoted in the Observer as saying. “I have an 11-year-old daughter, I have neighbors I have to address. I ask the media to leave us alone until we go public. I am conducting my business as a father and a husband, and you ought to respect that."

The city’s investigation is expected to be made public but will keep the accuser’s name confidential, the newspaper said.

Rather than launch an official investigation, council member Edwin Peacock suggested a private meeting between Turner, Mayor Anthony Foxx and key city staffers, including City Manager Kurt Walton and Human Resources Director Tim Mayes.

Turner voted for Peacock's motion but objected to the words "sexual harassment."

The motion failed.
 

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