The Mayor of San Carlos, California, Andy Klein, abruptly resigned this week. In the letter he wrote to the city he stated his resignation had to do with personal issues, including his impending divorce. Klein was on the City Council since 2009, and was appointed Mayor last June. In the letter, Klein indicated that during this traumatic time, the idea of juggling his personal and public life was too much. Klein had also been arrested on drunk driving suspicions in May.
The now former mayor is realistic in his concerns regarding the difficulty in balancing private life with public life in a divorce. For any public figure, the traumatic divorce process is only worsened by public scrutiny. Even non-public figures are concerned about the public process that often accompanies divorce.
On top of these concerns, are the difficult questions divorcing spouses must make concerning child custody, child support, asset division and alimony.
Mediation is a form of divorce resolution that often minimizes the added concerns to divorce, namely the public process and the adversarial setting of a courtroom where complicated questions are lost in argument. In mediation, an impartial third party hears each spouses concerns and helps talk the couple through divorce decisions.
A mediator does not make decisions for the divorcing couples, but instead helps guide them to an amicable resolution. The mediation process is private and very often more comfortable than a courtroom.
The troubling and complex nature of divorce often requires creative and accommodating processes to address conflict in cordial manner. The mayor of San Carlos may not be able to maintain his job while going through divorce, but he can choose a divorce process that curtails his concerns.
In fact, Californians have the ability to choose a divorce process that works best for them. An experienced advocate versed in divorce proceedings can ensure that individuals are aware of the options that are right for them.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, “Citing divorce, San Carlos mayor resigns,” Henry K. Lee, April 20, 2012.