Harman: 'I fully admit it was probably a dumb thing to say.'

On KTCK-AM sports talk radio a few days ago, the usual locker-room humor had an unusual target: After comparing the women who hang out at Fort Worth's Colonial golf tournament to those at Dallas' Byron Nelson, host Greg Williams suggested that Fort Worth's top promoter, Doug Harman, use Cowtown's horny women to market the city to conventioneers.

The comment was about as welcome to Harman, president of the city's convention and visitors bureau, as a kick from his own pointy-toed boots. But it was, in fact, something of a self-inflicted wound.

A comment made by Harman months ago at a trade show is still rattling around city hall like an off-course missile. Before it's over, Harman's misguided but misdemeanor-weight words could have serious repercussions for him, for Fort Worth, and for the $4.5 million convention business he runs.

In February, at a trade show in Washington, DC, Harman told a U.S. Air Force civilian employee who was scouting for a location for a military meeting -- and who commented on the city's longhorn logo -- that "Fort Worth is a very horny place."

The woman, Regina Chavous, who works for the Air Force out of Florida, apparently didn't appreciate the comment, but made no complaint. Standing within hearing distance, however, was a Fort Worth city official, who later made an official complaint at city hall about Harman's words. City officials complained to the CVB, Harman apologized, and Mayor Mike Moncrief called Chavous to deliver his own regrets. In an e-mail, Chavous said she had told Moncrief the incident wouldn't affect her interest in Fort Worth as a meeting location.

That might have been the end of it, but for the specifics of the players involved. The city official who complained of Harman's remark was Kirk Slaughter, Fort Worth city events director, the man who runs the city convention center and Will Rogers Center, and a man who works closely with Harman to boost the city's convention business. Now it appears that the comment, and the ensuing sexual harassment complaint, could put the two men at odds.

The city has spent $75 million in expanding the convention center, and a new 600-room hotel may be built next to it, using $90 million in city-backed bonds. City officials want the investment to turn into more visitors and more business at the convention center, and more money for city businesses.

Harman, president of the Fort Worth CVB since 1989, wrote a letter apologizing to Chavous, apologized to the CVB board, and has cooperated with city officials wanting to clear up the incident. "I fully admit it was probably a dumb thing to say," he said. "Every once in awhile something stupid pops out of someone's mouth in their career. I did not mean for it to have sexual overtones."

Still, he's not pleased with the aftermath. "Our obligation is to promote and sell the city," Harman said. "My disappointment is that one person would take this issue to this extent and manner." He maintains that his "horny" comment referred to the fact that cattle horns are a big part of the city's image, from the cattle drives in the Stockyards to the longhorn on the city flag to Texas Christian University's horned toad mascot. He also said Slaughter had dinner with him that night and never mentioned the incident.

But an elected Fort Worth official who asked that his name not be used said the harassment complaint may have merely ratcheted up opposition that Harman, in fact, has been facing from city leaders and downtown business owners for the last several years over his emphasis on marketing of Fort Worth only as a center of western heritage. "The city is among the fastest-growing large cities in the country, and we need to change from focusing only on cowboy culture," the official said. "Part of the problem is that Harman doesn't think we need to change on how we market this city to visitors. And there needs to be change if we are going to compete with large cities."

Some downtown hotel owners don't like the CVB's constant marketing of the Stockyards and the Stock Show. Others were angry that the bureau declined to join the Dallas Metroplex Program, a group of cities that jointly market the area to the rest of the world.

Chavous did not return repeated phone calls for this story. However in an e-mail to Slaughter, she said she spoke to Mayor Mike Moncrief about the matter, and "I assured him that Mr. Harman's remark did not impair my decision to pursue Fort Worth."

Slaughter clearly felt that others might not view such comments so charitably. In his memo to city officials calling for an investigation, Slaughter wrote: "I was personally offended and embarrassed by the statement that Doug made to Regina. Doug and the CVB are charged with promoting our city to potential meeting planners in an effort to bring conventions to Fort Worth. The statement was inappropriate, unprofessional, and is in direct conflict with the City of Fort Worth's written policy for the code of conduct for vendors."

Slaughter declined to comment to Fort Worth Weekly on the matter, but said he had to watch for city employee guidelines that also apply to private contractors like Harman. "In witnessing this situation, it was my duty to report," Slaughter said. Assistant City Manager Joe Paniagua said the investigation is over. "We left it up to the CVB to handle," Paniagua said. "For us that was the end of the story."

Slaughter's sensitivity might have something to do with how he got hired. B. Don Magness was the city's public events director for 30 years before he was accused of telling dirty jokes to employees and requiring women working in his department to wear red lipstick and shorter skirts.

The lingering question for city leaders may be whether Fort Worth's tourism business can work well with powers split into two camps, one private and one public, which are no longer working together as well as they once did. Assistant City Manager Paniagua says the two men "have to be professionals at the end of the day. I think we can work through any and all issues. We can work together to make sure business will be conducted."

Connie Sitterly, a Fort Worth management trainer who deals with sexual harassment issues, said the post-investigation work is very important in such cases. "Many times the retaliation can be stronger than the issue itself," Sitterly said. "The aftereffect is often greater than the original. All parties need to be aware of it."

Neither Harman nor Slaughter would comment on how the issue will affect their work together. But the fact that information and documents in the case were leaked to the press may indicate that Harman has more issues with city leaders than he realized.

"It is noteworthy how this information got out," Harman said. "Someone is leaking this to the newspaper to cause embarrassment. There is a tipster from the city that wants to make an issue out of this."