Preston on Politics: On The Campaign Trail

Viewer Sees Coverage as Unfair to Marc Dann

I received this email from a viewer this evening, short and simple:

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From: ADDRESS REDACTED
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2008 6:08 PM
To: Preston, Patrick M.
Subject: Your coverage stinks.

Marc Dann has not been accused of a crime or of sexual harassment.  You act as if he has.

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Here was my response:

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Thank you for your comment, I appreciate you voicing your concerns and giving me a chance to respond. I do not believe we ever implied Marc Dann was accused of a crime or of sexual harassment. He was found to have used very poor judgment. Dann admitted he had an affair with a subordinate and played a role in convincing Cindy Stankoski to come to the townhome he shared with Anthony Gutierrez and Leo Jennings, where the drinking continued and eventually, alleged inappropriate contact. His office was cited for a hostile workplace, where cursing was the norm - described by investigators as an unprofessional environment. Dann also was cited for improper use of state-owned Blackberries, and improperly fraternizing with employees. The lead investigator said he is not able to suspend or terminate Dann, the most he can do is call for more training – which he did. Dann’s role is the head of the organization and he had direct contact with the individuals involved in the sexual harassment allegations which were deemed true by investigators. He also knew that Gutierrez was drinking before driving a state vehicle.

His chief of policy, Ed Simpson, was forced to resign because he failed to act. Dann did not act either, and he apologized for this. Dann is an elected official who cannot be held accountable by his staff, only by the public, including the media. Dann has made his case to stay based on the accomplishments of his office. He has made his case to stay without evenly contemplating whether his resignation is warranted. It’s up to reporters to question why.

If you believe I can do my job better, I encourage your thoughts. Feel free to continue the conversation, and thank you again for the comment.

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Here was the return response:

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From: ADDRESS REDACTED
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2008 7:14 PM
To: Preston, Patrick M.
Subject: Re: Your coverage stinks.

Fair enough.  Thanks for responding.  I am upset when reporters seem to fail to respect the difference between illegal actions, which Dann himself has not been accused of at this time, and things like having an affair, which is not a crime.  You make your point well, though.  He appears to be guilty of abominably poor judgment—even in sleeping with a subordinate.

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What do you think? Is Dann being treated unfairly? Let’s open this up for conversation.

Patrick,

I agree completely with your comments.  As a Democrat as well as a citizen of Ohio, I feel let down by Mark Dann.  In his position, he should be a shining example of both ethics and stellar decision making.  He’s shown neither.  Unfortunately, this is yet another sad example of why voters can’t trust their elected officials.

Being a Democrat, and one who voted for Dann, I would love to see the Governor able to appoint another Democrat to the position, but I think that it would be completely wrong to allow Dann to remain in office.  It’s too bad that there is no one who can ask for Bush and Cheney’s resignation as well.

YES!!!YES !! The media in Columbus is very slanted. Statring with the girls comments about “their desks”! The desks belong to the state...and me the taxpayer! These girls are 26 years old… not teens. They had choices and as far as I am concerned they are just as guilty for their partying. Give me a break they could have said they had other commitments.  The night I saw them out they were wer drinking expensive drinks and cajoling. YES Columbus has (edit note: phrase deleted by moderator) and that’s what I think they were doing!