County commissioner gets touchy over X-rated issues

FROM THE ELY TIMBERJAY


Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Volume 18, Issue 38

County commissioner gets touchy over X-rated issues
By Nancy Jo Tubbs

Note to County Commissioner Mike Forsman: Lose the sunglasses. A white, middle class, middle-aged ex-Marine with a well paid job and powerful political position doesn’t get to claim victimhood.

By now you may know that Forsman showed up at the St Louis County Commissioners’ meeting in Duluth on September 4 wearing sunglasses after independent investigators recommended that two commissioners, Dennis Fink and Steve Raukar, be censured for violating the county’s sexual harassment policy. With Forsman voting for Raukar and Fink, the commission decided 3-3 in each case, not to censure the commissioners.

The reason for Forsman’s sunglasses: “Because I’m not smart enough to know when a glance turns into a look and a look turns into an ogle,” he told the Duluth News Tribune.

Okay, the difference between looking and ogling may be in the eye of the beholder, but in the case of Commissioner Raukar, the charges included unwelcome late night and 1 a.m. phone calls of a graphic sexual nature asking to come to the hotel room of a female county employee. (Raukar said they were just invitations to come down to his room for a drink, for which he has apologized to his family, the commission and the employee.) Forsman would have to stop using the phone to more accurately protest the charges against his fellow commissioner.

Mike and I graduated from high school together and both attend Democratic caucus meetings. I think he’s a good Iron Range representative, and we’re often on the same side of the political barricades, but at times we disagree. After a congenial two-hour conversation this past week in Mike’s kitchen and after reading the investigative reports listing charges against commissioners Raukar and Fink (which you can see at northernmnnews.com), this is one of those disagreements.

Mike, take off the sunglasses, buddy. From here they just look like blinders. The reasons Mike gives for voting against the censure are statements of old fashioned sexism seasoned by paranoia: The women sometimes wore short skirts and revealing tops. They were out to sucker in a couple of nice guys, nail them with harassment charges and come out of the deal with better jobs. Mike strongly believes harassment shouldn’t be tolerated—the kind where the guy is groping his secretary or chasing her around the desk—but he considers Raukar’s and Fink’s transgressions “benign.” Ellen Quinn, then county public information officer, who charged Raukar, isn’t a timid “poster child for sexual harassment,” Mike says, since he noted Ellen didn’t mind telling or hearing a dirty joke in mixed company, was known to aggressively chew out a secretary, and seemed like Raukar’s friend.

I thought we’d finished back in the ‘70s with the goofy reasoning that a woman’s short skirt is a green light for men’s bad behavior. (At the risk of irritating the sisterhood, I do think that women can be kind to their co-workers of both genders by dressing modestly so as not to distract the menfolk.) But, it’s a far stretch to believe that a sane person would go through the misery of bringing sexual harassment charges in the hopes of landing a better job.

“Anyone who has gone forward and actually said the words out loud—sexual harassment— should get the Purple Heart,” JoAnn Burns wrote in Minnesota Women’s Press about her experience as a whistleblower. “It’s lonely. Be prepared for heartache. Be prepared for everything you have done in your life to be dredged up. The company will want to make it look like you have no credibility—the bill you forgot to pay in 1980 will become an issue.”

About 50 members of a new group, We are Watching, showed up September 4 to protest the commissioners’ non-censure vote. Quinn spoke to them and others in the chamber.

“Ask yourself why anyone would bring forth false or trumped-up charges,” she said. “To endure a year-long ordeal, being called a liar and worse in the media, having one’s name exposed in the press? Through no fault of my own, my life will never be the same.”

The listeners applauded.

Forsman said the crowd was made up of folks who are not his constituents—but rather members of the Blue-Green Alliance and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees—who looked angry and intimidating.

“This reminds me of the mob mentality that lynched three black men in Duluth,” he said, playing the ultimate victim card. Enough, already, with the dramatizing!

When it came right down to a vote, a key factor for some was that the commissioners are elected officials to whom county employee policies don’t apply. The commission subsequently voted unanimously to develop a code of conduct and ethics that would cover commissioners and other elected officials, the county attorney, sheriff and auditor. Okay. Good vote, Mike.

In our discussion Mike outlined some guidelines he thinks should be in the policy. The behavior would actually need to be “unwelcome.” The victim needs to say “stop it.” And the charges need to be made within a certain time frame. That sounds fair.

Just remember the power differential. In a work relationship, the more powerful person is often unaware of his or her effect on workers down the chain-of-command. If you can have subordinates disciplined or fired, they’re liable to jump to comply even if your behavior or request is inappropriate, untimely or ridiculous. For the person down the ladder, it may seem very risky to question your behavior or say no to your request. Speaking truth to power isn’t easy.

County Administrator Dana Frey was asked by the commission to develop by October 10 a new policy that covers elected officials. The policy should fill in details about the many forms of sexual harassment and require harassment sensitivity workshops to ratchet up everybody’s understanding of appropriate boundaries.

Anyone who is a victim of sexual harassment needs to know that their employer will take their complaint seriously and won’t tolerate retaliation. Those who have done anything that could be considered sexual harassment need to understand that they could be disciplined— even lose their jobs.

It’s time to take off the blinders, toughen up and insist on policy that protects ourselves, the people we love and other members of our community.

More Comments from Readers

VH said...

This kind of behavior continues to be disappointing and obviously demonstrates the importance of continuing to pay attention to what is actually happening not only at the Board meetings, but at the workshops as well!

Thanks to those who continue to "watch"

September 19, 2007 7:52 PM

Anonymous said...

And, ever the gentleman, Mr. Fink the following day commented to Sweeney in the hall at the courthouse, "About the book throwing, if I had meant to hit you, I wouldn't have missed." Always a class act!

September 20, 2007 2:47 PM
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Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Mr. Fink does not get it. He just does not understand that his behavior is the problem. He's making other people's lives miserable and he does not seem to care.

He perceives this as something that can be handled by a policy. He wants to distance it from him and make it clean and cold and someone else's problem.

It's not someone else's problem

It's Dennis Fink's problem and he cannot seem to grasp that regardless of whether he feels something he has done is rude or intimidating or crude - if the person on the receiving end perceives it so, then it is.

Peg Sweeney may decide to let it go and get along, it would be understandable, but still stressful for her. Mr. Fink's assistant got sick of being called "foxy" and being leered at and called into his office for no reason and now she's moved across the hall and he's got a new assistant coming.


Perhaps Mr. Fink has to get along or be put in an off site location where he cannot offend. Why should others have to be moved around to suit him? It's costing the taxpayers a great deal of money to deal with this.

September 20, 2007 9:08 PM
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Comments from readers

Anonymous said...

What I cannot believe is that this is not getting more coverage in our local media (did you see anything in the paper?) Until more residents tune themselves in to what is happening with the Board, I suppose this behavior will continue. Dennis Fink has obviously not learned a thing from the recent investigation into his other conduct and clearly thinks that any "rules" of acceptable behavior in a civil society do not apply to him.

Kudos to this blog for "watching"!

September 22, 2007 4:23 PM
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Anonymous said...

Fink's behavior is beyond childish--it's getting a little dangerous. I hope this issue gets in to the letters to the editor section of the paper at the very least. There should be NO tolerance of this kind of temper tantrum. In what business place would such antics be acceptable?

September 23, 2007 1:58 PM
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Peg Sweeney Stands for Dignity

Channel 10 News Reports tonight that Peg Sweeney has requested that Dennis Fink be reprimanded by the St. Louis County board for his inappropriate and rude behavior at Tuesday's County Board Workshop. As reported below, Dennis Fink threw a book at County Commissioner Sweeney. His only reported comment on the matter was directed to Peg Sweeney the next day and he is quoted as saying "If I'd meant to hit you I would have."

There is great support for Peg in the community, and we applaud your dignified response. You are in a good position to demand respectful treatment for all members at all times. No individual should be permitted to intimidate or devalue anyone else who is a representative of any other district, any employee of the county, nor any citizen.

Where is the line these people must cross before the others rise up and say enough?

Another Letter to the Editor Regarding Sexual Harrassment

Readers’ views for Sept. 19
Duluth News Tribune
Published Wednesday, September 19, 2007
County Board has duty to lead against harassment

This letter is to express my dismay at the recent situation regarding sexual harassment complaints against two county commissioners (“County will craft code,” Sept. 5).I have worked for ending violence against women since 1978 and have seen the progress our community has made in the past 30 years.

While there still is work to do, domestic violence and sexual assault are no longer acceptable. State and community agencies have adopted policies against sexual harassment and sexual exploitation and have provided training for their staff on these issues. Duluth and the Iron Range have become known as international models on community response to violence against women. People travel from around the world to learn about this work.

Imagine my surprise when I read articles in the newspaper that indicate some of our county commissioners don’t seem to know what sexual harassment is. It is time for our elected officials to adopt and enforce the same sexual harassment policies that most public and private agencies are required to have.

I assume that St. Louis County commissioners are good people with good hearts or they wouldn’t have been elected. I ask that they do the right thing now, accept responsibility, apologize and attend sexual harassment training. There are many experts in our area who can provide the much-needed training on this issue. The County Board should serve as a model of respect and cooperation that others strive to emulate.

I appreciate that some commissioners understand the gravity of this situation and I thank Commissioners Peg Sweeney, Steve O’Neil and Bill Kron for taking a stand against sexual harassment.

Coral McDonnell

Duluth

Incident at Commissioners Workshop Sept. 17

To express their opinions and views Mike Forsman waxes poetic about diesels and Dennis Fink uses electrical analogies. I find myself also harking back to my profession while observing the September 18th board of commissioners' Workshop at the Public Works building. As an educator, I gather a lot of information from observations. I would have happily handed out stickers for effort in what appeared to be a civil and even at times informed discussion about environmental practices of the various branches of county government. Apparently some of those boys did their homework.

I was less than pleased with some of the nonverbal demeaning expressions and occasional whispering between a couple of individuals. Perhaps a little talk out in the hallway could have dealt with that irksome behavior. But I really would assign an essay to Dennis Fink (100 words or less) titled, "A Better Way Than Throwing a Booklet at a Peer to Express an Idea" as a result of his harsh words and good aim in responding to a Peg Sweeney comment.

Oh, and the strategy of all strategies in a classroom: I would definitely work out a different seating arrangement.

Phyllis Mead

Ely Timberjay Letters to the Editor

Monday, September 17, 2007 Volume 18, Issue 37

Forsman making a mockery of sexual harassment
By Letter to the editor from Carol Orban- Ely, Minn.

I'm surprised that no one else has written a letter pointing out Mike Forsman's dubious contribution to the ongoing conflicts among the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners.

Mr. Forsman voted against censuring either Commissioner Fink or Commissioner Raukar. Not only does Mr. Forsman not understand the seriousness of sexual harassment, he has made a mockery of it.

I met for an hour with Mike Forsman and have read both the redacted April and July reports on the Commissioner Raukar sexual harassment incident and the minutes of the meeting at which the censure of Raukar was voted down before the final report was even submitted.

First of all, he does not believe that the board should have any oversight role by which to police its members. In effect, he does not seem to think commissioners need to answer to anyone except their constituents next election time. He doesn't think a censure should happen, period, no matter what the circumstances. This gives commissioners� aides and assistants basically no recourse, as they would have if a county employee were the alleged perpetrator.

Second, did I say Mike doesn't get it? He does not understand that sexual harassment is a bona fide problem in the workplace. The gall to wear sunglasses to a public meeting as some kind of statement that he doesn't want to be accused of ogling. Even worse is for him to compare the group of concerned citizens who came to the Sept. 4 meeting to a lynch mob. Oh, c'mon. It's downright embarrassing. It's also troubling. That's a slap in the face of democratic principles.

It's true that sexual harassment is often difficult to prove because it is usually done in secret and doesn't leave the kind of evidence that remains after a crime. However, all workplaces are required to have policies and procedures by which allegations can be investigated and perpetrators can be dealt with. Both Raukar and Fink received due process. For a few county commissioners to kill any further action through a procedural technicality is unacceptable, and Mike Forsman was more than happy to go along with it.

I am glad that the commissioners have agreed to draft a code of ethics for elected county officials. I hope we all pay attention as this process moves forward.