Mary said...
Today at the Budget Workshop, after a question from a commissioner about which jail needed improvements to comply with ADA (Americans with Disabilities), Commissioner Mike Forsman from Ely laughed and said, "that's the sexual harassment jail."
It appears to me that there is a concerted effort on the part of some commissioners to minimize the sexual harassment issue and turn it into crude humor.
August 30, 2007 8:17 PM
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These are two additional points that were passed on to me by current staff members who won't post on their own because of fear of retribution:
Mike Forsman showed up at the Board workshop in Duluth on 8/30 with sunglasses on. (I noticed this too, but I thought he had forgotten his regular glasses.)
-said by Mike Forsman at 1:42 on 8/30/07 to Dana Frey in passing (4 witnesses):
"I'm trying to avoid sexual harrassment charges. I don't know the difference between a glance, a look, an ogle, and a lear;that's why I'm wearing dark glasses."
-said by Mike Forsman at 2:40 on 8/30/07 during a Board workshop (about 9 witnesses):
"I've got to watch that sexual harrassment there, so I'm wearing dark glasses".
It is hard to believe that another one of the commissioners thinks he can get by with such inappropriate comments and believes he is untouchable. Any federal, state, county or local government employees who made such comments would be disciplined. Do commissioners think they can have one set of rules, and employees have another? Commissioners are elected to establish policy ensuring such behavior isn't tolerated instead of creating the problems themselves. If the commissioners are so versed in government, they should know this behavior is totally unacceptable. Doesn't the county receive federal funds? What might federal legislators think of such inappropriate behavior? Could this cause the county and even state to lose federal funds, considering the government does not condone harassment of any form?
The joking behavior and the giggling by Fink and Nelson and Forsman had a strange feel. It was like watching grade school bully behavior in adult men with too much power. It was ugly.
I had the opportunity to attend today's County Board meeting in Duluth. While I was disappointed by the comments of Commissioner Forsman, I was pleased overall with the Commissioners decision to move ahead with drafting policy related to their own conduct...here is some of what appeared on-line at the Duluth News Tribune site:
Following a news conference on the courthouse steps and the testimony of about a dozen people calling for greater accountability, St. Louis County Commissioners today began the process of developing a code of ethics and conduct for themselves.
Commissioners voted unanimously to direct County Administrator Dana Frey to begin talks with other elected officials within the county to develop the policy.
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