Buckeye State Blog - Suspended AG employee: "Ass and tits got you the job" - Comments

Nick D - Even Z Cowboys get Z Blues

Schmennis — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:58:35 -0700

I guess even Garth Brooks can't help Dann now....No friends in low places....

Thursday, May 8, 2008 12:44 PM

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Ohio AFL-CIO calls for Dann's ouster

The state’s largest union — one that endorsed him in 2006 — is calling for Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann’s ouster.

Joe Rugola, president of the 700,000-member Ohio AFL-CIO, said the union is joining the call by Gov. Ted Strickland and other top Democrats for the embattled attorney general to resign.

“The attorney general’s conduct in this entire matter, and the pattern of conduct in his office over the past months, mandates that he leave his office immediately,” Rugola said in a statement.

“It is a sad day for Ohio, for Marc’s family and friends and for the entire Mahoning Valley community.” Rugola added. “But there is no excuse for the reprehensible conduct which led to this crisis and which has brought disgrace upon Marc Dann’s office.”

Re: The REAL Question....

Schmennis — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:52:11 -0700

Is anyone going to flame this guy for his comments about the victims?
(or would you like me to do it)

The REAL Question....

wjg — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:25:07 -0700

The REAL Question is- why did these morons pick such homely girls to sexually harass? Is it a Democrat thing? Or a Youngstown thing? I have gotten a few laughs out of all this- Gutierrez is such a putz, but his "seduction technique" is hilarious. Ohio will soon be the laughingstock of the nation, if it isn't already.

My Apologizes Elizabeth

Schmennis — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:15:54 -0700

SARCASM! have you head of it?

MY point is...HOW MANY "qualified" candidates were passed up so this dirtbag could get his jollies?

There is NO WAY anyone can tell me that getting a job you aren't qualified for wouldn't send up a red flag to a person of reasonable intelligence sitting across from Gutierrez in an interview. "Well, Ms. Stankoski, I see on your resume that you currently sweep hair clippings..."

One "WOMAN" was changing bedsheets and the other was working at a salon and now they are charged with managing the legal process at the state level. YOU ARE THE ONES CALLING THEM DUMB, just poor helpless does being run over by Gutierrez's state issued SUV. Bullshit Liz. Bullshit.

They were NOT hired for "professional reasons"....IF they had been, they would have been QUALIFIED. Sadly, they were hired by Gutierrez to be the objects of HIS sexual interests. (not mine) He told them that POINT BLANK, "YOU OWE ME" , "TITS AND ASS" they should have NEVER even gotten an interview. Do you know how many OSU grads I know that would have KILLED for that INTERVIEW????

I wasn't blaming the victim AT ALL I am in these womens corner, (read some of my other comments) If you are going to BLAST me get your facts straight and don't include me in any of your disappointed expectations for "juvenile" bloggers.

Another point I have is that these "girls" HAD TO KNOW damned well that they weren't qualified for the jobs they are doing and if a dirtbag like Gutierrez hired ME, I'd know there has to be SOME OTHER expectations. (doesn't have to be sex) maybe he wants me to pick up his laundry or wash his car.

If these women are doing a good job NOW, CONGRATULATIONS, I AM VERY HAPPY FOR THEM, but they HAD to know they weren't getting the job with a light resume. I hear Gutierrez pants all over himself in the presence of good looking women and you aren't giving these "girls" enough credit for their intuition and not seeing his pervertedness a mile away.

If a guy reminds you how you got your job on a daily basis, then asks you for drinks, I'd say you could judge NOT TO GO LAY DOWN IN HIS BED!!!!!!!!

YOU want to act like these women were caught in the AG's headlights and I say, THESE WOMEN had a coordinated effort to give Gutierrez what he had coming to him. GOOD FOR THEM!!!!!!!!!!! (They have the SAME attorney don't they?) That takes SOME thought don't you think?

As I stated, my apologizes Elizabeth.

the Dems will get through this

ElizabethJ — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:58:59 -0700

re: "Dann is going to take the entire '06 "Democrat Takeover" down..."

Codswallop. This will not bring down the party or the rest of the statewide electeds. Sure, we're pissed at Dann, Gutierrez, Jennings, etc. for dropping the ball and behaving so abominably. But the Dann scandal doesn't come anywhere close to the widespread culture of corruption that pervaded the Ohio GOP.

As elected official 'gates go, I'll take pajama/sweatpantsgate over Coingate any day. This is a very different kind of scandal, and very limited in scope. And personally, I'm pretty satisfied with the way the way the situation is being handled at this point.

Additionally, Ohio Democrats are right on the issues, and they're the ones with vision -- Ted Strickland, Jennifer Brunner, Rich Cordray etc. are going to keep doing what they do. The weak links in the chain are being replaced, so let's move on.

hhhmmmm....so the concept of

Weazelusmc — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:28:46 -0700

hhhmmmm....so the concept of electing an attorney that made his practice by defending pedophiles might be a little...flawed?

Normally I won't hold a moral compass to lawyers, however his credentials lead me to believe that this was going to be a rocky road at best; downright "ucking fugly" at worse.

Marc Dann is a disaster..however I have to hand it to him, he went down with a louder bang and a whole lot quicker than everyone thought. (no pun intended)

And the whole theory of not resigning: LMAO. I hope Ted Strickland has a vice grip on his desk; Marc Dann is going to take the entire '06 "Democrat Takeover" down quicker than he dropped his pants. (that pun was)

Schmennis you're either really dumb, or really dumb

ElizabethJ — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:42:06 -0700

Regarding your comment: "I can't believe that someone with an 11th grade education would accept a job from Anthony Gutierrez and not realize that he has expectations for sex." --

Your juvenile, victim-blaming, misogynistic comment is all too similar to "I can't believe she didn't realize that she'd get raped - if you wear a short skirt/go out alone/happen to be born attractive, you should expect it."

Whether you call them "dumb" for deigning to presume that they were hired for professional reasons, or whether you so offensively suggest that they deliberately sought out jobs with a slime like Gutierrez on a conscious assumption that their "ass and tits" would take them far, and are therefore "smart", you're perpetuating the women-are-sexual-objects mentality to which Gutierrez so obviously subscribes.

And by the way, Vanessa Stout and Cindy Stankowski are women, not "girls."

Schmennis, you're the one who needs to go back to school. In the meantime, where do you work and is hiring one of your job duties? Perhaps we should inform any "girls" you've hired that they should "realize that [you] have expectations for sex."

Hard to say what makes my stomach turn more - the behavior of Gutierrez et al, or the way so many bloggers are falling all over themselves and drooling over the whole story. I know adolescent boys who could write about this more maturely than many of you.

Modern someday

Nov1976 — Fri, 02 May 2008 04:47:27 -0700

we need to go to the range for a truce. We just have differing opinions on political strategy. I am a dem with a lower case d as I whish the party would protect my civil liberties and solve the care crisis and bring are troops home, but a dem none the less. You are right that Dann vs Subodh is a different scenario then Obama vs. Clinton. I was just trying to point out that Subodh received his most support from AA lawmakers like Obama did and that Dann's support was stronger in the rural areas. I also know aboutan effort by certain members in the central committee to smear Subodh before the endorsement procedings. The endorsement was closed and blatantly unfair. I personally whish that Ron Malone, Bill Burga and even Sonny Nardi (who did endorse Obama) wouls step down to let new blood into the party so as to avoid spectacles such as the last chair election or the endorsements of 2006.

How Dare You!

Nick D — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:11:08 -0700

Schmennis, I like Garth Brooks! How Dare YOU!!!

Marc Dann New Theme Song

Schmennis — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:04:31 -0700

Ohio's AG resignation theme song

ENJOY!

Ahhhh

Schmennis — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:06:07 -0700

But DANN DOES!

Except that Guiterrez

modernesquire — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:53:02 -0700

doesn't HAVE a law degree. Hell, I don't even know if he has an undergradutate degree.

This would be bad?

mvirenicus — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:49:39 -0700

he'll start to drag Governor Ted and the whole ODP down with him

Give up. Just hand this redneck state over to the GOP, with which it is most comfortable, and rename it Mississippi North

Dann needs to Resign

Madorsky — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:15:21 -0700

Like a month ago. If this guy stays in office much longer, he'll start to drag Governor Ted and the whole ODP down with him.

Marc Dann, Ohio's AG is Dumber than an 5th Grader

Schmennis — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:55:38 -0700

I can't believe that someone with an 11th grade education would accept a job from Anthony Gutierrez and not realize that he has expectations for sex.

These girls are either really dumb, or REALLY SMART.... I am guessing Gutierrez didn't give her 11th grade education enough credit.

Just goes to show you how an 11th grader can beat a law degree when the law degree is held by a megalomaniac moron.

Suspended AG employee: "Ass and tits got you the job"

modernesquire — Thu, 01 May 2008 06:19:39 -0700

Trickle, trickle, trickle...

Yesterday, the Cleveland Free Times published a story that contained some of the most explicit details into the sexual harassament case that is plaguing Marc Dann. Some lowlights?

Christmas Eve - that's when Vanessa Stout first became concerned about her job. While her boss, Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, passed out coffee mugs to staffers, his wife, Alyssa Lenhoff, glared at Stout from across the room.
Stout worked in the General Services division of the AG's office in Columbus, inside Rhodes Tower, an intimidating structure of glass and black marble across the street from the Statehouse. A single mother with an 11th grade education, Stout's last job had been running the front desk at an Extended Stay. Working for the AG was the best job she'd ever had. The man who'd helped her get it, Anthony Gutierrez, was a close friend of Dann's. The men lived near each other in Youngstown and shared an apartment outside Columbus. So Stout asked Gutierrez why Alyssa was giving her the stink eye.
Stout would later claim that Gutierrez told her that Alyssa Lenhoff had recently discovered that Dann was having an affair with his scheduler - and that, when confronted, Dann had admitted that Gutierrez and their other roommate, the AG's communications director, Leo Jennings, were also cheating on their spouses. And now Lenhoff apparently assumed that Stout was sleeping with Gutierrez - and Lenhoff wanted her and the scheduler transferred out of the building.

In reference to the now infamous Sept. incident:

A few days after the incident, the complaint says, she confronted Gutierrez and asked what he had done to her when she was passed out. He told her he hadn't done anything, but then said, according to Stankoski, "I wanted to fuck you." When she asked him why he had hired her in the first place, Gutierrez said, "ass and tits got [you] the job."

Then, after repeating much of what we had already heard:

Gutierrez made unwanted advances on Stankoski almost daily, Elliott claims. Then, apparently growing tired of being rejected, he transferred Stankoski to another job - she was told it was a promotion, but Elliott says it wasn't - and hired Vanessa Stout in her place.
Immediately, Elliott says, Gutierrez shifted his attention to Stout. He started with the invites for drinks after work, but quickly escalated to more offensive behavior. One day, he called Stout and said she should come over to the apartment because he had a present for her. "Vanessa is very concerned by now, so she brings a friend with her," says Elliott. "He doesn't say anything for awhile. But when they get ready to leave, he says, "Hold on.' He goes into his bedroom and comes back with a purple dildo in a gift bag. Vanessa says, "Do you want me to thank you or tell you to fuck off?' She leaves and throws the dildo away. At work, Gutierrez keeps bringing it up. "I bought you a present, I think I'm entitled to see you use it,' he tells her."

And here's ODP chairman Chris Redfern's statement:

"No one has accused Marc Dann of doing anything illegal. No one has accused Marc Dann of being a bad AG. Look at his accomplishments, already. You know what they're accusing him of? Having bad friends. As soon as this report comes out, you'll see terminations of employees who have done things that are inappropriate. Then, Dann will have the opportunity to chart his own course for the rest of his term.""No one has accused Marc Dann of doing anything illegal. No one has accused Marc Dann of being a bad AG. Look at his accomplishments, already. You know what they're accusing him of? Having bad friends. As soon as this report comes out, you'll see terminations of employees who have done things that are inappropriate. Then, Dann will have the opportunity to chart his own course for the rest of his term."

Fine, Mr. Chairman , then let me be apparently the first. Dann is a bad AG, and this is worse than just having bad friends. This is a culture that treats women employees as sexual objects. This is a hostile work environment. And how can any citizen who has been a victim of sexual harassment have any confidence knowing that their case could be represented by this office once the Ohio Civil Rights Commission makes a finding of a violation of our state and federal sexual harassment laws.

We can't wait for Dann to fire people after the report comes out (it was supposed to come out this week, apparently, they're waiting to dump it tomorrow in the hopes that it wouldn't get as much coverage?) Guiterrez and Jennings must be fired. What are we waiting for?

Dann has to go, too. I'm sorry, but Dann ignored too many red flags and his personal involvement in creating this kind of environment in the first place. He is the head of the office and the buck stops with him. We can't just call for the heads of Guiterrez and Jennings and think that kind of purge is enough to put it all behind us.

Dann personally told Guiterrez to hire Stout, and Guiterrez preyed on Stout's lack of qualifications as an opening to permit him to seek sexual favors. We are wayyyyy beyond just the actions of one of two employees who just happen to be senior aides who are incredibly close to Dann. We're beyond just Bob Packwood territory. We're looking at a Tailhook scandal where there was a systematic environment in which female subordinates were viewed and treated as sexual playthings that owed their superiors for being hired despite their qualifications.

I'm disgusted by this. I'm ashamed of this. And I'm outraged that Marc Dann betrayed the people of Ohio, our party, and his family by this.

Fire Jennings and Guiterrez and then yourself, Marc Dann! Do it if you have any actual respect for the office you hold, for the people of Ohio, for your party. Just go away!

(Incidently, if there is anyone out there who disagrees with me, I'd love to hear it. I've looked around for any sign on the blogsphere that anyone still supports Dann. I don't see it.)