Dotson’s male Doppelganger?–Through the Looking Glass

Whoever said ‘drama queens’ come in only one sex. Here’s a story about a ‘drama king’ to rival Sara Dotson’s ill-fated attempt to invoke histrionics in a bid to punish a good Samaritan in Thurston County for remonstrating over her denial of accommodation to a disabled young mother: (Senator Roach–don’t feel like the odd one out. The soap opera doesn’t end at the Capitol steps–it’s alive and well in the Thurston County Courthouse cesspool and its prosecutor’s office.)

HOOVER’S HOAX

A Senate Republican senior attorney is seeking a $1.75 million settlement from the state, saying a hostile work environment has been created by allowing a controversial senator back into the GOP caucus and restoring her access to staff in exchange for a vital budget vote.

In a document obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, an attorney for Republican Senate Counsel Mike Hoover says that Hoover felt pressured to quit so that the caucus “could more easily make a trade with” Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn.

“Mr. Hoover understandably has no faith that the caucus can or will take any steps to protect him or other staff from Senator Roach’s behavior in the future,” attorney Daniel Johnson writes.

Hoover has not yet filed a lawsuit, and Johnson wrote that the purpose of the demand letter was to start negotiations “to settle those claims as amicably as possible.”

While the claims are under review, Johnson wrote, Hoover would like to go on leave from his job “to avoid any awkwardness or tension during this time.”

Hoover, who was in the Senate chamber Wednesday afternoon, declined comment, saying he wanted to consult with his attorney and officials in the Legislature.

“I honestly don’t know what to do here,” he said.

Roach was banned from the Republican caucus two years ago after an investigation concluded that she had mistreated staff. GOP leaders wrote in a letter to her that they had concluded that she should be physically separated from other members and staff.

They implemented policies barring Roach from the caucus room and deemed her ineligible to participate in caucus votes. The letter did say the policies could be re-evaluated in one year with the mutual agreement of the caucus and Roach.

While Roach had received prior reprimands for her interactions with staff, the January 2010 punishment followed numerous incidents with Hoover, culminating with an “unusually vicious attack” in 2009, according to the 15-page document sent Monday to Tom Hoemann, the secretary of the Senate. In that incident, the document says, Roach yelled at Hoover during a meeting with the rest of the caucus.

“Some fled the room or put their hands over their ears to muffle the screaming; others felt helpless, embarrassed and physically ill from watching,” the document said. “One person said it was like watching a car that “kept backing up over the victim again and again.”

The document says that Roach has targeted Hoover since 2003, and that during that first year she “regularly yelled at him, demanded that he swear loyalty to her, and threatened to have him fired if he crossed her.”

Roach wouldn’t comment Wednesday, saying she was not aware of the letter. However, she insisted that her budget vote wasn’t part of the deal for her to return to caucus and regain access to staff.

“Absolutely not,” she said. “No one ever asked for my vote.”

Johnson, Hoover’s attorney, writes that all of the restrictions on her were lifted “solely for political reasons.”

Democrats hold majorities in both the House and the Senate, but last month, Republicans established a philosophical majority in the Senate on March 2 after three Democrats stood with them on a GOP-crafted budget plan that then passed the Senate but stalled in the House. Roach also voted with them. The House passed an alternate plan agreed to by majority Democrats in the House and Senate. Lawmakers are nearing the end of a 30-day special session as they continue to try to negotiate a deal on the budget.

Republican Senate leadership declined to comment on the details of the Hoover dispute, calling it a personnel matter.

Roach was allowed back into the caucus with limited privileges to join in the budget vote, said Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee, who said she is filling in as minority leader while Sen. Mike Hewitt recovers from recent surgery.

Since Roach was reinstated back to the caucus, Johnson writes, “several” caucus members have asked Hoover to agree with what they had done.

“Mr. Hoover feels pressured to make reassuring statements that are false and not at all representative of his true feelings,” the letter states.

Senate secretary Hoemann said Wednesday that the sanctions against Roach interacting with staff, as set by the Senate Facilities and Operations Committee, had not, in fact, been lifted.

However, in the demand letter, Hoover’s attorney wrote that Roach “clearly understood that all sanctions against her have been lifted and staff restored” and noted that she wanted a public information officer assigned to her.

Johnson writes that Hoover’s physical and emotional health has been impacted by the decision to restore Roach to the caucus, saying that he has suffered headaches, stomach and heart problems, sleep disturbances and stress nightmares.

After hearing of the Senate Republican’s decision on Roach on March 2, he believed he was having a heart attack and was taken to the hospital by Senate security.

“The caucus’ lifting of all sanctions against Senator Roach, without requiring her to meet the express conditions the Senate had placed on lifting them, dispelled Mr. Hoover’s illusions that the abuse and harassment he has endured would ever really stop,” Johnson wrote.

The letter sent Monday includes two documents, including an invitation that was sent for Roach to return to the caucus Feb. 29, and a March 2 document saying that the caucus had voted to remove all sanctions against her.

Parlette said Wednesday that the second letter was not meant to imply that Roach had regained staff privileges and that it was only sent at Roach’s request.

About admin

Opposed to politicians who equivocate about air quality & BioMassacre
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.