The age of political correctness has surely run amok with the attempted petitioning to recall Council Member Mike Zinkin. A PAC Called the Oro Valley Citizens for Ethical Government, a Political Action Committee has based their recall of Councilman Mike Zinkin on political correctness foolishness and on heresy.The Hearsay Rule, as outlined in the Federal Rules of Evidence, prohibits statements made outside a courtroom from being used as evidence in court. Out-of-court statements hinder the ability of the judge or jury to probe testimony for inaccuracies caused by ambiguity, insincerity, faulty perception, or erroneous memory. Thus, statements made out of court are perceived as untrustworthy.
If someone is allegedly offended, shouldn't they be the ones to complain? Should there be any less of a standard when it comes to judging allegations against an elected official?
I think not.
However, in the age of political correctness anything goes!
There is a file of absurd “complaints” at Town Hall on Councilman Mike Zinkin. It is this file that the PAC received. Let me offer two examples of the so-called “factual” information provided:
Allegation of Racism
In a January 20, 2013 letter to Town Attorney Tobin Sidles, Mayor Hiremath alleges that Mike Zinkin is a racist. The Mayor offers no proof. It is simply a statement of what he thinks:
" ...I believe that council Zinkin has an issue with race, including me. As of this date, I am the only East Indian Mayor in the country and I feel that I'm being racially discriminated against with the letters being submitted to the AG's office in addition to the above examples. I would like this duly noted."
The letters to which the mayor refers to is the letter Zinkin sent to the Attorney General (AG) alleging violations of the open meeting law by Mayor Hiremath." The mayor wrote his “factual” letter alleging racism a week after he had confronted Zinkin regarding the violation that Zinkin had filed with the AG.
In this age of political correctness it seems like you play the "race card" whenever you feel like it.
Allegation of Sexual Harassment
On October 11/6/2012, Police Chief Danny Sharp wrote a letter to his own file, discussing a situation in which Council Member Zinkin had apparently paid a complement to a female Oro Valley employee.
“While attending a Strategic Planning Update Session at (location redacted/blacked out), (female officer name redacted/ blacked out) approached me and expressed concern about a comment made to her by council member Mike Zinkin. She approached Council member Zinkin during a break to introduce herself. Council member Zinkin made a statement that she was much better to look at than (male officer name redacted/blacked out). She informed me that she was shocked by the comment and at a loss on how to reply. I informed that I would discuss this with her at more appropriate time and location”.
The memo further states that the alleged complaintant did not wish to file a formal complaint.
In this age of political correctness it seems like you can consider any statement as insensitive; even a comment that was clearly intended to be a complement.
John Musolf
Oro Valley Resident
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8 comments:
Once again we are missing the point. Mr. Zinkin is being attacked because of his request to audit police overtime.
As Mr. Musoff correctly points out, the rest is Political Correctness Run Amok. (and Political Correctness) used as a smoke screen.
John - As I mentioned before, this has nothing to do with legal matters. Your pedantic statement about "hearsay" is entirely meaningless. Didn't Mike admit and apologize for his actions? Doesn't that show he knows he was wrong?
John - What does Hiremath say prior to the statement you are quoting? Just curious...
NW - Here we go again with the conspiracy theories. Do your mind a favor and put together a timeline. Did the relevant people file these reports before or after Mike's attempted micromanagement for political expediency? Or are you really saying that the secret dark powers in Oro Valley anticipated Mike's populist demand and filed these reports so that they could get him later on? Even you will have to admit that seems far-fetched.
I am glad both of you have outed yourselves endorsing misogynistic behavior. Mike's comment has nothing to do with "political correctness" - it is as inappropriate now as it was a few decades ago. That it may have been more commonplace then shows that we have come a long way; it's time for Mike (and, frankly, the two of you) to get on board and realize women are more than "dolls" whose professional value is determined by how "easy to look at" they are. Your responses reek of chauvinism and misogyny.
I maintain, OVdad, that there was no recall effort until Mr. Zinkin asked for an audit.
If he is found to be misogynistic / chauvinistic so be it.
Do not blow blue police union smoke at me, I only care about the possible mismanagement of public funds.
Mr. Musolf is more than capable of defending himself.
Many years ago, while working in a university hospital setting, my female boss was always behaving inappropriately. Eventually, one of the doctor's in the practice got fed up with her behavior and he reported her to her boss.
She RETALIATED by filing a sexual harassment complaint against the doctor. I asked her what he had done. She replied, "Nothing. He never sexually harassed me. I'm just accusing him of it to get the focus off of me and to get him to retract his complaint." (And that's just one example of her inappropriate behavior!)
See what she did? She put up a smokescreen to try to diminish the doctor's credibility. It didn't work, however, and she was fired.
I suspect that the recent complaints against Mike are also a smokescreen to draw attention away from the problems with Hiremath and the police dept.
In response to OVDad comments, please consider the following;
While Mike may have admitted and apologized for his comment, that doesn’t mean he is wrong.
Sometimes it is easier to take the action Mike did and end the event. Particularly when it is impossible for someone to assume that a direct non-sexual comment about a female police officers appearance will result in a complaint for sexual harassment. Can this person really function as a police officer? Even in this day and age, many women still find a non-sexual positive comment about their appearance a compliment.
OVDad states that Mike was micromanaging the police department for political expediency. Sounds like OVDad has he own conspiracy theories
Someone, or perhaps, more than one person was building a case against Mike. If this wasn’t the purpose for these memos why were they written? How did memos to personal files of Sharp and Hiremath suddenly become part of the recall effort? Just by chance?
Nothing about the documented inappropriate comments and behavior of Zinkin, dating back to August 2012, has anything to do with political correctness.
I am shocked that Musolf would find the complaints to be "absurd." My guess is that no female friend or relative of his or any female on this blog would agree. (Okay, except VC, who seems to think this is a "smokescreen." Interesting that there are numerous complaints...not just one....That definitely does not indicate "smokescreen," but a true pattern of bad behavior.)
Is it okay that Zinkin patted the Nogales mayor on the behind? Where is the respect?
Is it okay that Zinkin made derogatory comments about wearing a tie to meet with the First Lady of Hermosillo? "...we're only meeting a bunch of Mexicans and Mexicans don't wear ties anyway." Again I ask where is the respect?
Musolf's thoughts about Zinkin's comment regarding a female staff member, "...that she was much better to look at than _______" are unimportant and irrelevant. It is far from a compliment, especially when that staff member was made to feel uncomfortable.
On multiple occasions, not just the one Musolf refers to, complaints were filed with the town regarding Zinkin's behavior. In one instance, Zinkin made inappropriate comments in front of three female town staff members and was asked to send an apology, which he did. The town also spoke with Zinkin about other inappropriate comments he made in a meeting, using a "vulgar and offensive term" to women.
There is a pattern of inappropriate and offensive language and behavior by Zinkin. On at least four occasions, the town manager has spoken with Zinkin about this. These are not compliments. Zinkin has a pattern of inappropriate language and comments. This shows a general disregard for common decency.
As a husband and father, I am offended that the blog continues to hide the truth and paints it as "political correctness run amok." Where is the outrage? Zinkin's behavior is truly a liability to this town and the people who live and work here.
Victorian Cowgirl - I cannot believe you. Mike admitted to it. That's about where that story of yours end. I am truly shocked by your comment. Because you know of one bad person that did this, you are just guessing that there was nothing to it? Newsflash: Mike admitted to it.
Just think about what you are saying here. How would you feel if you (or your daughter if you have one) had felt harassed and I would be making such an argument?
Did you ever pause to wonder why rape is the most underreported crime in the US? It is because comments such as yours create an environment that discourages victims from exposing the truth. I am truly shocked by your utter lack of manners. (Just to be clear: I am not at all suggesting Mike committed rape. I am merely making a point that the shameful words uttered by Victorian Cowgirl create an environment that makes it incredibly traumatizing for victims to come forward.)
Reading your comment, it has to be obvious to everybody why none of these women wanted to put themselves out there. Shame on you, Victorian Cowgirl. Shame on you.
ov important - In which decade was it appropriate for an elected town official to say this to a town employee??? This ain't the 60s or 70s anymore. Context matters: If a man said that to a woman at a bar, I may not take as much offense. If a man with significant (indirect or direct) power over a woman's job says that to her, it is absolutely inappropriate. (By the way: If you reverse the gender roles, it remains just as inappropriate.)
You ask if this person can function as a police officer. I don't know her, but let's assume she worked her butt off to make it to where she is now. Given the disadvantages women face in the workforce in general, and in law enforcement in particular, this may actually not be far from the truth. You make it to your job through hard work, intelligence, and moral integrity. And then you the only thing a person above you in the town hierarchy has to say about you is how nice he finds you to look at; reducing you to your looks instead of your professional qualities. Ever wonder why women find they have to work harder than men to achieve the same? Maybe people like Mike (and you) have something to do with that.
You are also suggesting Mike apologized while not meaning it. Do you have any further insight on that? So, Mike lies for political expediency? What an honorable man you are supporting!
We elect a council to represent us. I, for one, expect them to handle themselves professionally. I just don't understand how there can be two opinions about whether Mike has acted professionally in these cases.
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