I have
written for this newspaper for 16 years now and I am very proud of most of my
material. This writing may not have brought me riches or fame but it has
permitted me to get an up-close and personal view of the small piece of history
that surrounds the Galesburg area. It has enabled me to meet and interview
people I never would have met otherwise, some famous or infamous, some not. It
has been the vehicle by which I have come to know most of the local politicians
and officials who run our community. I am proud to say that I consider many to
be my friend and I have come to personally like a good number of others.
When
Journalists talk about journalism and the tenets a journalist is expected to
live by most seem like little more than self-serving sanctimonious bullshit.
None of us can be truly objective about what we witness and report. As thinking
reasoning beings we cannot help ourselves from drawing conclusions about the
people and events that we write about and we invariably form personal opinions.
Any self-described journalist who tells you otherwise is either a fool or a
liar. But perhaps the biggest flaw in the presumed ÒobjectivityÓ of journalists
is that it becomes very hard to report on items that reflect poorly on people
you know, like or consider personal friends. For all these reasons the most
common result of biased journalism isnÕt stories that are purposefully slanted
but those stories we choose not to cover at all.
When
Paul Mangieri first ran for StateÕs Attorney in 1996 I was a candidate along
side him running (unsuccessfully) for Circuit Clerk. I came to know Paul and
his family very well. I have literally seen his family grow up over the last
decade. During this time I have often socialized with Paul and until recently I
even owned and managed the Internet domain www.Mangieri.com on his behalf.
Throughout those years I have written numerous Zephyr articles involving
Mangieri or the Knox County StateÕs AttorneyÕs office and while I stand behind
everything I have written in most cases those articles were seldom critical of
Mangieri.
It is
not that I never heard complaints about the StateÕs AttorneyÕs office or even
witnessed things personally that seemed dubious or questionable. Throughout
MangieriÕs tenure of that office the staff has frankly been weak in my opinion
and I even shared that observation with Paul. I recall telling him soon after
he was first elected that he should at least bring in his own secretary or
administrative assistant and a deputy prosecutor who were both talented and
that he could trust. Paul did hire Dean Stone as first assistant (and later
moved to a home right next door to Stone) so apparently there was a loyalty
there. But MangieriÕs office staff has never impressed me and, as Pepmeyer
discovered himself, modern office methods including computerization have never
taken hold in the Knox County StateÕs AttorneyÕs office.
But as
one of my Republican friends has said on occasion, Òit just seems odd that you
and the Zephyr have never held Paul Mangieri to the same standard that you have
most other elected officials.Ó Sadly, I believe there is some truth to that
statement. I am personally guilty of not actively pursuing stories that would
have been more critical of Mangieri. But at the same time few people, including
my friendly critics, have been willing to go on the record with information
that would prove embarrassing to Mangieri. As StateÕs Attorney Mangieri was
inarguably one of the two most powerful local elected officials (along side the
Sheriff). If the Sheriff and StateÕs Attorney elect to stand together to
challenge or otherwise discourage criticism of one another or their offices few
are willing to take the risk of publicly speaking out. And I might add, publicly
criticizing circuit judges canÕt occur without the potential of repurcussions.
While I
have been acquainted with John Pepmeyer and his brother Tom (the two of which
until recently were law and business partners) I have never had a substantive
conversation with either before the current scandal in the StateÕs AttorneyÕs
office. At this point in time I have no firsthand knowledge of whether or not
John Pepmeyer sexually harassed any of his staff in the StateÕs AttorneyÕs
office other than his candidly convincing denials. But I note that former female employees at both the law
firm and his bars have sworn to me that he was never anything but professional
with them.
While I
never dreamed that the office was as messed up as it appears to be, itÕs been
obvious that MangieriÕs real interests have been on other political offices for
some time. Paul is by all accounts an excellent litigator and a gifted public
speaker but he has never been either skilled nor inclined to be much of a
manager. Between his apparent failure to properly manage the StateÕs AttorneyÕs
office and his distractions running for higher office it is easy to understand
how things could have been allowed to slide but if PepmeyerÕs account is
accurate few had any real idea just how bad things were in the Knox County
StateÕs AttorneyÕs office. People in the courthouse privately tell me that he
was often gone and let the office essentially run itself.
It is
easy to imagine what has happened here. Jeremy Karlin had made it abundantly
clear that if he were appointed as StateÕs Attorney that he would shake up the
office with probable embarrassment to Mangieri at the very least. MangieriÕs
good friend and loyal assistant Dean Stone could be counted upon to maintain
the status quo and let sleeping dogs lie but he engendered little confidence or
support from either the Democratic committeemen or the Knox County Board. Enter
John Pepmeyer. A longtime supporter of MangieriÕs various political campaigns
perhaps he could be counted on to be a cooperative good olÕ boy.
When
Pepmeyer discovered the status of the office and began asking hard questions
this must have been a shock for both Mangieri and the staff which Pepmeyer
inherited. Before Pepmeyer took any action that could be embarrassing, perhaps
he could be stifled by threatening him with sexual harassment charges. Such
charges are very hard to disprove and, as has been demonstrated, the
presumption of innocence doesnÕt seem to apply in these cases. Had the staff
wanted to prevent Pepmeyer from making changes in office staff and procedure
and investigating issues long thought buried, this would certainly be an
attractive tool.
The
mistake was made was when the staff went to the Peoria Journal-Star and made
the charges public. Anyone with even the slightest strategic or tactical sense
could have guessed that regardless of how Pepmeyer may have responded to a
quiet threat, once these accusations became sensationalized in print, Pepmeyer
would have no option but to not only deny them but make public some — or
much — of what he discovered within the Knox County StateÕs AttorneyÕs
office. This is the political equivalent of mutually assured destruction
— just like during the Cold
War — where no one wins a nuclear exchange.
Published
April 5, 2007