That's Our Don
Maryland's 84-year-old comptroller and state curmudgeon, William Donald Schaefer, has made national news. On Wednesday, Don ogled a 24-year-old administrative aide at a public hearing. (He required two walking-away shots of her backside, making the second walk-away request of her in full view of the press.) Later he was unapologetic about what - at my place of employment, at least - must be considered an egregious bit of sexual harassment.
“That’s so goddamn dumb, I can’t believe it… [She] ought to be damn happy that I observed her going out the door. The day I don’t look at pretty women is the day I die,” said the unrepentant Schaefer.
No one, not a single, solitary person in Maryland, is surprised. Various Maryland state Democratic leaders have criticized Schaefer about the episode (including Montgomery County Executive, Doug Duncan, and Baltimore Mayor, Martin O'Malley, gubernatorial candidates both) and women's organizations have expressed both outrage and indignation. But for the hoi polloi of Maryland, this is just one more eye-roller from That's-Our-Don.
I'm sure many states have guys like Schaefer. He's a 50-year Maryland public servant, having been both Mayor of Baltimore and two-term Governor of Maryland. He's been Maryland State Comptroller since 1998. He's also an unabashed and vigorous booster of all things Maryland. But his statements and faux pas have gotten him in trouble before. He's kind of that wacky uncle people have: simultaneously dedicated and intemperate, loyal and exasperating, caring and belligerent. Even Maryland's current Republican governor seeks him as an ally.
All this doesn't excuse him. The woman humiliated is many decades and pay-grades below him. Where I work, only cheating on your timecard gets you fired faster than sexual harassment. It remains to be seen whether with this rudeness he has finally over-stepped.
But at least he only shot off his mouth.
K-
What arrogance! Especially the part that the aide should be happy that she was observed. Geez.
This really isn't relevant to anything in particular, but you have a Republican governor? I read recently that Maryland, in all its history, has only had five Republican governors, one of which was fallen V.P. Spiro Agnew. Can that be true?
I don't know if it's 5 Republican governors but it's a very small number. Ehrlich has been the only Republican governor since I moved to Maryland in 1980. Agnew ('60s) was obviously Republican and I'm pretty certain Theodore McKeldin ('30s) was. After that I'm not sure.
Maryland has, until recently, been strongly Democrat. Dixiecrats held sway after the Civil War and then the traditional population centers - Baltimore and the DC suburbs in Montgomery and Prince Georges counties - gained political strength. They were always Democrat and just by numbers assured Democratic victories. With population shifts due to the wholesale loss of agricultural and Bay-derived economies in Maryland, those areas, though still strong politically, are seeing less clout. Red areas such as central and southern Maryland now have sufficient populations that Maryland is changing politically. Maryland state and local elections never coincide with presidential elections, so we're entering a big political season. We'll see what happens.
Finally, FWIW, Nancy Pelosi - the House of Representatives Democratic leader from California - grew up in Baltimore. She is the daughter of Thomas D'Alesandro. The D'Alesandros were a big political family in Baltimore.
K-