Problems continue to swirl around A.G. office
Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane has been through eight spokespeople in her tenure. No. 8, Chuck Ardo, resigned recently. He served a long stint as Gov. Ed Rendell’s press secretary.
There’s a reason a public figure goes through spokespeople as rapidly as a prizefighter goes through towels. Effectiveness and job satisfaction as a spokesperson depend almost exclusively on the effectiveness and leadership ability of the individual for whom the spokesman is working.
If you are still counting, before the total gets high enough to involve NASA, first-term Democrat Kane has now, with the resignation of Chuck Ardo, been through eight spokespeople. Eight. By any objective measure, that is a staggering total for any public figure, much less a state attorney general.
Ardo lasted 13 months which, in Pennsylvania, might qualify him for some sort of medal. Many of the others lasted fewer than 90 days. Ardo told reporters he was “tired of explaining the inexplicable.” According to Philly.com, the last straw for him came while he was giving a reporter a tour of the office. Kane called Ardo in the middle of the tour and berated him for doing such a thing. So much for transparency. There is much about Kane’s tenure that is, indeed, inexplicable, not the least of which is why she still has the job.
This isn’t about whether Kane is a good or bad boss. But people generally don’t walk away from a $120,000-a-year spokesperson position after three months because they’re bored or unchallenged or even because their office is in the midst of a crisis. They leave because the boss is beleaguered, inflexible, unreasonable and, most important, incapable of leading or listening. In such an environment, a spokesman is neutered and unable to do his or her job.
The attorney general’s office in Pennsylvania is and has been in chaos. Kane’s criminal trial is scheduled to begin this summer. She’s charged with, among other things, perjury and conspiracy. The state Supreme Court has already suspended her law license. Republicans in the state Senate tried to remove Kane from office in February but couldn’t get enough Democratic support to finish the job. And for two years, Kane has refused to make public all of the pornographic emails exchanged by judges and state prosecutors, among others. Kane’s critics say she released only the emails that would embarrass her political foes.
A game of musical spokespeople is a symptom of dysfunction. It’s also an indication of an office incapable of adequately serving its bosses — in this case, the people of Pennsylvania.
You might dismiss one spokesman leaving after a short time. Two? You raise an eyebrow. Three? You start asking questions. By the time you get to five, you’re looking directly at the big office down the hall. But eight means something is broken, and we all know what it is.
Kane has ignored numerous calls for her resignation — including our own — so there’s no reason to expect her to listen to yet another.
So, as the attorney general continues to spin counterclockwise, she will likely soon be on spokesperson No. 9. That brave soul will take on the unenviable task of trying to mend mangled fences, cajole already-alienated members of the media, and deflect controversy for a boss who manufactures it.
For anyone who might be interested, the pay is good — but don’t plan on a retirement party.