[BIG MIKE NOTE: If you’re new to this story, please scroll down through my last two posts to catch up. Thanks.]
Here are Dan Combs’s responses, verbatim, to my questions:
The Electron Pencil: You are Dan Combs, Perry Twp. trustee?
Dan Combs: “Yes, I’m PTT [Perry Township trustee].”
EP: Did your son, Levi, take the screenshot of Rick Albright’s post and show it to you?
DC: “Yes, Levi took the screenshots.”
EP: Did you consult with Levi before posting the screenshot on your Facebook page?
DC: “Yes, we talked. Levi and I are very close.”
EP: Has Levi experienced any negative reaction to the publication of the screenshot?
DC: “He was very troubled by the vitriol. He is a third generation union member with a good education as to purpose of unionism as well as an inclusive society.”
EP: Did Levi struggle with deciding to go public with the screenshot?
DC: “Yes, he struggled with the decision to post them. Potentially being ostracized at your job is a hard thing to deal with, as well as always trying to anticipate whether some form of retaliation will be forthcoming. There were never any threats to him, but he works in a normally high risk working environment, traffic, where everyone has to be on their safety game. I worry about that more than him, maybe. I challenged him several times as to whether posting them was wise for him. Fathers don’t want their sons and daughters to be in jeopardy, ever. He was just so offended that his union leadership could spew that stuff that he couldn’t let it pass.”
EP: Did you struggle with the decision to go public with the screenshot?
DC: “Yes, I struggled. I’m a politician and have a bit of experience. There are always unanticipated consequences to policy brawls, and unanticipated casualties. I trust Levi’s judgement, so when he said “go” for the ninth or tenth time, I went. The shots were circulated last Thursday to Council members and the Mayor. We waited until we thought everyone had time to process them. To release them to the public. Susan Sandberg was very supportive. Her public support was key in the discussion to publish them, for Levi and me.”
All of Dan Comb’s responses are sic.
The Pencil offers the same opportunity to Rick Albright: I will publish his responses to my questions verbatim.
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