The weekend tragedy casts Mayor Frank Jackson’s decision to hire Mason last summer in a much darker light. Late Saturday, Jackson’s office issued a press release saying that Mason had been officially terminated — what a heroic stand! — but some have called for Jackson’s immediate resignation or, failing that, for the release of all documentation surrounding Mason’s hiring.
WKYC broke the story that should have been a major scandal last November, shortly before the mayoral election: Jackson had personally hired Mason from a pool of 13 candidates to work as a minority business administrator in the office of equal opportunity. This was not long after Mason had been released from prison after serving only 9 months of a two-year sentence. Jackson already had a penchant for standing by loyal substandard employees — so-called “weak links” — or even to promote them, but everyone reporting the story assumed that hiring this violent abuser would be a bridge too far. It’s the sort of story that, in places other than Cleveland, has serious ramifications.
To counter rumors that Jackson had hired Mason as a favor to Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, who knew Mason and may have asked for the favor after she’d given Jackson her endorsement, the city trotted out Equal Opportunity director Melissa Burrows to claim that she’d made the decision on her own, on the grounds that Mason was the most qualified candidate.
“I made the decision to hire Mr. Mason because of his expertise in reading, understanding and interpreting contracts and other legal documents,” she said at the time.
His reading comprehension notwithstanding, Mason had savagely punched his wife in the face 20 times and smashed her head into their vehicle’s dashboard repeatedly while their daughters sat in the backseat. The beating was severe enough that Fraser required reconstructive facial surgery. After his first court appearance in that case, a family member called the police, fearing that Mason might commit suicide. When police arrived and took him into custody, they found a cache of weapons and ammunition in his home: two shotguns, two assault rifles, two handguns, smoke grenades, a bulletproof vest and a sword, among other things.
These red flags would have had to be measured in acres they were so enormous. But Jackson hired Mason anyway, in August, 2017, when he would still have been serving time for the assault on Fraser if not for his early release.
And now, in a frankly grotesque display of his remoteness from reality, Jackson has defended Mason’s hiring in comments to Fox 8. He said he stood by the decision to hire Mason — now apparently admitting that it was his decision after all? — and that he had “no way to predict the future.” When Fox 8 asked if the city would no longer hire domestic abusers, Jackson said no.
“Our policy is second chances unless there is something that would prevent us from doing it,” he said. “For example, you wouldn’t hire a convicted felon and put them around children. You wouldn’t hire an embezzler and put them in the finance department.”
Okay, but you’d hire a violent domestic abuser and amasser of heavy weapons, including semi-automatic rifles, to liaise with contractors and women- and minority-owned businesses?
Frank Jackson is pathologically unable to admit a mistake. It’s one of his ugliest leadership traits. He sincerely believes that he can do no wrong, that every decision he has ever made — even if it has produced negative results — was made for the right reason. But in this case, the response was obvious. He should have issued an immediate and extravagant apology, both for Fraser’s death and for perpetuating a system that rewards insiders and protects abusers at the expense of victims. As Joe Patrice wrote for Above the Law this morning:
“Should the criminal justice system lean away from draconian sentencing? Sure. Would society be better off if ex-convicts aren’t permanently blackballed from earning a living when attempting to reenter society? Of course. But we’re not talking about someone starting over after serving their time. This is a tale of complicity, where apologists pushed a professional colleague through his “difficulty” with sweetheart deals and patronage gigs. Protecting Fraser was never a consideration while they worked to restore Mason.”
In this instance, the future was crystal clear. And Jackson needs to own up.
The Shaker Heights School District has canceled professional days for teachers today and tomorrow — students had the full week off — and will hold a candlelight vigil for Aisha Fraser this evening at 5:30 at Woodbury Elementary, where Fraser was a 6th grade teacher.
This article appears in Nov 14-20, 2018.
Frank Jackson is the most stubborn of persons but the blame goes to the city’s major news media (I mean Plain Dealer) and business community leaders that get what they want and the hell with the people of Cleveland.
The city, no matter how much rah rah attention given by the city’s cheerleaders, is in desperate condition.
There needs to be a house cleaning not only at city hall but at the county where people have been promised a new day but have been given the same old poor management, unless you’re a developer of a sports team owner.
The city belongs to them
Roldo Bartimole
The city has totally botched such basic services as snow removal and waste pickup, so how the hell can anyone expect it to suucessfully perform the tasks that matter, such as hiring qualified personnel in high-level posiitions, without cronyism, nepotism, favoritism, and other forms of back-scratching?
The crews on the trash trucks are ex-cons and convicted felons getting “second chances”…and, apparently, so are the suits at City Hall. Am I saddened by this story? Hell, yes. Shocked or surprised? HELL, NO!
Downtown and a handful of gentrified hipster neighborhoods thrive, but they are merely islands in a sea of decay and despair. This crime story is a very sad story, especially for all the children involved, but every day in Cleveland is filled with sad stories, so there will be other ones one tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. Same shit, different day.
There’s no light at the end of the tunnel…just more tunnel. If there is a light, it’s from a train that is going to kill you. And the engineer is probably wearing a business suit and a pinky ring.
Just one word describes the actions and attitude of Frank Jackson, aka Mush Mouth. Pathetic! Simply, you made a decision and it didn’t work out. Admit you made a bad decision with sincerity and state that we have placing a better review process for all applicants. All be it, only a complete fool can state that, that Mason was the best or better qualified candidate for the position within “Silly Hall.”
Take a deeper look at some of the so called competent and qualified hires and/or long term staff members. Identify a department within this administration that functions competently. The best is the fire department. The alarm is pulled, they show up and douse the flames. The health department leadership is a minstrel show. Unqualified and incompetence throughout. The police department, might have an outstanding chief, but he is handicapped by the bumbling safety director clown.
More so, the Mush Mouth senior staff consist of a collection of individuals that couldn’t find their way out of wet brown paper bag open at both ends. These individuals are unable to provide basic city services, such leaf pick up, trash collection and sadly high quality public school education. With specific reference to public education, the backwards ass school CEO states, “…we are improving.” I wonder what metrics he is utilizing.
No one inclusive of “silly council” as a body is to provide oversite of the executive. They are so damn stupid, they haven’t identified that Mush Mouth has more chiefs and special assistants that there are council members. Just a collection of real life true dummies. Further, as a body of legislators, they have never ever denied or truly questioned the budget request of Mush Mouth Clown.
Frank’s attitude during the WKYC interview was on par with Trump. There is nothing funny nor to smile at regarding the homicidal actions of Mason.
The so called powers that be question why the young, the vibrant, the intelligent, the competent and those without a “dangerous” felony conviction depart this backwards town.
It is not the political corruption that one has come to expect in Cleveland City Hall — it’s an evil arrogance and supreme smugness one would expect from a street thug working for a criminal syndicate.
Wait, Sam is opposed to giving people a second chance? Or just waxing superiority with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight?
What possible connection does the City of Cleveland hiring this guy have to do with what happened? It is not like they hired a known drunk who then drove a city vehicle into someone and killed them. The killing of his wife had absolutely nothing to do with his job with the City. The city is attempting to give second chances to people with criminal records. By hiring them the city often helps to prevent them from returning to crime because they cannot get a job due to their record. If no employer would hire someone who had previously engaged in domestic violence that would lead to severe social problems for everyone. It would be one thing to hire someone who was a thief to handle lots of money but to hire someone to work in an office who was guilty of domestic violence is very likely not a risk to the people they come in contact with.
Thank you for finally showing some sense of outrage over this. Most of us can be denied employment for simply having bad credit, but a man can savagely beat his wife – in front of his own children, no less – and still get a cushy, high-paying job in a position of great responsibility? Even more than a week after first breaking, the only news I’m finding is that this man has only been charged with assault on the policeman. He has yet to be charged with murder. And with all the backroom deals that seem to have enabled him for so long, I wonder if he ever will. Women in domestic violence situations can’t feel safe if all their abusers get is a slap on the wrist, “I never imagined he was like that”, and candlelight vigils after the fact. And now we can’t even feel safe from our city officials.