Our view: Johnston can do the right thing and step down

The thoroughly researched and independent investigation into allegations against Duluth School Board member Art Johnston was damning enough.
Johnston was “intimidating,” “threatening,” “abusive,” “disruptive” and “in public derogation,” an investigator found after viewing video recordings of School Board meetings, listening to audio recordings of other proceedings, interviewing dozens of witnesses and others, and reviewing countless emails and documents.
What’s more, Johnston violated the district’s code of ethics and board policy and was found to have a personal or other conflict of interest at least 14 times. He “abused his authority as a School Board member,” the investigator wrote.
As galling and unacceptable as all that ought to be to every resident of the Duluth school district, this reality could be even worse: Johnston accepts no responsibility for anything he has done. He refuses to see what the investigator and so many others see: a clear pattern of inappropriate and unprofessional behavior. Any dysfunction on the Duluth School Board, he insisted in an interview last week with members of the News Tribune editorial board, is “not because of me but because of people’s reaction toward me.” In other words, everyone else is to blame.
Does Johnston feel he has done anything wrong? Anything?
“If we’re in a court of law I’m going to say no,” he answered. “I’m being hung out to dry here. … I don’t think I’m as bad as this report makes me sound.”
In Johnston’s defense, an allegation that he made “racist or otherwise improper comments about a staff member” and an allegation of a specific “conflict of interest in relation to a staff member” both were found to be unsubstantiated. The board’s conflict of interest policy relates to financial matters.
Two exonerations, however, don’t come close to the many findings of wrongdoing and improper behavior the investigation did corroborate.
That includes two incidents at the end of the East High School graduation ceremony on June 4. Johnston was angry. He said his emotions were related to a work situation involving his partner, a district employee.
So he approached Superintendent Bill Gronseth. “It is most likely that Johnston gave Gronseth a small but angry shove,” the investigator determined. “The shove was, under the circumstances, offensive. … Gronseth braced himself, reasonably fearing that Johnston was going to hit him, and (Gronseth) felt humiliated and embarrassed. …
“Johnston’s behavior (even as described by Johnston, without the shove) was intimidating, threatening and abusive, was disruptive and interfered with both his and Gronseth’s interaction with the public in their roles as School Board member and Superintendent,” the report said.
In the parking lot later, Johnston took School Board Chairman Mike Miernicki “by surprise, grabbed Miernicki by the arm, and stopped him and turned him around. Johnston raised his voice, upset, and yelled at Miernicki.” This incident, too, the report said, “took place in public, in the presence of parents and other members of the public. … Johnston’s behavior was intimidating, threatening and abusive, was disruptive and likely to interfere with and cast a negative light on public perception of him as a School Board member, Miernicki as School Board chair, and the School Board as a whole.”
Other substantiated allegations against Johnston included abuse of authority as a School Board member, code of ethics violations and more general conflicts of interest.
Anyone can have a beef, and there are appropriate, respectful and professional ways to handle it. But Johnston chose instead to act like a bully, to be confrontational, to make others fearful for their safety and to create publicly embarrassing situations.
Constituents should be able to expect better than that from a community leader, from an elected representative. Elected officials should expect to be held to a higher standard.
Johnston certainly can expect to be. The Duluth School Board is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss the investigation report. A hearing could be scheduled to decide whether to remove Johnston from the board. It appears the board already has enough votes to oust Johnston.
Johnston can do the right thing by his constituents and the entire district by resigning before that. He can apologize for his behavior and step down, heading off additional image-tainting public embarrassment for himself, the School Board and the school district.
But Johnston almost certainly won’t. He didn’t step down when a majority of School Board members decided allegations were serious enough to warrant an investigation. If he had he would have saved district taxpayers $210 an hour and would have ended quickly an otherwise unfortunate era. But Johnston didn’t put the good of the district and taxpayers ahead of himself then. And he won’t now, he said. He has a lawyer. He plans to fight.
“I don’t like lawsuits,” he said. “But the school district at this time gives me no option.”
Actually, Johnston does have another option, a clear option, a much better option and a selfless option. But he has to be willing to at least accept some responsibility first.