Eds note: Neil Goldschmidt’s victim recently died. In last Sunday’s Register Guard (here) newspaper, Goldschmidt’s former speech writer, Fred Leonhardt, wrote an opinion piece about the victim and claimed:
The relationship with Goldschmidt went on for many years, she said, well into his term as governor. His state police driver would pick her up and deliver her to him. They went to parties at the Veritable Quandary and at the house of then-Portland City Councilor Earl Blumenauer, now a member of the U.S. Congress. She even visited the governor’s office in Salem.
Blumenauer has called Leonhardt a liar. The state police driver Leonhardt referred to could have been one of two people. Bernie Giusto, former Multnomah County Sheriff, Gresham Police Chief, former OSP Trooper and Goldschmidt driver says in this piece, ‘it ain’t me.’
Let’s get some things clear from the beginning. I had never met or had any contact Neil Goldschmidt his family, friends, associate, entourage or family pets before election night 1986. I never met, had any contact and to my knowledge ever saw Elizabeth Dunham up until the time of her death.
Translated, I was just starting my State Police career in 1974 was assigned to the metropolitan area of Arlington when the lives of Elizabeth Dunham the victim and the Mayor of Portland became a criminal relationship. In other words I was not in the story line where and when the tragedy was being written and even when the clock ran out on criminal prosecution.
But just prior to the General Election in 1986 the Oregon State Police Superintendent assigned me to the election night festivities for Gubernatorial Candidate Neil Goldschmidt. My general assignment was to provide direct security to the candidate and potentially the next Governor of Oregon. Another state police officer was assigned to the other candidate Norma Paulus. Before you ask yourself, I did not ask or hint for the assignment in any way, shape or form.
The ask made some sense because I had the same assignment in the early weeks of Governor Atiyeh’s administration. Then I did not get the permanent assignment as his chief security person. When Governor-Elect Goldschmidt won, I did get the permanent assignment. My life and career would never be the same.
It was in the early days of the transition that I met Fred Leonhardt who was coming on board as the Governor’s speech writer. As with many other of the Governor’s senior staff Fred and I had almost daily interaction as the Governor’s term kicked off in January of 1987. We hit it off and I would have called us friends.
Fred’s office within the Governor’s Capital Office was at the opposite end of the office complex from the Governor and where I had a desk near the Governor’s personal office.
We would regularly see each other in different part of the capitol as the Governor traveled between the House and Senate or to the Secretary of State and State Treasurers offices. Fred would often be present when the Governor spoke especially when one his speeches was on stage.
Fred and I along with other Governor’s staff would also gather after the business day in any number of usually Portland haunts. It was here that the day was debriefed but more pointedly that the Governor’s Office gossip flowed.
What became obvious to me over time was that Fred was all about being the Governor’s Speech writer. I mean all about it. More importantly his relationship with the Governor was no less than love-hate in nature.
Goldschmidt could be tough on his speeches and would literally cut them in pieces to rearrange the content. Not to mention the scratch outs and eliminating or rewriting parts altogether. This is not to imply that Leonhardt’s work was not top quality or this happened all the time. It was just the opposite.
But top quality or not, the Governor was not easy to satisfy and when the scissors came out Fred felt slighted. Always in pursuit of the Governor’s approval, Fred felt responsible to get Goldschmidt’s political charisma out there in his message on whatever the topic. In my humble political opinion, Mission Accomplished, but that was not going to be enough because that same charisma was and is still eating at Fred.
That brings us to the Fred Leonardt’s Guest Column in February 14th’s Eugene Register Guard. Here Fred again give his account as some of the who, when and what was known about the the crimes being committed in the 1970’s and the unproven allegations of a continued torturing relationship in the decades that followed.
True to Fred’s style his message has purpose and an unmistakable style. Set against an imaginary place with a failed moral or ethical standard, his story at least in the latest version bears out what we all know. By a preponderance of the evidence many people would be found guilty of knowing something about this outrage during the time it was initially occurring in the mid 1970s. How many, what and when they knew exactly we will never know.
Having carefully read this piece several times something strikes me. Fred calls out community leaders who he believes have failed on one of two points. Either they knew at the time something was occurring or the knew later and said nothing. But read more carefully and you will see, not feel, it is Goldschmidt’s charisma and his ability to use it that is at the heart of Fred’s outrage.
It is demonstrated in his references to those high powered individuals who have seemed to give Neil a pass even though condemning his actions. In Fred’s view they have his political charisma out of balance. In fact that may be true in the mind of the individual.
Notice that in the Register Guard piece Fred never acknowledges the charisma that powered the Goldschmidt machine. He only writes about how people benefited from the past Student Body President, Mayor, Secretary of Transportation and Governor’s gathering force of political punch. In other words, they looked the other way and forgave in their own political or financial interests.
Why is that important? It is because Fred was committed to that charisma and to be fair to that political success. He felt a part of it but never really rewarded for being part of it. You see, he does not make the list of those who knew and, in his opinion, turned their backs because there were rewards to be had.
When Goldschmidt left office in 1991 and started his private consulting firm Fred went to see him looking for some help and I will leave it there. He did not get it. As if in a sequel, Fred, drawn by the charisma and looking for approval if not benefit, instead got the scissors.
Call me skeptical, but this continued insistence to publicly seek justice for the now deceased victim rings a little hollow. His public flogging of highly placed officials–including myself –is not necessarily totally unwarranted. When a life is being criminally destroyed by the acts of another those who know or even suspect should act decisively at the time. And those who are charged with making smart decisions about who is placed in positions of power should not put political dynamite sticks on the Board of Higher Education.
But motivation matters, it poisons message. Fred’s message gets lost in his unwillingness to act until vengeance trumps the charisma. You see charisma has an evil side, maybe more than one.
Bernie Giusto is former Multnomah County Sheriff, former Gresham Police Chief, former OSP Trooper, former driver to Governor Neil Goldschmidt.
Tell ’em where you saw it. Http://www.victoriataft.com
