Media Should Demand Explanation From Gov. Mike Pence On Sawyer's Resignation

On August 15, 2013, Gov. Mike Pence stepped before reporters at the State House to announce his personal choice to replace outgoing state auditor Tim Berry after reviewing a host of candidates, including several with better credentials than his choice of Brownsburg Town Council President Dwayne Sawyer. "We had some outstanding men and women that we interviewed from all over the state of Indiana for this position, but again and again it was Dwayne Sawyer who emerged as the best choice for all the people of Indiana and it's an honor to announce his appointment," Pence said at the time. Pence also immediately declared his support for Sawyer's election at next year's state GOP convention as the 2014 candidate to fill the office for a four-year term. "As people in our party come to know this good man and his wonderful family in the months ahead ... I have every confidence that he will be the nominee for this position," Pence said.

Pence backed up his support of Sawyer with a $10,000 campaign contribution his own campaign committee made to Sawyer's earlier this month on November 4. In subsequent interviews, Sawyer spoke very positively about his transition into his new job and the work that lied ahead of him, including one interview that took place only days earlier as pointed out by radio talk show host Amos Brown. Sawyer was a no-show at the state GOP's fall dinner on Monday night featuring Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. All other statewide Republican officials were present and no explanation was offered for his absence. Shortly after the dinner, a Sawyer friend, radio talk show host Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, posted on his blog a stunning report that Sawyer was expected to resign as state auditor the following day due to personal reasons. Without fanfare, Gov. Mike Pence released a statement the following morning saying that he had "accepted" the resignation of Sawyer effective December 15, 2013. Pence quoted from a letter from Sawyer dated November 25 that he had decided to resign "due to family and personal concerns." Pence assured the public that Sawyer's resignation had nothing to do with his fiduciary responsibilities or the execution of his duties as state auditor. Pence declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns. "I'm just simply not going to discuss private conversations with Mr. Sawyer concerning this matter," said Pence.

Reporters were unable to obtain a comment from Sawyer, who was not in his office on the day of the announcement. Employees of his small office told reporters they were surprised by the announcement, indicating they had received no advance notice their boss would be resigning from the office. Sawyer is married with three young children who he and his wife home school. There was general consensus that Sawyer had been pressured into submitting his resignation by the governor's office but little else is known about the circumstances of his abrupt and unexpected decision to give up the office to which had been appointed only three months earlier and to which he intended to seek re-election until this week. Pence has promised to pick his replacement soon. Many questioned just how good of a job Pence had performed in vetting Sawyer for the job months earlier. Did Gov. Pence's desire to have an African-American on the ticket next year cloud his judgment in picking Sawyer?

The circumstances of Sawyer's resignation reminds me of the abrupt departure of another former statewide elected official. In June 2003, Brian Bishop abruptly and unexpectedly announced his resignation as Clerk of Courts only six months after he started a new term to which he had been elected. Bishop, who had been considered a rising star in the state GOP, took a job in Washington never to be heard from again. A female whistle blower later confirmed to this blogger allegations that she had made against Bishop, which included an investigation by the Indiana State Police. According to the whistle blower, state GOP leaders met with Bishop quietly and urged him to step aside, which he agreed to do. Former Gov. Joe Kernan appointed David Lewis, a Democrat, to complete the unexpired term of Bishop after it remained vacant for a number of months. State lawmakers later passed legislation making the position an appointed position of the Supreme Court rather than a statewide elected office. Bishop's predecessor, Dwayne Brown, had his duties stripped of him by the Supreme Court and was eventually charged and convicted of ghost employment after employees of his office accused him of sexual harassment and performing campaign work on state time.

Will reporters allow Sawyer to quietly leave like Bishop? Or will they demand answers from Gov. Pence, if not Sawyer, as to the real reason he decided to resign from the statewide office to which he accepted an appointment only months earlier? The public deserves answers.

UPDATE: Sawyer's campaign chairman, Michael O'Brien tells WTHR that he did not learn of Sawyer's intention of resigning until Sunday night. When asked what would happen to the funds Sawyer has already raised for his election campaign next year, including a $10,000 contribution and nearly $41,000 raised to date after a fundraiser earlier this month, O'Brien indicated that the funds would likely be turned over to the state party to help the candidate ultimately chosen by the party to run for the office. "We didn't expect this so we're trying to figure out the details," said Michael O'Brien.  "It will be used to pay the limited expenses we had for our campaign. Whatever is left will go to the state [Republican] party to pay for electing a Republican auditor in 2014." O'Brien is a lobbyist and GOP county chairman in Sawyer's home county of Hendricks who had urged the governor to appoint him to the vacancy in August.