Dorn can survive controversy, experts say

Observers from the worlds of Washington politics and education said Wednesday that state Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn can weather the storm surrounding a drunken driving charge filed against him Wednesday in east Pierce County.

They say Dorn can survive the controversy as long as he speaks honestly and sincerely to the public about what happened early Sunday when he was stopped by an Orting police officer.

“How he handles it will more likely determine what the outcome will be than the action itself,” said Seattle political consultant Cathy Allen of The Connections Group.

If convicted of the charge, Dorn, 56, will have to admit wrongdoing, apologize and promise to keep clean, she added.

“The public is pretty forgiving as long as (a politician) is apologetic and takes steps to make sure it never happens again,” Allen said.

But public officials who try to justify their actions – or, worse, lie about them or ignore them – can find themselves in trouble, she added. In those cases, she said, “the court of public opinion can come down pretty hard.”

Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Judith Billings, a Puyallup resident and Dorn supporter who contributed to his 2008 campaign, said she doesn’t think the charges will impact Dorn’s ability to lead.

“I don’t think anyone should use this incident to try to derail his efforts,” Billings said. “He is a good leader who has made some tremendous positive strides for what happens with kids in this state.”

Dorn’s big campaign issue was a pledge to make changes in the state Washington Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL. Critics had complained the state test was unfair and took too long to administer. This spring, Dorn introduced the slimmed-down High School Proficiency Exam and the Measurements of Student Progress for younger students.

“It is unfortunate,” Billings said of the drunken driving charge. “He is the top educator in the state.”

But she believes that if he’s found guilty, Dorn could turn the incident into a positive lesson for himself and others.

“It can be an object lesson that none of us are immune from making mistakes and doing things we wish we hadn’t done,” she said.

Both the state PTA and the Washington Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, declined to comment Wednesday about Dorn’s situation.

A spokesman for the Public School Employees of Washington – the union led by Dorn for nearly a decade – said he hoped Dorn would be able to put the incident behind him.

“We were surprised and disappointed to learn that Randy Dorn was stopped for driving under the influence,” said Rick Chisa, communications director for the union that represents 26,000 school support workers. “This situation helps everybody understand that it is never OK to drink and get behind the wheel of a car. We think Randy has done a terrific job so far as our superintendent and we expect him to continue to do that.”

Debbie Cafazzo: 253-597-8635

debbie.cafazzo@thenewstribune.com