PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 25, 2020
CONTACT: Jason Savage ([email protected] )

Speaker Gideon Must Call On "Abusive" Candidate to Drop Out Immediately

Dem Candidate in Gideon's backyard created "abusive" workplace at
Sexual Assault Response Organization

Gideon has track record of doing nothing in similar situations

AUGUSTA, ME-- In light of the bombshell report by the Bangor Daily News
that ME House Candidate Melanie Sachs (D- Freeport)fostered a
'hostile' and 'abusive' workplace at a sexual assault agency
,
Maine Republican Party Chair, Dr. Demi Kouzounas, is calling on Maine
Speaker of the House Sara Gideon (D- Freeport) to demand Melanie Sachs
drop out of her race:

"I am appalled by Melanie Sach's behavior as Executive Director of
Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine," said Chair
Kouzounas. "For this many of her employees to come forward about her
abusive behavior to both staff and survivors, including cutting mental
health benefits and that workers feared to be alone with her, is
incredibly concerning. There is no place for this type of behavior in
any workplace, especially not in the Maine Legislature."

"As a healthcare professional and business owner, I have a deep
understanding of the importance of creating a safe environment for my
employees and patients. Creating this type of abusive culture is
unacceptable in and of itself, but to behave in this manner when dealing
with the most vulnerable among us is well beyond the pale. I applaud the
women who came forward to tell their stories and bring this to light."

"I think we can all agree that this type of behavior does not deserve to
be rewarded with the honor of serving in Augusta. As Speaker of the
House, Leader of the Democrat caucus, and Sara Gideon's replacement in
Freeport, she has the duty to call on Melanie Sachs to drop out of the
race immediately."

"It is no secret that Sara Gideon has a long history of covering up for
abusers within her caucus, including refusing to hold a Democrat
lawmaker accountable for alleged sexual abuse of underage girls. It is
time for Sara Gideon to stand up and do what's right - now is not the
time to do nothing."

Gideon is the head of her party's House campaign apparatus and her
Leadership PAC is the third-largest donor to the House Democrat campaign
arm.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE BOMBSHELL REPORT BY THE BANGOR DAILY NEWS

BACKGROUND:

Excerpts from the article:

* "'We refuse to watch another coworker weep in their car after a
meeting with Melanie or hold our breath every time she goes on a
hospital accompaniment. The harm that Melanie has caused abounds and has
been piling up for years,' the three staff members, all of whom later
left the organization, wrote in their complaint.

Seven former employees and one former intern at Sexual Assault Response
Services of Southern Maine spoke to the Bangor Daily News about their
experiences working for Sachs, describing how she yelled at them,
slammed doors, got angry when staff asked questions about their jobs and
cut benefits for staff mental health. In response, some staff members
worked out plans to never end up alone with her and recorded their
interactions with her, several said."

* "The "final straw" that led Tanksley and two other colleagues to file
the complaint about Sachs in January 2019 stemmed from her time
co-facilitating an in-person support group for survivors of sexual
assault that quickly went "downhill," she said.

When one member of the support group needed more individual attention in
late 2018, Sachs declined the facilitators' request to add a third
advocate to help. Instead, Sachs said the support group member would
have to leave, as the person had "too many needs," according to the
complaint.

When Tanksley and her co-facilitator "vehemently disagreed," their boss
said that, if they didn't tell the support group participant to leave,
Sachs would do it herself, according to the complaint. Ultimately they
agreed they would rather end the group entirely.

Sachs' overall response "blamed that survivor for her experience of a
situation that SARSSM had placed her in," the staff members wrote.

* Former employees also alleged that Sachs oversaw a violation of client
confidentiality by ordering staff to go to a victim's home where they
disclosed that the person was a client... "That should never have
happened," Adell said. "We don't barge into people's homes, ever."

* "I find Melanie's handling of this entire situation to be
unprofessional, unfounded, and in violation of multiple SARSSM policies,
which is one of the many reasons why I can no longer work for this
agency,"
_________________

Sent to [email protected]

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