Exclusive: Tina Taviano terminated over sexual harassment allegations
Posted by AWB in City & County GovernmentUpdate: Finally, one MSM outlet has picked up on the story we posted at 3:49 p.m. Not long after WANE accessed our web site and read about it, they reported this at 6:42 pm.
911 Comm. Dir. on administrative leave
Tina TavianoUpdated: Monday, 12 Oct 2009, 6:42 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 12 Oct 2009, 6:42 PM EDTEmily Marini
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)– – Fort Wayne’s 911 Communications Director has been placed on administrative leave.Tina Taviano has held this position since January of last year. The position oversees the 911 call center, the radio shop and records division.
Taviano ran for sheriff against Ken Fries in 2006 on the democratic ticket and lost. The city is being very tight lipped as to why she’s been placed on leave, as well as for how long.
I guess we didn’t speak to anyone with “tight lips.” We were told she was fired, and we’re expecting her resignation tomorrow or Wednesday. Note the bold red portion of their story against the same below in our story. Hey WANE, you’re welcome!
End of update ~~
Tina Taviano, who ran an expensive, yet failed bid for sheriff in 2006 was suspended Friday from her position as Fort Wayne’s director of communication, which oversees the police 911 call center, radio shop and records division. She was appointed to the position in January, 2008.
While unofficial, we’re told by a source with the city she was terminated for sexual harassment as a result of a complaint filed with the City of Fort Wayne’s Metropolitan Human Relations Commission. Taviano is an admitted lesbian. Update: She was in fact terminated, but was given two days to turn in her resignation.
During Taviano’s campaign, she touted the fact she served over 7 years on the Mayor’s Commission against Domestic Violence, Sexual Harassment and Rape.
Click to enlarge
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which supports openly GLBT candidates across the nation, recently identified seven contests involving fund-endorsed candidates as key races:
Tina Taviano, candidate for Allen County (Indiana) sheriff
During her campaign for sheriff, Taviano advocated better protection against sexual predators.
To protect children from sexual predators, Democratic sheriff candidate Tina Taviano said Thursday she will advocate a program that will provide school districts with current sex offender lists and will train bus drivers to look out for sex offenders.
“As school starts, we should be working hand-in-hand with the school district officials in sharing information,” she said.
Taviano’s department was not without controversy. In January of this year a 911 call was placed reporting a fatal fire in downtown. The dispatcher sent fire crews to the wrong address. Three people died in the fire.
Taviano was a sergeant and director of training at the sheriff’s department during her bid for Sheriff and was endorsed by the Journal Gazette. She retired shortly after the election.
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Am I shocked? No?
Am I surprised? No?
And this is the person that wanted to head the Allen County Sheriff Department? She’s a mean spirited wo-man. And that’s all I have to say about that.
Given the track record of the current City administration……how did this manage to leak out? What happened to Mayor Tom’s iron-fist hold of the media? I bet that ungrateful Tracy Warner is behind this…..
I’ve got friends in low places.
♪Doug,
You should see the raging debate over at WANE.com after they lifted the story from this site. As AWB has complained about Pat White in the past using this site for show preparations. Looks like WANE is doing the same thing.
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/news_wane_fort_wayne_911_communications_director_tina_taviano_leave_200910121841
Hope that links work, not sure how else to put it here.
Dan:
Low places – high places…Hell, you got people…PERIOD!
(nice job)
Cpt. Tom Bandor will be interim in the post…he’s gotta be THE “go-to” guy when the department needs someone. He’s good people, too.
See?
Didn’t I tell people that THIS BLOG had higher readership than the local papers?
(now maybe the TV media too…Bwahahahaha)
I know a good thing when I read it.
Dan is fast becoming our own local “Glenn Beck”…lol.
(betcha he likes M&Ms too…and cookie dough)
I hear he’s up for a Nobel Prize in Literature because he said he was THINKING of writing an online book in the future…called “Blogging With Imbeciles”.
Keep those hits comin’, Boss!
I can’t believe Tina would sexually harass anyone… She has been with the same person for years, and is NOT a “sexually promiscuous” person. Its probably someone who got fired and thought they would show her a lesson. I bet its some guy… (Um Hello! Idiot wrong team!) but the fact is that the current spineless city gov’t isn’t going to make waves so they will let her go as opposed to just proving it as false. Tina is just not that way… in fact she is so not that way that it would be more accurate to say she was fired for kicking someone’s ass not grabbing it. I saw her once at a Softball tourney for a charity, and a river rat ran out on the field and she very calmly walked out and past the screaming women and just beat the shit out of it and threw it in the weeds. Tina is NOT an ass grabber.. Just an Ass kicker… I hope she keeps her job.
I bet Steve Shine was behind this… He always hated her… Probably had a “plant” at the 911 center hired just to cause her trouble. Steve Shine is the Evil behind why the Republican party has gotten stinky…
Editor’s note to Bruce. So, are you going to be Bruce, or Steve-o or The Fake Al Davis?
Did anyone notice that WANE deleted the thread on their website… can you say conspiracy??? Sounds like another Mary Collins cover-up if you ask me… Somebody call Steve Shine and Tracy Warner!! I bet they had something to do with it…
I think the media has once again gone overboard. At what point will someone have the right for privacy. I am not fond of how some people can keep their screw ups secret while others have their faces pasted all over Fort Wayne.. However, UNLESS you know these people, and are involved with the situation I think it is wrong to be spreading trash about them… remeber the saying about glass houses? Hav eyou never made a mistake? I believe in freedom of press dont get me wrong. But at whose expense? These people have families just like the rest of us,, some of them have children that will have to deal with what the kids at school will tease them about later.. is it really fair to bash and name call when you may be mistaken? IF they are guilty of these crimes it is not our responsibility to judge them, unless we are in the court room… Im just saying…….what goes around comes around… my son is in afghanistan fighting for our freedom.. I dont think it is for the freedom to be evil to our fellow man/woman…
Kelly,
When you’re a public figure, it comes with the job. Every media outlet in town has done this story since we posted it here. It is news. She wanted to be entrusted with running the entire Allen County Sheriff’s Department back in 2006. I guess Allen County is fortunate that didn’t happen.
For the record, we didn’t bash her, so I don’t know what you’re referring to with that statement. We merely pointed out the facts, nothing judgmental about that And if we had not done that, other media outlets eventually would have.
She ran one of the heartbeats of Fort Wayne city’s operations, the 911 call center. She was also at one time on the Mayor’s Commission against Domestic Violence, Sexual Harassment and Rape. When you’re in positions like that, you’re supposed to have standards of accountability you live by.
God bless your son for his service to our country.
My thinking might be biased, but I’m thinking if Tina had been Republican, I’d know way more than I wanted to about her leave/termination.
No, not biased. Republicans tend to eat their own, while democrats tend to find a nice rug to sweep it under.
This just in from the mayor,pussy must be fattening.
“My thinking might be biased, but I’m thinking if Tina had been Republican, I’d know way more than I wanted to about her leave/termination.”
Shit, if she was a Republican she would have been hanged in the town square by now, but she’s a dem, so she’ll get a pass no matter what the seriousness of the allegations. Just the way it is.
If she was a Republican she would have been terminated for not putting a stamp on an envelope.
She deserves everything she gets. The FWPD was forced to take her in because Mayor Henry received substantial contributions during his campaing from Taviano’s partner. (Her family owned Scott’s grocery stores.) Taviano is mean-spirited, manipulative, and touts an agenda contrary to most in Allen County. Just ask her why she fired most FWPD officers teaching at Indiana Institute of Technology when she found out all voted against her during her bid for Sherriff.
Tina got what she deserved. The biggest chip on the shoulder lesbian that I have known for the last 20 plus years. Hey, you play the game, ya gotta play by the rules, not YOUR rules! Dont go away mad Tina,,,,,just go away! Bye-Bye Butch!
Mark GiaQuinta is her lawyer.
I have worked closely with Tina over the past year and I have worked with few other people in my long career that exhibited as much respect and professionalism as she does.
She is a quality person who manages well and wants to deliver quality work.
She shows respect to all people regardless of the gender or position.
Her one mistake was to expect that she could attempt to make the 911 Communications department operate more efficiently and effectively without creating enemies both inside and outside of the department.
This whole event is totally disgusting in that when she is vindicated on these bogus charges her reputation will be destroyed.
She will win the battle of the charges placed against her but lose the war and her enemies will ultimately win through their defamation of her character.
I would hire Tina in a moment to work with me as I know I would get an execellent employee.
Nice move by the city. Remove someone for sexual harassment and replace with one that was found having sex in the parking garage of Lutheran Hospital while on duty! Namely Tom Bandor. Simply brilliant!
Tiny Taviano is up to her old tricks in Lee County Florida now. She does not seem to GET that openly flaunting ones sexuality in the workplace is inappropriate, unprofessional, unacceptable behavior as well as sexual harassment for those who have to listen to it day in and day out, whether you are gay or straight firing you for it is NOT discrimination. Lee County will not pay her to go away though.. She is on video and audio tapr every minute she is at work now and no jury will sympathize with her transparent efforts to milk government with claims of discrimination.
Sh is at the end of her rope this time and I hope it is a strong rope !!!!
Hey, I got the same surname but not related. No wonder I am unable to find work! It's not the economy after all, is it?