Portsmouth City Council members expressed dismay at remarks by former mayor Sean Dunne that seemed to compare them to a group of communists responsible for a reign of terror that resulted in over a million deaths.
“There is no Gang of Four; there is a council of six,” Councilman Joey Sandlin said.
In an exclusive interview with SCDN, the First Ward Councilman referred to Mayor Charlotte Gordon, Vice Mayor Lyvette Mosely, and Councilmen Andy Cole and Joey Sandlin as a “gang of four, as some people have called them.”
‘Gang of Four’ commonly refers to a group of four Chinese Communist Party officials led by Jiang Quin, Mao Zedong’s wife, who spearheaded the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 70s. During that time, the Red Guards tortured, imprisoned, and killed intellectuals and artists and destroyed books and other cultural artifacts. It is estimated that between one and two million people died during this time. Since Dunne is an associate professor of sociology at Shawnee State University, it’s unlikely that he was not aware of the implications of using this term.
Dunne believes that the four council members violated Ohio’s Open Meetings rules by discussing a plan to replace him as mayor prior to the January 2 vote that saw Charlotte Gordon elected. During the interview, he said the community feared council members would take the city backward and undo progress. “They were concerned this was going to be a step backward for the city. Unfortunately, community leaders have been proven right.”
Councilman Sandlin disagreed, saying that the change of leadership was a new start for council. “For two years Mayor Dunne treated me like I did not belong there. His only conversation with me was to tell me He would never work with me on council. In the two years he was mayor, he never used or called my name. He called me 5th Ward. No respect, only belittling. I’m so thankful for our new Mayor Gordon and Vice Mayor Lyvette Mosley! Our City should be celebrating the fact that we are being led by two very capable ladies as well as a chief of Police, Brewer, who is all proclaiming we are a vibrant and powerful City with strong, diverse leaders.”
Councilman Andy Cole said, “It’s unfortunate that he is disappointed by the outcome of the vote. However, his feelings haven’t altered my commitment to advancing Portsmouth in a positive way.”
Vice Mayor Mosely said, “I was straight upfront with Councilman Dunne. I’m sorry he feels this way.”
Mayor Charlotte Gordon agreed that he clearly used that term in a derogatory fashion and hoped it would simply go over most people’s heads.