Talking dirty comes at a price

The meeting mavens are happy to welcome guest blogger, Columbian reporter Laura McVicker, who shares the story of a county prosecutor who, well, let’s just say it’s unlikely Jim David will ever be transferred to the department’s “civil” division. She’ll have a complete story in Thursday’s newspaper.

The Clark County Prosecutor’s Office has gone rogue.

Well, to be fair, just Jim David, a deputy prosecutor for 27 years, has gained the distinction. He was the subject today of a Willamette Week column for leaving an explosive two-minute, profanity-laced voicemail message on a defense attorney’s cell phone.

The fallout? David was demoted from senior deputy prosecutor — a leadership position in the office that comes with a pay increase — to a deputy prosecutor, Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik said today.

We’ll link to the WW’s column, but we warn you, fair readers, that David wasn’t using his Sunday manners:

http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-17672-rogue_of_the_week_jim_david.html

When reached by telephone this morning, David explained the situation as a “one-time thing of extreme frustration.” He said he was upset at the attorney, John Terry, for wanting to rush forward to trial after first giving him the impression he needed more time on the case.

Terry wasn’t available for comment this morning.

David said he has apologized to Terry.

“Unfortunately, I made a call and said things I shouldn’t have said,” David explained. “It was a very unfortunate set of circumstances.”

David’s “bad-day” explanation reminds us of how many public officials have been blaming their woes on life stress. It also makes us think about what us folks in the newsroom do to relieve angst, whether it’s going home to catch the latest “Jersey Shore” episode or just enjoying a large glass of wine after work.

It leaves us humming the song “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter: “So you’ve had a bad day. You’re taking one down. You sing a sad song just to turn it around … You’ve had a bad day.”

David’s lesson on how to relieve stress in the future? “Don’t say things on a voicemail message on your day off.” Or what he told a WW reporter: “Don’t vent to a phone.”