'I'm part of the problem:' Lansing editor regrets silence about fiancée's 'toxic' boss

Kyle Kaminski realizes he should've gone public sooner about concerns shared by women working at Vanguard Public Affairs in the state capital.

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That communications agency is the focus of a week-old sex harassment outcry by past staffers -- "the latest chapter in yet another overdue #MeToo movement in Lansing," Kaminski writes Wednesday at City Pulse, a weekly newspaper where he's managing editor.

New accounts of workplace life with agency chief executive TJ Bucholz, 50, are in a cover story about a "rich stew of grossness," supplemented by Kaminski's frank commentary about what he knew and why he regrets reinforcing "an environment that encourages silence."

Through a relationship with fellow Central Michigan University graduate Mariah Prowoznik, a former Vanguard creative director, Kaminski "got to know Bucholz more than many. He paid for my ticket to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s inaugural ball in Detroit. He also bought us a fancy bottle of champagne to toast our [August 2019] engagement on his downtown patio."

Kyle Kaminski: "I found a way to look past." (Photo: Facebook/2019)

Now, in his conscience-baring column, the journalist revisits his bystander role:

I've reached a startling conclusion: I'm a part of the problem.

I can't count the number of stories I've heard about Bucholz' explosive temper at the office. When I saw how he liked to keep a staff of mostly young women, I thought it was odd. When I heard how he liked to show off his handgun in the office, I thought it was strange. When my fianceé complained about workplace toxicity, I did my best to console her after a "long day."

Nobody ever pitched me with a "story" about Bucholz' behavior. I never swept tales of mental abuse under the rug. Instead, like so many others in Lansing, I found a way to look past them, to think: "Well here's another crappy boss that gives off creepy vibes. Let's not give him attention."

Worse yet, I allowed myself to become part of the structure that enabled this alleged abuse ... [in] an environment that encourages silence, that works to minimize and dismiss concerns. ...

We must all do more to speak up and call out this behavior or risk victimizing others. ... Staying silent is not the right approach. It only serves as an endorsement, a tacit acceptance of this behavior and a sign that it can continue unchecked and without intervention.

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