I'D LIKE TO BUY MARK DAYTON A CLEAN REFRIGERATOR

This story about missing Diet Cokes from Senator Mark Dayton's office reminded me of Dayton's fetish with clean refrigerators:

"In 1998, he left the farm to run for governor. His campaign was a debacle. Not only did he finish a disappointing fourth in the DFL primary, but his behavior prompted questions about his mental stability. More than 20 members of his campaign staff were either fired or quit.

Several of them, who asked not to be named, said Dayton triggered the departures with angry outbursts over seemingly trivial issues, such as a messy office or a dirty refrigerator.

Dayton insisted such criticism was unfair. He acknowledged a few outbursts, but said they were caused by the failures of the campaign and having to 'settle for effort, performance and results that were far less than what I was paying for and had a right to expect from professional people.'" Source: Pioneer Press, November 1, 2000

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'"He [Mark Dayton] had high expectations,' said Monte Jarvis, Dayton's 1998 field director.

'Certain relatively trivial instances would trigger extreme reactions and threats of firing. I was personally reamed out for crumbs in the bottom of the refrigerator.' Afterward, Jarvis added, Dayton would apologize for taking out his frustrations on his staff.

Told of the accusation, Dayton winced and shook his head. 'Monte was one of the more dedicated and reliable people in that campaign,' he said. 'Yes, I lost my temper on a half-dozen occasions, after numerous repeated attempts to get some semblance of cleanliness.'" Source: Star Tribune, August 30, 2000