Lansing political consultant TJ Bucholz and his firm Vanguard Public Affairs have made headlines following allegations of sexual harassment from more than a dozen former employees. But the story runs deeper than sexual innuendo and allegations of a “creepy” boss.
Several former employees described a hostile and toxic day-to-day work environment and an unpredictable man at the helm. Their last days were filled with constant worry that Bucholz would flip from gregarious laughter to explosive anger. Some also described bigoted comments about race and how employees at the firm were actively discouraged from getting pregnant — all while a steady stream of politicians wandered in and out of the offices, leaving the women with the perception that those politicos were aware of the “toxic” working environment.
That perception of support by powerful politicos made it harder to speak up or leave, some women have explained.
In a text message Tuesday, Bucholz declined to comment for this story, citing a perception of bias in reporting. (See full statement on P. 16)
For more than a week City Pulse spent hours speaking with seven former employees of Vanguard Public Affairs. Five women have agreed to have their names included in this story. One woman and one man have asked to remain anonymous, but their identities were verified by City Pulse.
Together, their stories paint a picture of a workplace on the edge: emotionally and financially. They also illustrate a protective network of political power players — “good ol’ boys” — who control political contracts, influence and paychecks.
Abby Clark, 38, was one of the more experienced employees at Vanguard. She thinks that a firm staffed almost entirely by women was a savvy business maneuver for Bucholz. But it also raised eyebrows. At least one outsider jokingly referred to the firm as “Hooters,” Clark recalled.
“I honestly thought it made him a little bit smart. Such smart, hard-working people for bargain prices. You can get a more talented woman that will work longer hours at a lower rate. Everybody knows that,” Clark recalled of the all-female employee situation. “And I will say, he told us how smart and talented we all were. He really did have an eye for talent. And you know, it’s flattering to have your talent recognized. I think that’s how it starts for everybody.”
Another former employee, Ashlea Phenicie, described to City Pulse a series of incidents involving Bucholz that made her want to leave the company. But calling out sexual harassment and an abusive atmosphere, she feared, would only tarnish her capacity to take another job.
“As I was there wanting to leave, I was really afraid that a lot of people who are in positions of power knew that TJ treated young women like this, and I was really afraid that they would see that I had been promoted several times and attribute that to something other than my work, assume that I had given him sexual favors or done something else like that,” Phenicie added.
There was no sexual contact described between Bucholz and Phenicie — or any other woman interviewed for this story. But many of them faced a variety of sexually inappropriate conduct.
Phenicie, for instance, said she was provided a “graphic” description of Bucholz’ vasectomy while in the car. Bucholz also brought his handgun into her office and asked her to “touch it.”
“It felt like a power move with a sexual innuendo implied,” Phenicie said of the gun incident, noting that Bucholz would also encourage his staff to accompany him to the shooting range.
Another former staffer, Mariah Prowoznik, said Bucholz flashed his gun to her while she drove them to a meeting near Detroit. He kept it in the center counsel of his BMW, she explained.
One unnamed woman shared graphic text messages from Bucholz with the Eclectablog in which he asked for explicit pictures. Prowoznik also received an unsolicited photo from Bucholz of him shirtless in a bow tie. He had been discussing wearing a bowtie to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s inaugural ball in Detroit but had complained he didn’t know how to tie one.
Each of the women shared individual stories and text messages that, taken alone, could be dismissed — but taken together they painted a picture of a toxic workplace.
All of the women shared stories of Bucholz’s calling them into his office and discussing what television hosts were wearing and whether it was flattering. He would also comment on appearances of women at staff meetings, according to at least one former employee.
Another former staffer, Chelsea Coffey, recalled a series of inappropriate texts from Bucholz, including a marriage proposal after she sent him a picture of a loaf of bread from his favorite bakery and another in which he discussed how she looked “um… healthy” in another image.
The comment was in response to an image of her holding open a jacket to show off her shirt in what she called a “superman” pose. Coffey presumed Bucholz’ comment was about her breasts.
In a performance review, Phenicie remembered being directed to spice up her wardrobe and to always be “camera ready” in the office. That review was performed by an employee, who was based in Texas and had no daily contact with Phenicie or supervisory responsibility of her. She, as well as the remaining staff and contractors quit the firm on Monday. In a statement they denied knowledge of any of the allegations leveled by former employees.
It wasn’t that Phenicie was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans — she was in business wear with light makeup and her hair in a bun. But being “camera ready” she was told meant to wear dresses, wear her hair down and having full make up. She noticed that when she complied, she was given more work.
Clark said she dealt with a barrage of outbursts from Bucholz — including instances of yelling and berating staff — but she did not receive any of the direct sexual harassment from him that other former staffers have outlined. She dodged the worst of Bucholz’ behavior, she said.
“What came out first was abusive behavior, erratic, unpredictable moods and a temper. People would get screamed at,” she said. “It starts to get everybody a little scared and a little on edge.”
Clark was not alone in experiencing erratic and abusive behavior. Coffey, who since moved from Michigan to Florida and left political work altogether, also recalled an unpredictable Bucholz.
“He would fly off the handle at any little thing and start yelling and swearing,” Coffey said.
Rachel Felice, another former employee, had similar recollections.
“He was very high some days, in a great mood, calling everybody buddy, calling everybody pal, ‘Let’s go out to lunch,’ ‘Let’s have a couple beers on the patio,’ and then the next day he could come in and just be very verbally abusive and take out his behavior on others or anger on others,” Felice said. “And so, if he owed you money, you had to wait until the right moment to ask him, because depending on his mood, it could go one way or the other — so we just had to be careful of what mood he was in.”
One of the few men who worked at the firm also confirmed common screaming outbursts and door-slamming incidents. Trent, who asked not to be identified by his real name, said he wasn’t regularly in the office, so he often heard about Bucholz’ behavior from his female colleagues.
When Clark wasn’t in the office, she would also get phone calls from staff about his behavior — actions ranging from loud outbursts to temper tantrums. With more experience under her belt, she felt obligated to protect her fellow coworkers by being in the office as much as possible.
Other stories about Bucholz from ex-staffers at Vanguard ranged from inappropriate text messages of a sexual nature to strange requests that he be driven places in his own BMW. Prowoznik said she was often pulled away from time sensitive projects in order to drive him on non-work-related errands and to client meetings.
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