Mayor's Wife Regrets Email to Cherokee's Arts Director

Late last year, the mayor's wife typed an email. 

wrote that the executive director of the needed to be "stun gunned and replaced."

When she hit send, she didn't realize that the email was about to land in the inbox of the person who was never supposed to see it: executive director Dianne Langston.

"That was a confidential email that went to her in error," said Hobgood, a local artist who sits on the arts council's board of directors. "I screwed up. I'm going to be real honest with you: I screwed up and I regret that."

Langston didn't tell anyone that she'd been inadvertently copied on the message until she abruptly left her director's post at the end of May, a move that Hobgood slammed.

"Somebody receives an unfortunate email, doesn't mention it a single time to anybody and then abruptly resigns and blames it on that email that was eight months previous," she said. "I think there's probably a situation where Dianne was very poorly matched for that job.

"You would've hoped that a mature employee would come to you and say, 'I got this. What did you mean here? If I'm not doing well, I'd like to do better. Help me to do better.' But she didn't. Nobody even knew she got the email until she left."

A news tip to Canton-Sixes Patch this morning identified Canton's first lady as the writer of the email, a detail that had never been revealed publicly.

"I regret that there is somebody in the community that is stirring this up," she said. "This happened a month ago. What a great face (Langston) put on the organization that she was gone a month before anybody realized it."

Langston could not be reached for comment today. And a message for Bill Grant, president of the board of directors, has not been returned.

Hobgood said she wasn't proud of the email, a response to a "confidential personnel matter." But she added that she wasn't sorry to see Langston go.

"It was not a bad thing that Dianne moved on," Hobgood said. "For the future of the Arts Center, I don't think that's a bad thing. She wasn't happy and there were issues."

She said the executive director has to be the face of the Arts Center and Langston "was never happy, I don't think, going out and meeting with the community and being that face."

Hobgood repeatedly said the email episode was old news and that people should move forward.

"I'm not proud of it," she said. "It happened and it's time to move on."

The search for Langston's replacement has not begun, Hobgood said.

"That discussion is currently taking place because that person has to fill a lot of shoes," she said. "It's just a lot of responsibility and I think they realized that the person who was hired last time turned out to be poorly matched to the position. They want to be sure that they get the right person this time."

VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT OF CANTON-SIXES PATCH INTERVIEW WITH ELLY HOBGOOD

"That was an unfortunate email that I regret that was sent eight months ago. Eight months ago.

"And she never indicated she had received that email until last month when she suddenly and abruptly left without notice. Now what does that say to you? Have you ever supervised a group of people? Somebody receives an unfortunate email after eight months, doesn't mention it a single time to anybody and then abruptly resigns and blames it on that email that was eight months previous. I think there's probably a situation where Dianne was very poorly matched for that job. I wish her great success in the future. I hope she finds a position that is better suited to her needs. But I think this is all much ado about nothing and an unfortunate event. But I think the sky's the limit for that Arts Center now and I think they'll find somebody that is probably better matched for the job. And that's about all I can say about it."

"I don't think we have decided exactly what the nature of the replacement position will be. I don't think we know if we want an administrator or an educator and that discussion is currently taking place because that person has to fill a lot of shoes. There's building management. There's designing the educational programs, community events, performances. It's just a lot of responsibility and I think they realized that the person who was hired last time turned out to be poorly matched to the position. They want to be sure that they get the right person this next time. That discussion's ongoing and the search hasn't officially started."

"That was a confidential email that went to her in error. I screwed up. I'm going to be real honest with you: I screwed up and I regret that. I don't regret - I think it was not a bad thing that Dianne has moved on. For the future of the Arts Center, I don't think that's a bad thing. I hope Dianne finds a job. She may have already found a job that makes her much happier. She wasn't happy in that job and there were issues."

"That person has been the face of the Arts Center. And she was never happy, I don't think, going out and meeting with the community and being that face of the Arts Center."

"I regret that there is somebody in the community that is stirring this up. This is old news. This happened a month ago. This is old news. It's a community organization, but she has been gone a month. This is old news. What a great face she put on the organization that she was gone a month before anybody realized it."

"I don't see that they would have gone out and done a news release that says, 'Dianne's gone.' She left because she read an unfortunate email eight months ago and all of sudden, she quits. To release that to the public would have made Dianne's trail that much worse. I think for her future, it's unfortunate that she left without notice. I think that's a terrible thing for anybody to do in this day and age. Bringing attention to it would not have helped her."

"It was a confidential email. It was a confidential personnel situation. And I don't think I can say anything more about that."

"I think the Arts Center, if the director's position was filled properly, that center should contribute much more to the quality of life in the county - much more so than it has in the past. We want to see a much livelier, robust program that serves all of the different age groups and I don't think we've done as good a job as we can in the future. And the person that will be hired in Dianne's place, I think, will have much more of a multifaceted responsibility and she'll be able to fulfill those responsibilities in maybe a more effective way."

"It's really not that much to say. She left abruptly and her issue was something that happened eight months ago. You would've hoped that a mature employee would come to you and say, 'I got this. What did you mean here? If I'm not doing well, I'd like to do better. Help me to do better.' But she didn't. Nobody even knew she got the email until she left."

"I regretted it. I'm not proud that that happened. I would never do anything to damage a public entity that I was working with. No, I'm not proud of it. It happened and it's time to move on."