There are many stories about Mitt Romney’s evil-doings when he ran Bain Capital, a $1 billion company famous for buying troubled companies and making money off them.
Some of the stories involve Bain laying off workers to make companies profitable, then selling them off.
Some of the stories involve Bain and Romney chopping companies to bits and selling off the parts.
This story is about Romney shutting down a thriving business over a woman. A young woman. A woman young enough to be Mitt’s daughter.
Missing Girl
Her name name was Melissa Gay. She was the daughter of a business partner of Romney’s at Bain.
Melissa was 14-years-old when she went to a rave party, took some ecstasy, and disappeared.
It was July 6, 1996.
Melissa’s father was managing director of Bain Capital investment. He confided to Romney about his daughter’s disappearance a day after she disappeared. Did Romney keep the secret?
No. Romney told everyone. Everyone at Bain Capital, that is.
When Mitt learned that his partner’s daughter was missing, he shut down a billion dollar company and sent the senior managers into New York’s rave culture to find her. He authorized printing of 300,000 fliers to distribute. Some Bain employees ruined expensive shoes and suits, facing unprecedented dangers, looking for a girl.
“Our children are what life is all about,” Romney told the New York Times.
Bain executives, led by Romney, paid the expenses for their search. In addition to the fliers, they set up command posts at two hotels in New York, plus at RR Donnelly in Manhattan.
Character Counts
God and His nature blessed Romney with money and looks and all the privileges and immunities those bring. That makes it easy to assume he’s selfish and egotistical. Maybe he is. There’s not enough information to tell from this story.
But this story tells us Mitt Romney’s the kind of man who will risk millions to find someone’s missing daughter. Like Ross Perot, who hired commandos to rescue his employees from Iran when Jimmy Carter was unable to find his Leadership costume, Romney knows that, sometimes, the proper balance between work and family is 110% family.
I have a lot of issues with Romney, but when my wife pointed me to this story today, one question was answered. I know now that Mitt Romney has the heart and character to lead a nation.
Epilogue
In their annual report, Bain Capital lists its most significant achievements each year. For 1996, the investment firm’s top achievement, as voted by Romney and his executive team, was shutting down to look for a missing girl.
In case you’re wondering, Melissa turned up in New Jersey six days later. A young man saw her story on the news and notified authorities.