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Book paints gloomy picture of former governor
November 12, 2003

Dan Creed, who managed the residence for much of Ventura's term, praises family members and details what he calls "a unique period in Minnesota's political history." Four other staffers thanked him for writing the book. (MPR Photo/Laura McCallum)

St. Paul, Minn. — (AP) The former manager of the governor's residence says he wouldn't have written the tell-all book released Wednesday if former Gov. Jesse Ventura had not dismissed the staff after a couple of them told reporters about the first family.

"I felt compelled to set the record straight," Dan Creed said.

	The governor's residence

Four other staffers wearing pink feather boas stood behind Creed in the freezing rain just feet from the edge of the residence lawn. They thanked their former boss for writing the book.

The book paints the former governor as a gloomy recluse who was often rude to others and spent much of his time at the governor's residence on St. Paul's Summit Avenue watching TV.

But "Governor Ventura 'The Body' Exposed. The Man. The Mansion. The Meltdown," a 170-page paperback published by Hunter-Halverson Press in Madison, Wis., is not the lurid tell-all some might have expected.

Creed, who managed the residence for much of Ventura's term, praises family members and details what he calls "a unique period in Minnesota's political history."

Upon meeting First Lady Terry Ventura, Creed was "taken by her beauty, grace and charm." She is more politically savvy than her husband, Creed wrote. Daughter Jade, then 15, exuded "strength and stamina." Son Tyrel, 18 when Ventura took office, is funny, smart, independent and was so enamoured of late-night hours and all-black clothes that security dubbed him "the vampire."

Ventura is not commenting on the book, said spokesman John Wodele, but it's clear the Venturas are not happy about it. The book's official release comes just before Thursday's unveiling of the official Ventura portrait in the State Capitol.

"I spoke with the (former) First Lady and she is obviously very disappointed and sad that Dan would betray the family's confidence," Wodele said.

Creed said the "idea of a betrayal implies a duty," adding that his duty was to the state - not to the Venturas.

The Venturas are particularly distressed that the book uses snapshots taken at private family functions, Wodele said. One picture shows Ventura at his 50th birthday party dressed in a pink hula skirt and flowered headdress. Another photo shows the Venturas' bedroom, painted in bright pink, which Creed describes as "Pepto-Bismol walls, trimmed in cough-syrup fuchsia."

Creed notes that the Venturas slept on a "1970s-throwback waterbed," and that Ventura sometimes left his pink feather boa on the bed, a sight Creed said "still unnerves me for reasons I can't really put my finger on."

That kind of detail from a person who was in a position of trust is inappropriate and invasive, Wodele said. Creed said it was the Venturas who betrayed the staff by firing them and accusing staff members of disloyalty.

For most of the first three years of Ventura's term, Creed said, "I wanted him to do well. We all did."

Soon, however, Creed wrote that he found himself working for a man who seldom acknowledged those who labored on his behalf.

The private Ventura was a loner who often shunned visitors, even to the point of snubbing a group from Sweden that had come to present a book to Minnesota's celebrity governor.

Despite generally good reviews, Terry Ventura is described as somewhat imperious at times. She made many extra demands of the residence staff, such as giving last-minute instructions on Friday to prepare a weekend's worth of food for guests expected at the Venturas' Maple Grove ranch.

Even more unsettling were the demands made by Terry Ventura's assistant and best friend, Mari Reed, Creed wrote. On two occasions, Reed requested that state troopers escort the Venturas' vehicle with flashing lights so that she and Terry Ventura could arrive at a Mall of America premiere on time.

And Creed wrote that Tyrel frequently had parties there when his parents were away and often invited young women he had just met and other strangers to the residence.

"More than once, we also found telltale signs that someone had enjoyed a night of passion in the governor's bed. I began to wonder if I was manager of the governor's mansion or the Playboy mansion," Creed wrote.

Creed now teaches hospitality management at Normandale Community College in Bloomington.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty's communications director, Dan Wolter, said all current staff members have been required to sign a confidentiality agreement.

That type of contract apparently was never in place for Creed and previous residence staff members.

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