Journal publisher Howard G. Sutton was named Scrooge of the Year last night by an overwhelming margin.

The victory, in voting at a Jobs With Justice fund-raiser, caps a banner year for Sutton, who received many honors in 2000—but none more coveted.

With five executives running, Sutton garnered about half the votes cast, and topped his closest competitor, developer and former Providence Mayor Joe Paolino, by almost 3 to 1. (Sutton got 338 votes; Paolino 136.)

To vote, you had to buy tickets to the fund-raiser, and each dollar entitled the donor to one vote. Participants could divide their votes among the competitors.

Guild members who bought tickets loyally tossed all their votes to Sutton.

But he could not have won without the support of many other people—members of community and labor groups concerned about the Guild’s struggle.

People attending the event were told about the Journal’s efforts to bust the Guild, its illegal imposition of contract terms, its refusal to negotiate and even how management won’t let reporters tip cabbies.

They learned that 500 hard-working people were facing their second New Year’s Day without a raise. The Journal’s stinginess clearly outranked that of the other big companies, including Lifespan and Blue Cross.

As one member of the Jobs with Justice coalition noted, in the Dickens’ story, Scrooge does the right thing in the end. So we can regard Sutton’s victory last night as not just an expression of public opinion—but also a sign of hope.

We don’t know if there are any ghosts available to awaken Sutton’s conscience, but Jobs for Justice will attempt to present the award to him tomorrow -- Friday -- at 11 a.m. Please come greet the group on Fountain Street.