What should I ask the mayor?
Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman has invited me to be the guest on his “Talk to the Mayor” program which is aired on Channel 11 for Gilbert residents.
I think it’s a set-up, but more about that in a minute.
The mayor invited me to be on the program; so I thought it might just be a casual conversation. You know: Sitting on a couch, Jay Leno style, the mayor and the editor chitchatting about the tough economy for newspapers as well as cities.
I even thought it might be an opportunity to rebuild a relationship that used to be pretty good. It was so good that a few years ago on July 4th at the big fireworks spectacular at Highland High School, he made a point in his introductory speech of telling the crowd the editor of the Tribune was in attendance.
In turn, the mayor was my guest at a Tribune function or two.
That all went by the wayside when our reporters did stories that raised questions about Berman’s judgment on ethical issues—free use of a pickup truck from a local auto dealer and a free suit from a local department store–and policy decisions that appear to have contributed to the town’s financial exposure. Our opinion writers also took him to task for all of the above. So did I.
You see relationships with journalists work differently than in business or politics. They don’t keep you out of trouble, or at least they shouldn’t.
We found out real fast that Mayor Berman doesn’t like to be questioned or criticized and if censorship is one way to get even, so be it.
The folks in our circulation department have heard from various merchants that the mayor twisted their arms to remove our newspaper racks from their stores.
And just the other day in reviewing email sent by city officials, Tribune reporter Chris Markham came across this one that Berman sent to a University of Phoenix student in response to a question about press fairness:
“As for the media, my experience with the Arizona Republic is fairly even handed, the East Valley Tribune has no more sense of fairness than the people who run crooked games at carnivals. My mom used to say ‘Cheaters never prosper’ and the Republic is the dominant newspaper in the state, while the Tribune has closed down delivery and reporting in Fountain Hills and Paradise Valley.”
To top it off, I received an email from Vicky Songer, an assistant to the mayor, asking me to submit a minimum of five questions for the program.
Well, so much for a relaxed evening with Jay Leno.
I edit a newspaper that isn’t fair and I’m a cheater—according to the mayor.
The stage he’s set is, I guess, for a WWE grudge match.
I’ll go, but I don’t intend to wrestle.
I’ll ask the mayor if it’s true that he’s trying to keep the Tribune out of town. I’ll ask him to define fair. I’ll ask him if he’s prospering.
Maybe you would like me to ask him something. Send your questions to jripley@evtrib.com. Or post them right here on my blog site.
Of course the Mayor likes the Republic….It’s news light….They don’t report on anything but murders and car accidents……With the new free distribution I recently started reading the Tribune….It puts the Republic to shame. Ask the Mayor why a freely elected official would be afraid of the light of day shined on his affairs if everything is above board.
Jim,
First I’d ask the Mayor why it’s against his principles to rent out the Gilbert Fire Department to Gilbert County Island residents (willing to pay millions of dollars for the occasional service required - about 1 call per day), but he had no problem renting out the Gilbert Fire Department to the Town of Queen Creek for far less money and much more service, staff, and equipment required.
I’d ask the Mayor exactly when he expects the $40 million plus little league ball park (that he helped pushed through) to actually break even financially and whether or not he has actual reports to back up those financial projections, plus whether or not those financial projections are from any unbiased, third-party consultants or merely more folks actually making profits from or connected to the ball park.
I’d ask the Mayor why the Town of Gilbert (already projecting more than $58 million in deficits during the next 4-5 years) would actually suggest increasing next year’s town budget by millions more (thereby increasing the projected deficit instead of reducing it) and if this signals the council’s intent to try increasing taxes or bonds (of any type) to offset their runaway spending habits, or does he have some crystal ball that projects a return to a booming economy with hundreds of new houses being started each month in Gilbert that would offset the increased spending?
I’d ask the Mayor if he’s aware of any other town or city in the country with the same approximate size of Gilbert (roughly 200,000 residents) that has a budget anywhere near the size of Gilbert (approximately $930,000,000) and if so, what town or city that might be.
Honestly Jim, I doubt that you’d get any type of straight answer from the Mayor and whatever video eventually gets shown on “his” TV channel will be highly edited. I suggest you take your own video for back-up purposes.
Jim, if you’re afraid, don’t go on his show. It is my understanding the mayor always asks guest what questions they would like him to ask, so nothing new there. As for the fear of editing to make you look stupid, you certainly never seemed to have considered that possibility when you posted the rather edited Channnel 15 interview of the mayor, you took that as straight reporting, and even let one of your reporters base a front page story on it. Journalism 101 students know better than that. It is no secret the mayor doesn’t have much respect for the Tribune, but do you blame him? He has explained to the sastisfaction of the community that elected him about the suit (which has been returned) and the truck, which if he returned would cost the town $25,000 to replace. The Tribune has taken a lot of cheap shots at the mayor, none of which connected. The truth is your self rightious attacks on the mayor’s character have offended alot of your now former readers. The clowns trying to recall the Mayor are using Tribune Editorials and Articles as a proof source to get people to sign the recall petitons. The Tribune has done everything they could to hurt the mayors reputation and it will be interesting to see if Phillis gets his signitures. In truth I am a little suprised Mayor Berman hasn’t sued the Tribune for some of the nasty stuff you have written. 1964 Sullivan vs New York Times specifically noted an ongoing and persistant attacks. As for the Mayor twisting arms to get rid of your newspaper racks, do you really think anyone believes that? If the Mayor wanted to get to you, he wouldn’t go after your news racks, he’d go after your advertisers.
As a small businessman I pretty familiar with the circulation numbers for both the Republic and Tribune,and if the mayor is trying to keep the Tribune out of Gilbert it looks like he is doing a pretty good job. In fact he is doing a pretty good job in Mesa as well.
The sooner you understand your changing demographics, the sooner the Tribune can regain its lost credibiltiy. Gilbert is an educated, upscale community and our residents have little use for the petty, small minded spin your editorial baord puts on everything regarding Mayor Berman.
You owe Mayor Berman a huge apology, and I hope for the Tribunes sake you are a big enough man to do give it. Do your own poll, Gilbert loves our mayor, and doesn’t feel the same way about the Tribune. You should take the Mayors invitation at face value and don’t pick a fight with him on camera. I have never seen him be rude to anyone, but I have sure seen him turn Steve Johnson into an invloluntary straightman where everyone in the room was laughing, except Steve Johnson.
Good Luck, I can’t wait to see the show
I would review the issues section from MayorBerman.com and ask him questions about the points he makes.
I would ask him how much of the budget is for one-time items such as road construction related to growth.
I would ask him what his vision for Gilbert’s future is in 5 years.
I would ask him when County Islanders will get fire service as required by the new state law.
Jim,
I wanted to expand on what CD said above about providing fire service to Queen Creek but not to the county islands. In the initial Tribune article about the Queen Creek deal, Mayor Berman listed three reasons why this was a good idea: 1.) It’s sometimes difficult to tell where Gilbert ends and Queen Creek begins, 2.) Gilbert has manpower and equipment to spare (24 firefighters and 2 trucks), and 3.) it’s the right thing to do, being neighbors and all. Clearly these three arguments work just as well, if not better, for the county islands. Furthermore, Gilbert is insisting that the Gilbert County Island Fire District (GCIFD) fund an entirely new fire company in order for Gilbert to provide service, despite the fact that it has those two trucks and two dozen firefighters available for Queen Creek, and despite the fact that Gilbert’s own data show that the county islands would use no more than 2% of a fire company.
You may recall the Tribune article Beth Lucas wrote about the Gilbert teenager who was involved in a serious accident within Gilbert town limits. Gilbert turned around the fire truck that was en route simply because the person who called 911 was a county island resident. So, I think you should ask Mayor Berman why he’s willing to put the lives of Gilbert residents at risk rather than come to a reasonable agreement with the county islanders. The choice Gilbert made in this instance is that they would rather risk allowing a Gilbert resident to lie there on Gilbert land, bleeding and unconscious from a head injury, in order to ensure that no county islander accidentally received emergency care. Wouldn’t it better serve Gilbert residents to come to an agreement in order to make sure they don’t fall through the cracks?
The GCIFD has made several offers in an effort to come to an agreement. Gilbert started with an unreasonable proposal that would have the islanders subsidizing Gilbert fire services, and has never moved one inch off this position throughout the negotiations. Please ask Mayor Berman how stonewalling the GCIFD serves the interests of Gilbert citizens.
Thank you.
I’m not a resident of Gilbert so am not into details of the issues there, but am captivated and supportive of what you’ve philosophically expressed in your editorial about the role of a good newspaper.
I believe your priority question to be asked of Gilbert’s mayor is “if it’s true that he’s trying to keep the Tribune out of town.” Most disturbing is your statement, “The folks in our circulation department have heard from various merchants that the mayor twisted their arms to remove our newspaper racks from their stores.”
That outrageous matter would be a total misuse and abuse of power, if true, and must be thoroughly examined and either exposed in full or laid to rest. I recommend getting more of the details from your circulation people to that end.
With or without a 5-question format for a “Talk to the Mayor” airing, a follow-up on that is needed.
I’m at a disadvantage because I’ve not seen the program. Is it taped? Live?
It would be fun to ask the mayor precisely how the Tribune has treated him unfairly, but that would probably take the discourse down a treacherous and wasteful path.
I’m wondering why the mayor feels you have to submit the questions in advance. I recognize the program is probably a softball-style show that’s meant to put the mayor in front of the public and create a marginal sense of accessibility. But it’s also the kind of program where the mayor and the show’s producers probably don’t want any surprises.
That’s kind of ironic because those surprises make for good TV, but it also puts the mayor and possibly guests on the hot seat.
Go on the show Jim. Keep the discourse civil and keep the dialogue about Gilbert and the issues facing the city.