Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Pay for play does not work out this way.

Cranky?

Was this li’l pooch just called cranky?

That’s how mayoral spokesman Joe Miller sees it after our portrayal of the Mayor’s “pay to play” PR tour that hits Historic Northeast on Sept. 6. We rightfully called this red herring what it is the minute the donor letter arrived.

But wait — the donor letter isn’t really supposed to be a donor letter. It’s supposed to only advertise the event at Concourse Park.

Huh?

“We’re just trying to get the word out, casting a wide net,” Miller said.

When we asked if Miller had read the part of the letter establishing the donor levels that we took issue with — he openly said that he had not read it prior to it being sent out. An out-of-town company is planning the event.

Remember, “...in a city that works.”

Well here’s some straight skinny from a veteran — and apparently cranky — newshound.

We’d like to remind the Mayor — and his brood — that once upon a time during his campaign we sat in a little trailer on the West Side as he told our Publisher boss that, and I quote: “I expect you as a member of the media to call me on the carpet if I do something stupid,” (His words, not ours).

He has and we are.

Maybe in a city that works, instead of gutting neighborhood programs and getting local businesses and neighborhoods to pony up for what’s essentially the Mayor’s “Ghetto PR Tour ‘08” that equates to a bus ride and free appetizers in a tent, he should find a way to restore some of the programs and services to neighborhoods that took it on the chin last spring when the “neighborhoods first” City Council and the “city that works” Mayor decided it was indeed going to be the neighborhoods that got it first!

We got it alright.

And for the record — we’re going to stay “cranky.”