grassroots A journal editor for newspeople Published by the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors 2009 Golden Quill & Golden Dozen Awards

Editorial skills and courage exemplified by winners of the ISWNE contest and the The 34th Annual Gene Cervi Award

volume 50, no. 2 • summer 2009 grassroots grassroots editor • summer 2009 A journal editor for newspeople 2009 Golden Quill contest Published by the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors and Eugene Cervi Award Editor: Dr. Chad Stebbins Graphic Designer: Liz Ford his year’s Golden Quill winner majored in business at Miami University in Oxford, Grassroots Editor Ohio, but decided that he wanted to become a writer as graduation approached. To pay (USPS 227-040, ISSN 0017-3541) the bills, he worked as a cook and as a bartender in Columbus and then began to free- is published quarterly for $25 per year by T lance sports stories for a chain of community weeklies. the International Society of Weekly David Martin finally joined the staff at the alternative, the now defunct Columbus Newspaper Editors, Institute of Guardian. In 1996, he went to Des Moines to be the managing editor of Cityview. In 1998, he moved International Studies, Missouri Southern to Cleveland to serve as music editor of Scene, which New Times (now Village Voice Media) had State University, 3950 East Newman Road, just acquired. Joplin, MO 64801-1595. Periodicals He left Scene to participate in the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism at Ohio State, postage paid at Joplin, Mo., and at but returned to Scene as a staff writer in 2000. In 2003, the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists additional mailing offices. named him and a writer at the Cleveland Plain Dealer print reporters of the year. Martin moved to The Pitch (also a Village Voice Media paper) in Kansas City in 2004 and became the paper’s news POSTMASTER: Send address changes columnist two years ago. to Grassroots Editor, Institute of ISWNE received 81 Golden Quill entries this year. The 12 best are gathered together as the International Studies, Missouri Southern Golden Dozen. The summer issue of Grassroots Editor traditionally contains these editorials State University, 3950 E. Newman Road, along with comments from the judge. It is an opportunity to see the quality of commentary in the Joplin, MO 64801-1595. weekly press. Volume 50, Issue 2, Summer 2009 Garrett Ray, whose affiliation with ISWNE dates back to 1963, is the recipient of the 2009 Eugene Cervi Award. Ray edited and published the Littleton Independent in Colorado from 1966 to Subscription Rate: $25 per year in 1981, then embarked on a second career as a journalism educator at Colorado State University. the United States and Canada; $28 per year elsewhere. The Golden Dozen Officers of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors: The judge’s comments & About the judge President: Don Brod By Kim Kierans ...... Page 3 St. Charles, Ill. Deutsche Bags: What it means when a German bank Golden Quill Winner owns a chunk of the city Vice President: Jim Painter By David Martin, Staff writer, The Pitch, August 21, 2008...... Page 4 West Valley View Yes, it’s true, I harbor an illegal immigrant Avondale, Ariz. By Suzanne Dean, Publisher, The Sanpete Messenger, February 27, 2008 ...... Page 6 Executive Director: What’s really wrong with tourism Dr. Chad Stebbins, Director, Institute of By Paul MacNeill, Publisher, Eastern Graphic, July 2, 2008...... Page 7 International Studies, Missouri Southern Secret courts are wrong State University, 3950 E. Newman Road, By John M. Wylie II, Publisher, Oologah Lake Leader, March 20, 2008 ...... Page 8 Joplin, MO 64801-1595 Enough already Phone: (417) 625-9736 By Vernon Oickle, Editor, Bridgewater Bulletin, March 4, 2008 ...... Page 9 Fax: (417) 659-4445 E-mail: [email protected] The Great Courthouse Showdown: Despite All the Fisticuffs, This Stuff is Good for Us By Richard McCord, Columnist, Santa Fe Sun Monthly, April 2008...... Page 10 Board of Directors: Does New Scotland want a big-box mall? Jeremy Condliffe By Melissa Hale-Spencer, Editor, The Altamont Enterprise, March 6, 2008 ...... Page 11 Congleton Chronicle State senator is wrong Congleton, Cheshire, England. By Steve Ranson, Editor, Lahontan Valley News, November 26, 2008 ...... Page 12 Charles Gay Power to the people Shelton, Wash. By Richard Mostyn, Editor, Yukon News, December 19, 2008 ...... Page 13 Sandra George Don’t stifle debate with threats Jonesville, Mich. By Brian Wilson, News editor, The Star News, March 13, 2008 ...... Page 14 Paul MacNeill Nine ideas for a more user-friendly town The Eastern Graphic By Josh Cutler, Publisher, Duxbury Clipper, January 9, 2008 ...... Page 15 Montague, Prince Edward Island Sheriff Arpaio, W. Valley needs your help Kris O'Leary By Jim Painter, Managing editor, The West Valley View, April 4, 2008...... Page 16 The Star News Medford, Wis. Chris Wood Wisconsin Web Offset, Brookfield, Wis. The Gene Cervi Award Immediate Past President: Garrett Ray ...... Page 17 Jeremy Waltner A few words from Garrett Ray’s supporters ...... Page 18 The Freeman Courier Freeman, S.D. 1 grassroots editor • summer 2009 Golden Quill Winners 1961-2009

1961 Hal DeCell 1985 William F. Schanen III Deer Creek Pilot, Rolling Fork, Miss. Ozaukee Press, Port Washington, Wis. 1962 Don Pease 1986 Henry G. Gay Oberlin (Ohio) News Tribune Shelton-Mason County Journal, 1963 Hazel Brannon Smith Shelton, Wash. Lexington (Miss.) Advertiser 1987 Ellen L. Albanese 1964 Mrs. R.M.B. Hicks The Country Gazette, Franklin, Mass. Dallas (Pa.) Post 1988 Michael G. Lacey 1965 Robert E. Fisher The New Times, Phoenix, Ariz. Crossett (Ark.) News Observer 1989 Tim Redmond 1966 Owen J. McNamara Bay Guardian, San Francisco, Calif. Brookline (Mass.) Chronicle-Citizen 1990 Bill Lueders 1967 Alvin J. Remmenga Isthmus, Madison, Wis. Cloverdale (Calif.) Reveille 1991 Stuart Taylor Jr. 1968 Henry H. Null IV Legal Times, Washington, D.C. The Abington Journal, Clarks Summit, Pa. 1992 Hope Aldrich 1969 Dan Hicks Jr. The Santa Fe (N.M.) Reporter Monroe County Democrat, Madisonville, Tenn. 1993 Michael D. Myers 1970 Richard Taylor Granite City (Ill.) Press-Record Kennett News & Advertiser, 1994 Jim MacNeill Kennett Square, Pa. The Eastern Graphic, Montague, PEI, Canada 1971 Edward DeCourcy 1995 Brian J. Hunhoff Newport (N.H.) Argus Champion The Missouri Valley Observer, Yankton, S.D. 1972 C. Peter Jorgenson 1996 Patricia Calhoun The Advocate, Arlington, Mass. Denver Westword, Denver, Colo. 1973 Robert Estabrook 1997 Tim Giago Lakeville (Conn.) Journal Indian Country Today, Rapid City, S.D. 1974 Phil McLaughlin 1998 Gary Sosniecki The Miami Republican, Paola, Kan. Webster County Citizen, Seymour, Mo. 1975 Betsy Cox 1999 Jeff McMahon The Madison County Newsweek, New Times, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Richmond, Ky. 2000 Jeff McMahon 1976 Peter Bodley New Times, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Coon Rapids Herald, Anoka, Minn. 2001 William F. Schanen III 1977 Rodney A. Smith Ozaukee Press, Port Washington, Wis. Gretna (Va.) Gazette 2002 Paul MacNeill 1978 Robert Estabrook The Eastern Graphic, Montague, PEI, Canada Lakeville (Conn.) Journal 2003 Jeremy Waltner 1979 R. W. van de Velde Freeman Courier, Freeman, S.D. The Valley Voice, Middlebury, Vt. 2004 Charles Gay 1980 Garrett Ray Shelton-Mason County Journal, Shelton, Wash. Independent Newspapers, Littleton, Colo. 2005 Bill Lueders 1981 Janelou Buck Isthmus, Madison, Wis. Sebring (Fla.) News 2006 Gary Sosniecki 1982 Albert Scardino The Vandalia Leader, Vandalia, Mo. The Georgia Gazette, Savannah, Ga. 2007 Lori Evans 1983 Francis C. Zanger Homer News, Homer, Alaska Bellows Falls (Vt.) News-Review 2008 Melissa Hale-Spencer 1984 John McCall The Altamont Enterprise, Altamont, New York The SandPaper, Ocean City, N.J. 2009 David Martin The Pitch, Kansas City, Mo 2 grassroots editor • summer 2009 The judge’s comments

By Kim Kierans overwhelming. It was no easy task singling out I am a firm believer in the lasting value of 12 pieces from among 81. The diversity and community journalism. Maybe that’s why have to say this up front. I love com- range of subjects were most impressive. despite all the doom and gloom hanging over munity journalism. My love goes back With criteria firmly in hand, I took a tour big media, I see community newspapers rooted to my youth and my weekly newspaper around North America that went east, west, deeply and in many cases thriving. People are in eastern Ontario. north, south and centre and then retraced my hungering for community and local news, and I So it was an honour to be asked to steps lingering here, pausing there. The care the best value comes from community newspa- judge the International Society of Weekly with which most editorials were written reflect- pers. So whatever you’re doing, keep it up. Newspaper Editors’ Golden Quill awards. The ed the writers’ deep respect for and relationship Kim Kierans can be contacted at experience was invigorating, inspiring and a bit with their readers. [email protected] About the judge

im Kierans is director of the journalism then moved to a small daily before joining the Canadian program and a professor in the School of Broadcasting Corporation in 1977. Over the next 23 Journalism at the University of King’s years — apart from a couple of years in TV (where she K College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She teach- could never get her makeup right) — she worked mostly es research methods, foundations of jour- in radio as a producer, reporter, writer, editor and news nalism and radio documentary. She also teaches in the reader. M.A. program at the Asian Centre for Journalism at After she left the CBC to teach, Kierans continues to Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. produce freelance radio documentaries — including a Her M.A. thesis in Atlantic Canada Studies was about series about the changing face of community newspapers media concentration and community newspapers in the in the Maritimes. She’s currently working on a docu- Maritimes. mentary about plagiarism. Her love of community newspapers goes back to her Each week she reads about 40 community papers for teen years when she worked after school at an independ- a column in the provincial daily titled “Community ent weekly in Ontario — first as the subscription depart- News,” which retells stories (giving credit to the paper Kim Kierans ment and later adding sports reporting to her duties. and reporter) from community papers that don’t make it Kierans went on to write for weeklies in New into the daily papers. Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and

3 grassroots editor • summer 2009 Golden Quill Winner Deutsche Bags What it means when a German bank owns a chunk of the city

ustice moves swiftly in Kansas City, get past a 1-800 number in the Philippines.” Missouri, Housing Court. Minutes after Deutsche Bank doesn’t have an office in Kansas tersely issuing a $1,000 fine, Judge Wayne City. The real estate in question came under its Cagle takes pity on an elderly man whose purview as a result of the meltdown of the mortgage J gutters need repair. “I can refer you to a finance system. David Martin program where the city will help you pay for it,” the In the old days, a lender held on to a mortgage until judge says. the debt was paid. Then Wall Street firms devised Staff writer, The program, the Municipal Court Fund, helps ways to buy mortgages, package them and sell them to The Pitch low-income homeowners with grants up to $10,000. investors. The current credit crisis began when home- The grants are an attempt to keep poor neighborhoods owners started defaulting on tricked-out mortgages 1701 Main Street from slipping further. that had been sliced and diced into securities. Kansas City, MO 64108 But what’s a city to do when the sad bungalow What does this process look like on the ground? In behind the weeds and crooked downspouts is owned 2002, the owner of a house in North Hyde Park took by a German bank worth $48 billion? out an adjustable-rate mortgage from Ameriquest, a August 21, 2008 According to Legal Aid of Western Missouri, sub-prime lender in California. Five years later, the Deutsche Bank is the largest owner of foreclosed prop- $53,400 loan went into default. Deutsche Bank, trustee erties in Greater Kansas City. In Jackson County, the of the security that the mortgage supported, became bank holds titles to 350 foreclosures. the house’s owner of record. Working with neighborhood leaders, Legal Aid Vacant, the house caught fire in June. Once the officials took a look at 60 Deutsche Bank parcels in smoke cleared, the city’s Dangerous Buildings divi- the urban core. By their estimation, more than a third sion boarded up 11 windows and doors and started had code violations. demolition proceedings, which can take months. Some properties are sickly enough to depress an It also takes time to recover the cost of tearing entire block. A vacant house at 34th Street and Holmes down such houses. Two years ago, the city demolished has a soiled rug in the driveway and extensive fire a Deutsche Bank foreclosure near 31st Street and damage outside. Numerous code violations at 49th and Myrtle. The $8,750 bill remains unpaid. Eventually, Olive have undermined attempts to sell five homes the city will get around to filing a lawsuit. “It can be a recently built by a Blue Hills nonprofit. Broken win- couple of years,” says Jesse Sendejas, an assistant city dows on a house at 36th and Park invited mischief and, attorney who pursues payments for demolitions. finally, an emergency order of plywood. City inspec- Neighborhoods, meanwhile, are stuck with vacant tors made frequent visits during the 20 months that properties that become less inhabitable by the day. Deutsche Bank owned the house, which leers at an ele- “People are living next door to them, and the grass mentary school across the street. (In June, the proper- isn’t cut, and other maintenance issues are a concern,” ty was sold to a buyer in Utah.) says Margaret May, executive director of the Ivanhoe Legal Aid attorney Michael Duffy cited these Neighborhood Council. May’s husband, Walt, worked homes as examples of “mismanagement” in a recent with Legal Aid on the survey of Deutsche Bank fore- letter to a Deutsche Bank vice president in New York. closures. “Deutsche Bank, for all practical purposes, has failed Frustrated by declining property values and to maintain these properties,” Duffy wrote. He encour- garbage-strewn yards, some U.S. cities have begun to aged the company to be a responsible corporate citizen take big banks to court. In January, the mayor of and provide a plan for the repair, maintenance and Cleveland filed a suit accusing Deutsche Bank and eventual sale of the properties. Legal Aid, Duffy con- other Wall Street firms of creating a public nuisance. cluded, was at the “brink of moving forward with The city of Baltimore filed a discrimination claim large-scale litigation.” against Wells Fargo. Duffy shared his letter with the media in an effort Kansas City officials haven’t taken such drastic to increase his chances of getting a response. A Legal measures. Instead, code enforcers say they are work- Aid colleague sent Deutsche Bank a similar letter a ing on procedures for issuing civil penalties that do not year ago and heard nothing. “We’ve attempted to require an individual (or a corporation) to first appear make contact before,” Duffy tells me, “but we never in court.

continued on page 5

4 grassroots editor • summer 2009

FROM THE JUDGE This editorial takes the mort- An explanation from the winner gage crisis in the housing industry down to the street level to expose the shocking negligence of Deutsche Bank. wo things made this column relatively houses described in the story. I can still picture the The German bank, worth $48 easy to report. rug that sat in the driveway of the burnt-out home. billion, holds the lion’s share First, as described in the piece, Legal The story appealed to me, I think, because of the of titles for hundreds of fore- Aid had done a lot of the leg work, put- premium I put on "place." I think our physical sur- T ting together the list of Deutsche Bank roundings determine how we feel and how we act. I closed properties in Kansas properties and documenting some of the disrepair. subscribe to writer James Howard Kunstler’s notion City, Missouri. This well- Second, I had acquired some knowledge about that the mess we’ve made of our built environment is researched, clearly written the mortgage crisis reporting a feature story in 2007. not merely the symptom of a troubled culture, but editorial exposes the lack of The focus of that story was subprime lending, a sub- one of its primary causes. corporate responsibility in ject I wanted to address because two major players in Deutsche Bank eventually responded to Legal maintaining foreclosed prop- the game, Option One and NovaStar, were based in Aid’s complaints. A summit was organized. A num- erties and the subsequent dis- Kansas City. ber of the companies that service the bad loans astrous effects on neighbor- Trolling bankruptcy records, I came across a cou- showed up and committed to a protocol: If a neigh- hoods. While low-income ple whose finances were devastated when they were bor complained about a foreclosed home, somebody homeowners struggle to keep unable to pay the adjustable-rate mortgage NovaStar would try to remedy the problem in prompt fashion. and maintain their properties, had provided. The story appeared around the time Michael Duffy, the Legal Aid official, tells me that a Deutsche Bank takes no that two hedge funds owned by Bear Stearns col- maintenance crew showed up at one junky piece of responsibility for violations of lapsed — the first real sign that "liar loans" and the property just as he was about to grant an interview to building codes which further like were going to take down more than unsophisti- a local television station! depress poor neighborhoods. cated borrowers and a few high-flying lenders. The city council took action, as well. An ordi- The editorial exposes the Back to Deutsche Bank. nance passed in February creates a registry for smoke and mirror rhetoric the I decided to open with a scene from Housing vacant and foreclosed properties. corporation uses to justify its Court because I wanted to describe the experience of So the problem’s not solved. But things are hap- regular folks who are unable or unwilling to properly pening. hands-off approach and the maintain the property. Some seem embarrassed, oth- P.S. I used Google News to find the column so I difficulty municipalities face. ers defiant. could write about it. Apparently, a guy named David The writer provides a wider The point, I hope, was obvious: Whatever the cir- Martin works at Deutsche Bank as an analyst. It’s a context for action since bad cumstance, they had to be there, while Deutsche common name. And Deutsche Bank is a really big publicity and shame Bank, the owner of record of so many derelict prop- company. don’t work. erties, was not being made to do much of anything. The Legal Aid list was a great start. And I’m for- David Martin can be contacted at tunate to work for an employer who gives reporters [email protected]. time to work on stories. I was able to inspect the

Deutsche Bags from page 4 Deutsche Bank offers a simple defense: The com- Deutsche Bank’s argument seems ridiculous to pany claims it doesn’t technically own the foreclo- Duffy. If the trustee doesn’t own a foreclosed home, sures. Duffy posits, then, “It’s who? A bondholder in I reached Deutsche Bank spokesman John T. Norway?” Gallagher by phone. He was unable to comment offi- Blight has no concern for the semantics of real- cially on the Legal Aid letter. But Deutsche Bank offi- estate law. May says she’d like to see Deutsche Bank cials have said that as trustees, they are not responsi- maintain the foreclosures or give them to someone ble for keeping up or selling a foreclosed property. who will. “If they are just holding them, why don’t Those duties, the company says, fall upon the initial they donate them to the neighborhoods so that we lender or an institution hired to collect payments and could be able to rehab them and get families into perform other services. them?” she asks. If Deutsche Bank’s theory is correct, the “real” Families owning homes? What a concept. owner of the fire-damaged house on Holmes is Asset- Backed Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2003-AR1 David Martin can be contacted at (Block-party invitations should be adjusted accord- [email protected]. ingly.)

5 grassroots editor • summer 2009 Yes, it’s true, I harbor an illegal immigrant

’m not much into civil disobedience, but and U.S. citizen, for about six years. They have a SB81, an anti immigrant bill pending before four-year-old son named J.J. the Utah Legislature, threatens to put me in the And last weekend, I visited Pablo, his girlfriend position of intentionally violating the law for and J.J. at University Hospital, where Pablo’s girl- I the first time in my life. friend gave birth by cesarean to their second child. The bill makes it a misdemeanor to “harbor” an The child was born on Pablo’s 30th birthday. illegal immigrant by renting housing to him or her. Although Pablo’s girlfriend is a high school I hereby declare that, as I write, I am harboring a dropout, she’s education-conscious. J.J. knows his let- Suzanne Dean family that includes a man I know to be an illegal ters, his numbers, his colors and how to write his immigrant. name. Publisher, But before you shake your finger at me, listen to When we were working on my mother’s house, J.J. The Sanpete Messenger my story. I think it illustrates the complexity of our got out a tape measure, stretched it out along a curtain immigration problem and the folly of a sweeping rod that was lying on the floor, and started counting 35 S. Main St. approach that tries to solve the problem by punishing the inches. “One...two...three.” He got to 44. And he’s Manti, UT 84642 people. only 4. About 10 years ago, before I bought the In December, my house in Salt Lake City, the one February 27, 2008 Messenger and moved to Sanpete County, I took in a I lived in for 18 years and now rent, went vacant. The couple of teenage foster kids, both girls. timing was terrible. I was in the middle of the remod- One of them worked at a restaurant near my home, el at my mother’s house and overwhelmed at the FROM THE JUDGE the home I am now renting to the family mentioned newspaper. The editorial breaks stereo- above. At the restaurant, she met and started dating a I cut a deal with Pablo. If he and his family would types and uses a concrete co-worker, who I’m going to call Pablo. help me clean and fix up the place for re-occupancy, example to put a human face Pablo had quite a story. He grew up in Mexico in I’d rent it to them without a deposit at the same rate I a large family. When he was 12, his father, a truck was charging the previous tenants. They took me up on the complex issue of driver, abandoned the family and crossed the border on the offer. Mexican immigration. The into the United States. After my visit last weekend, Pablo humbly writer exhibited great Pablo’s family didn’t have enough to eat, so Pablo thanked me for letting them rent the house. He and his courage to expose him/her- quit school and went to work at a huge farm and nurs- partner are going to be married, he said. “And we’re self to censure should the pro- ery owned by a German man. Though a child, he going to look around for a church.” posed SB81, anti-immigrant worked 12 to 14 hours per day with one lunch break. He told me he planned to stay in the house indefi- bill in Utah, pass. She shows At lunch, he sat and watched others eat because he nitely. After all, the elementary school is two blocks through clearly written, com- didn’t have a lunch. down the street. The junior high is four blocks up the pelling and personal narrative When Pablo was 14, his father returned to Mexico, street. (“J.J. can ride his bike,” he said.) The high that the issue is more than picked up Pablo and his brother, and took them over school is four blocks to the north. And the university statistics; illegal immigrants the border into California. Pablo didn’t know he was is less than a mile away. are real people with lives and breaking an immigration law. He didn’t know what There’s not a doubt in my mind that about 18 years stories. It’s a passionate call immigration meant. He was doing what his father told from now when I’m in my ‘70s, I’ll be on that uni- to readers in Sanpete County him to do. versity campus watching J.J. get his degree. I have no and legislators to reevaluate The foster daughter who worked at the restaurant doubt that J.J. will make significant contributions to this bill because the story of did not become a responsible adult and has not been American society and, in fact, will pay some of the Pablo is just one of many. in contact with me in recent years. But Pablo became taxes that will cover my social security benefits. a good friend. That is, unless shotgun laws that ignore individual I don’t know if I’ve ever met a sweeter, gentler, realities make it a crime for me to help Pablo and his Suzanne Dean also won a harder working person than him. He helped me with family. That is, unless the family, which consists of yard work, helped me move to Sanpete and recently three U. S. citizens, is forced to go to Mexico, a coun- Golden Dozen award in 2004. helped me remodel my mother’s house, the house I ty with which they have little connection. grew up in, in Salt Lake City. Pablo has been living with a young woman, a Suzanne Dean can be contacted at Hispanic girl who is a second-generation American [email protected].

6 grassroots editor • summer 2009 What’s really wrong with tourism

arry Smith has managed a $60 million brand or create a desire to visit. plus advertising budget from his home. And through it all there is zero accountability. He has lead advertising accounts for No one complained when we squandered $9 million McDonald’s, Gulf Oil and Trump Plaza on Founder’s Hall. B Casino. He is the brainchild behind a No one stands up and demands that heads roll famous television campaign that featured celebrities when millions are spent constructing a new cruise like Evil Knievel jumping out of a suitcase. The cam- ship wharf in Charlottetown that is unable to accom- paign is credited with leading to exponential year modate the very cruise ships that were promised. over year sales increases for Choice Hotels in North No one bothers to raise an eyebrow when we spend Paul MacNeill America. half a million dollars promoting a road that has sim- Barry Smith has unparalleled pedigree to talk with ply been renamed. Publisher, authority about effective advertising and marketing. No one questions the credibility of statistics put Eastern Graphic He has a proven 40-year track record that is virtually forward by the Minister of Tourism, who inanely sug- second to none in North America. So when a guy like gested last year’s Aerosmith concert pumped $12 mil- P.O. Box 790 Barry Smith takes an interest in little old Prince lion into the local economy. Montague, PEI C0A 1R0 Edward Island and its tourism promotion, we should No one is outraged that the Ghiz government’s all take note. desire for control torpedoed our chance to host the His opinion is neither flattering nor subtle. In an Island Games — the reason for Smith’s current out- interview from his Arizona home he sums it up with rage with Island bureaucracy. July 2, 2008 one word. No one questions the effectiveness of a branding Idiots. exercise — Gentle Island — that has resulted in zero FROM THE JUDGE Ouch. growth for PEI’s tourism industry in three years. Smith’s connection with the Island began when he We’re already hearing the excuses for this year; This editorial takes a hard look was asked twice by the Binns government to draft gas is too expensive, it costs too much to fly, it’s an at PEI’s failed tourism strategy. advertising plans targeted specifically at the major American election year. Rubbish says Smith. Now is It provides a biting critique of metropolitan areas along the eastern seaboard. His the perfect time to invest more because our competi- the government bureaucracy philosophy is pretty simple. While PEI has long been tors are not. lf we invest properly, even in years like running tourism promotion. known as a family mecca the real money to be made this, Barry Smith contends tourism can experience a The author provides com- is found in cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia significant uptick. Unfortunately our tourism industry and Washington. Tens of millions of people, trapped talks a better game than it delivers. pelling evidence to show a lack in urban sprawl in the heat of summer, within a day of The old boys’ club of PEI’s tourism industry is of accountability. It documents PEI. scared of Barry Smith, and his ilk, because they are a through examples how civil To tap into that massive potential you’ve got to threat to the status quo. servants squandered taxpay- first create a demand; a desire to visit PEI. A few Smith is considered the father of an advertising ers’ money on questionable years back, Smith even met with 30 tourism bureau- philosophy called “Advertising that works the next projects while rejecting innova- crats and industry leaders (about 28 too many, he day.” He built a highly successful career around it. tive ideas. There is no way that says). He laid out his plans for creating that demand. What this means is if an advertising campaign does any reader could miss the point Was he met with enthusiasm? No. Was he met with not generate immediate and real benefits, cancel it. or defend the powers that be. opposition? Not really. The concepts he put forward We do just the opposite on PEI with our annual $6 — supported by senior Island politicians of the day million marketing budget. We waste millions justify- — just simply fell flat. Smith is at a loss to explain the ing a branding campaign that is a total flop. Paul MacNeill won the Golden reaction; he is not sure whether it was opposition or Because of his candour Smith is not loved in Quill award in 2002 and Golden apathy. What is for certain is that industry leaders and Island tourism circles. But if not him, why not some- bureaucrats scuttled a plan that would have seen mil- one else? Why not Doug Hall — a man who loves this Dozen awards in 1998, 1999, lions in new dollars invested in major US markets. Island and who is considered an entrepreneurial guru 2000, and 2001. The question is why? by Fortune 500 companies? He virtually pleaded with The answer is simple. the province to accept his help. Minister Valerie Control. Docherty and her department bureaucracy, who col- It all comes down to who controls the money. lectively don’t have enough real world business expe- PEI’s marketing is left to bureaucrats within the rience to tie Doug Hall’s shoelaces, rejected the offer. Department of Tourism with no real experience in What does it tell you when the PEI tourism designing and executing marketing campaigns that bureaucracy turns its back on two of the leading idea actually generate significant new business. It’s a big people in North America? chunk of the reason why our tourism industry has It tells you exactly where the first bomb needs to been in a free fall. Look at the Island occupancy rate. be dropped if PEI tourism is ever to grow to its true It stands at a woeful annual rate of 45 percent and has potential. been steadily shrinking for 20 years. The bureaucracy is prodded along by members of Paul MacNeill can be contacted at the tourism industry who promote self-serving pet [email protected]. projects that do little if anything to grow the PEI

7 grassroots editor • summer 2009 Secret courts are wrong

The court of justice of this state shall be open to every take part in the secret proceedings, and called the person... results “shocking.” — Oklahoma Constitution, Article 2. Section 6 He is absolutely right. The results are as shocking as the process was inexcusable. The Governor and other state officers, including the We hope Chief Justice Winchester and his col- Justices of the Supreme Court, shall be liable and leagues who imposed this monstrosity on the people subject to impeachment for willful neglect of duty... of Oklahoma will see the light, vacate their ruling, John M. Wylie II — Oklahoma Constitution, Article 8, Section 1 and go back to square one. There are some legitimate issues here. For exam- Publisher, ast week’s order by the Oklahoma ple, we agree that Social Security and bank account Oologah Lake Leader Supreme Court pulling court documents numbers have no place in public court records. But off the Internet and stripping key infor- dates of birth and addresses are a different matter — 109 S. Maple St. mation from paper documents filed in without those basic identifiers, the public has no idea L court is both frightening and outrageous. of who is in court or who may be held on criminal Oologah, OK 74053-1175 It is bad enough that the justices tried to create a charges. That can work to the detriment to those on March 20, 2008 closed court system that would please Adolph Hitler either side of a lawsuit or a criminal case. or Josef Stalin. What is worse is that they developed And there is absolutely no reason to limit Internet this order in secret, consulting only a handful of court access to otherwise public records. The federal courts FROM THE JUDGE clerks and think tanks while completely ignoring have done an exemplary job of making all its court This strongly worded piece Oklahoma’s citizens. records open, resulting in a bounty of information takes on the Oklahoma Worse still, the chief justice even slapped a gag valuable to scholars, journalists and average citizens. order on the individual court clerks and judges who Open public hearings will provide what Winchester Supreme Court over an order are elected by the people they serve. claims his Star Chamber proceeding was supposed to to pull documents off the “Chief Justice James R. Winchester has directed do — balance the interests of privacy and the public’s Internet and take key informa- that I personally take all telephone calls from the right to know. Any further secrecy will further under- tion from paper documents. public and others regarding the entry of the attached mine already shaky public confidence in Oklahoma’s This well-reasoned argument order,” said Michael D. Evans, state court adminis- justice system. documents further infringe- trator, in a statewide email. “Do not attempt to If Winchester and his colleagues don’t reverse ments on freedom of informa- answer any questions related to this order.” course and let the public fully participate in a process tion and calls for open discus- That order, later “clarified,” was a shock to to properly consider these issues, they will clearly sion. Such vigilance is to be Rogers County District Court Clerk Candi have violated the two constitutional provisions men- applauded. Czapansky, who said she did not know anyone had tioned above. the right to gag a citizen or an elected official from If that happens, it may be time for an impeach- discussing a matter of public concern. ment investigation in the Oklahoma House. John M. Wylie II also won a “I’d never seen anything like that before,” she Golden Dozen award in 2007. said. John M. Wylie II can be contacted at Former Chief Justice Marian Opala refused to [email protected].

8 grassroots editor • summer 2009 Enough already

t is human nature to discuss and dwell on We have no doubt that police will get to the bottom of happenings that impact and influence our this ordeal and we are confident that arrests will be lives. Nothing can be more profound and made. Will it be tomorrow, or next week, or next shocking, or touch us in such an emotional month? Who can say for sure? But we must give I way, as the murder of a 12-year-old girl, an authorities time to do their work and that means we innocent child who obviously could not must resist the urge to spread speculation and point Vernon Oickle defend herself. We simply cannot believe that some- fingers. thing so horrific can happen in our relatively safe In recent weeks, the rumour mill has been work- Editor, community. For that reason, we feel the urge to talk ing overtime on this case, churning out theory after about the events and to offer theories as to how this unfounded theory. We’ve heard much of the specula- Bridgewater Bulletin crime may have unfolded. tion and, quite frankly, we’re appalled, particularly by 353 York Street However, in due respect for everyone’s natural some of the garbage being circulated via the internet tendencies to discuss the recent tragedy that has and specifically on some Facebook sites. Bridgewater, Nova Scotia gripped this community, it is now time to rein in the The real danger here, of course, is that many peo- B4V 3K2 rumours, speculation and innuendoes, for much of it ple hear these rumours and, taking them as gospel, is getting out of hand. It’s also getting difficult to sep- spread them to others and before long these rumours March 4, 2008 arate fact from fiction, and that is not helping anyone have legs, reaching far and wide, with many people come to terms with the events. believing them to be fact. Besides, it’s time to let the police do their jobs It’s time to stop the rumours. We know the police FROM THE JUDGE without reprisal or undue pressure from a weary pub- have suspects and we must believe that they are work- This was a difficult time for a lic rushing to judge. No matter how sad this story is ing to arrest whoever is responsible. They know they small tightly knit community and no matter how quickly we may want to see justice are being carefully scrutinized and some people — the murder of a 12-year-old served in this case, it is time for the community to expect them to fail. However, feeding the rumour mill girl and a continuing but as step back and take a collective deep breath. It’s time isn’t helping the cause. If anyone feels they have yet unsolved police investiga- to get a grip. credible information that may aid the police, then tion. While the author shares The people of this region have gone through an they must come forward, but we must all understand the community’s horror, he emotionally charged ordeal since Karissa Boudreau that investigators need time to examine the facts, urges readers “to rein in the was reported missing more than a month ago. The gather evidence and develop their case. rumours, speculation and girl’s disappearance and then the reality of her violent While the community has tried and convicted innuendoes” and in the name death has rocked this community to its very core, those they think may be responsible for this crime, the of justice let authorities do touching our souls so deeply that only time will heal facts remain a well-guarded secret, as they must. their job. It’s a well-written, the wounds. Though most of us did not know Karissa, Authorities cannot rush to judge or persecute anyone clear-headed and persuasive our hearts have been broken by the truth that some- for fear of blowing their case. That’s not how our editorial in a time of great one, some hideous monster in our midst, could wan- criminal justice system works. emotional turmoil. tonly cause such harm to a child, an outgoing Grade 6 The best way to honour Karissa’s memory will be student just starting on her life’s journey. to find those responsible for her death and put them in It’s natural that we would want to see those jail. Jumping to conclusions and spreading gossip is responsible for such a heinous act be arrested and sent not the way to achieve that justice. to jail. We all want that. In fact, as a just society, we demand it. However, our desire for justice must be Vernon Oickle can be contacted at tempered by another reality, the reality that authori- [email protected]. ties have a job to do and their efforts may take time.

9 grassroots editor • summer 2009 The Great Courthouse Showdown Despite All the Fisticuffs, This Stuff is Good for Us he long-running brouhaha over the size, er, that the issue barely passed and that nearly half of height, design and location of the planned the voters said no. His argument is “code talk,” a dis- new Santa Fe County courthouse is play- tressingly frequent element in Santa Fe clashes these ing out as one of the admirable strengths days; the implication is that only a handful of elitists, T of this community. A lot of head butting is presumably recently arrived Anglos, are against the going on now, but in the end, Santa Fe plan, while the vast majority of “the people,” presum- should benefit from the hassle. For our city, this is a ably native Hispanos, are for it. But his case is patent- Richard McCord quintessential exercise. ly dubious. Columnist, In half a dozen ways the project is controversial. As Taking a similar stance as Campos, a letter to the initially designed — and also as still proposed after editor on the same page disparaged “the crybaby citi- Santa Fe Sun Monthly some adjustments — the planned courthouse is both zens of Santa Fe.” But a far gentler guest column a PMB 317 taller and larger than normally allowed under city zon- week later on March 16 — from District Judge ing and historic regulations. The issue tests the ques- Michael Vigil, who would be one of the occupants of 7 Avenida Vista Grande tion of whether the county, as a separate government the building — stressed that “the courthouse should be Suite B-7 entity, is subject to the city’s rules and laws, or is a dignified place where citizens can come and resolve Santa Fe, NM 87508 autonomous. Whatever design is advanced, it draws their disputes. The courthouse should be located both supporters and detractors. Some local people are downtown in the center of our community.” April 2008 miffed that the architects are from out of town. Hints Still, even Vigil’s argument contained code talk, of litigation hover over the project. And an underlying stressing that “where we have not compromised — FROM THE JUDGE possibility (or threat, depending on point of view) is and cannot compromise — is on the issue of building The editorial is a good that if the County Commission does not get a free a secure facility that will make the courthouse a safe example of engaging readers hand to do things the way it wants to, it will just build place for our citizens to conduct their business.” in an ongoing debate. In this the courthouse to the south, outside the downtown and Suddenly, he implies, anyone who wants the court- case a proposed new court- outside the historic district, on unrestricted land. house to comply with long-established city regulations house in Santa Fe County is Like few other recent issues, this matter has is, apparently, against public safety. challenging city zoning and engaged the press, public officials, civic organizations, Some of this is not the stuff of high-level discourse, historic regulations. The letter-writing citizens and the man and woman on the but it is indicative of a vigorous debate. Invigorating author presents the various street. Both daily newspapers have editorialized on the the discussion even more, City Councilor Matthew contrary positions clearly and subject. Their cartoonists have poked fun at the fracas. Ortiz has been drafting a proposed ordinance that logically and deciphers “code Guest columns have been written by at least one would declare once and for all that both Santa Fe talk” so that citizens can judge, one county commissioner and the president of County and the state of New Mexico must “submit to make an informed decision the preservationist Old Santa Fe Association. That the jurisdiction of the City of Santa Fe Historic Design about heritage development same organization, in one of the more colorful stunts Review ordinance.” If passed, this ordinance may in their city. in modern memory, erected a 52-foot-tall “cherry- bring legal challenges from the county and state, but picker” crane, draped with a bold sign, to show driv- when the dust has settled, the official status of all par- ers and passersby the visual impact of a structure that ties may finally be clean Richard McCord also won high, in a neighborhood of mostly one- and two-story My own feeling is that the county should be subject Golden Dozen awards in 1981, buildings. (For full disclosure, this writer notes that he to the historic ordinance and should make every effort sits on the board of the association.) The mayor, for his to meet its requirements, in design, height and mass. 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1992, part, has been quoted as saying that he is less con- In turn, the Historic Design Review Board should take 2005, and 2006. cerned with height than with a design compatible with a flexible stance, granting reasonable exceptions to the the surrounding neighborhood and with Santa Fe rules, as it may do under the law. The Old Santa Fe itself. Everybody, it seems, is getting involved. Association should also be flexible, and it has indicat- After a number of meetings with project critics, ed it is ready and willing to be. The point here is not county planners reduced the proposed height signifi- some ego-driven power struggle to show who’s boss, cantly, by 20 feet, but by no means enough to comply but a mutual effort to keep the downtown vital, to with city historic regulations. Also, the design was honor Santa Fe’s hard-won uniqueness, and to work rather radically changed from a mixture of Classical together with much give-and-take from all. Territorial and Pueblo styles to a more stark and mod- Yes, one of Santa Fe’s admirable strengths is that ernistic Territorial architecture. Needless to say, there on some level it resists almost every new idea, partic- were grumbles from some quarters, insisting that the ularly architectural, and then the opposing forces keep earlier design was better. Or that an entirely different pushing and pulling, and in the end the final result by one was still needed. no means pleases everyone — but is a heck of a lot In a combative New Mexican guest commentary on better than it would have been without the struggle. By March 9, County Commissioner Paul Campos main- this yardstick, I would say the courthouse tug-of-war tained that only about 50 “self-appointed ‘knowers’ of is right on track. Let’s hope it arrives at a good desti- what Santa Fe Style is all about” are opposed to the nation. latest courthouse plan. He went on to say that “the community” is firmly behind it. He rightly pointed-out Richard McCord can be contacted at that a $55 million bond issue for the project was [email protected]. approved by voters in 2006. He failed to note, howev- 10 grassroots editor • summer 2009 Does New Scotland want a big-box mall? imes change. back the clock. We were once a nation where most of The famous Bender melons that were the citizens were farmers, and now just a small frac- grown in New Scotland and shipped to tion are. The land at the heart of New Scotland is T fancy hotels in New York City are no never going to grow melons again. It is zoned for more. The old farmland in the heart of commercial development. New Scotland near its two major roads — routes 85 A tech park is being developed on the northeast- and 85A — has sat vacant for years. ern end of town, and just down New Scotland Road Now developers are looking at the site. from the Bender farm site, plans are underway to “Potentially, it could be a big-box type store,” build 15 duplexes in a senior housing complex. Supervisor Thomas Dolin says. The fabric of a community changes as it is devel- Melissa Hale-Spencer “All I know is that it would be a shopping center oped. This is happening all across America. New of some magnitude,” Zoning Administrator Paul York is a home-rule state so each town can play a Editor, Cantlin told our reporter Saranac Hale Spencer last powerful role in shaping its own individual future. The Altamont Enterprise week. Although none of the stores have been named, That point was made last week at a conference on he said, one of the anchors approached a develop- farmland protection by John Brennan of the state’s P.O. Box 654 ment company after determining the New Scotland Department of Agriculture and Markets. Altamont, NY 12009 site would satisfy its needs. “Municipalities can do more to protect agricul- Since we broke the story, we’ve been peppered ture than, at some times, the commissioner of agri- March 6, 2008 with many questions we can’t answer. What we do culture — even the governor — because the legisla- know is that New Scotland, as a town, needs to plan ture has given to local towns the authority to develop and legislate for its future. comprehensive plans and develop land-use regula- FROM THE JUDGE New Scotland looks today much the way tions,” said Brennan. This is a thorough and Guilderland did a half-century ago — there are pock- This applies to more than protecting farmland. thoughtful look at the issues ets of development in old village or hamlet centers Several years ago, the Open Space Institute released surrounding the development along routes where municipal water has been estab- a report documenting sprawl in the Capital Region. of agricultural land and the lished. Much space remains open, either simply When suburbia sprawls across open space and farm- policies in the community of because it is undeveloped or because it is actively land, the report said, wildlife and wetlands are lost; New Scotland. While it is farmed. the quality and supply of drinking water decreases; focused on a particular area, We’ve written many editorials about the value of traffic congestion, air pollution, and energy con- this editorial echoes the farming to towns like New Scotland. A few years sumption all increase; and so do local taxes. debate going on in many back, we catalogued the 17 remaining farms in town, In short, the quality of life diminishes, not just for rural communities throughout covering 2,400 acres, and we talked to the farmers us, but for future generations as well. The Open North America and the need about what kept them in business. Space Institute places the blame for sprawl on to involve community in the We agreed then and still do with New Scotland municipalities, chalking it up to poor planning. discussion “to develop a new farmer Timothy Stanton, who said large-lot zoning We have, for years, urged New Scotland to devel- comprehensive land-use plan.” — typically three to five acres — devalues the land op a new comprehensive land-use plan. The town and doesn’t serve its intended aesthetic purpose; it last went through the master-planning process in results in “a lot of big yards,” he said, rather than pre- 1994, but many of its tenets were not codified into Melissa Hale-Spencer won the serving open space. law. Pressure for development has intensified since Golden Quill award in 2008 and We’ve stressed again and again the economic then and views and elected officials have changed. benefits of having viable farms. Locally-produced In 2003, the town board appointed a committee Golden Dozen awards in 1999, food is often of better quality and lower cost than with a dozen diverse members, headed by John Egan, 2002, and 2005. imported food; and when customers buy directly to focus on New Scotland’s major corridor, where from a farmer with whom they have a relationship, routes 85 and 85A intersect. The committee gathered they can trust that the product is safe. information from a wide variety of experts and doc- Beyond that, farms pay significantly more in uments and, most importantly, surveyed New property taxes than they receive in services. Scotland residents, through mailed forms and in over Residential developments, on the other hand, con- 40 community meetings. Its 44-page report, released sume far more in services than they pay in taxes. In in 2005, has been largely disregarded, and that’s a this way, farmers are subsidizing the residents. shame since it made many useful recommendations. A third economic benefit comes from the busi- As sprawl proliferates, so does traffic congestion, nesses that grow up around farms, such as food pro- noise, and pollution. You can’t legislate taste, but you cessing and transportation businesses. Close to $3 can legislate placement, density, and architecture. billion is generated annually from farm-related busi- (The nearby town of Berne several years ago adopt- nesses across the state. ed such strict requirements for new buildings in its Beyond the economic value, farms offer aesthet- hamlet, detailing even roof pitch, that a Stewart’s ic and cultural benefits. Farmland is nice to look at which had planned to build there backed off.) and many farms now offer tourist features as well. Does New Scotland want a big-box mall? We know, while we should work to support the farms Right now, the town has a nice mix of independ- in our midst that are still functioning, we can’t turn ently owned businesses. When big-box stores move

continued on page 21 11 grassroots editor • summer 2009 State senator is wrong on’t criticize something you don’t regional Veterans Administration considers the understand!” Fernley cemetery “meets or exceeds” standards. Evidently, State Senator William Furthermore, Stan Jones, the board’s chairman who Raggio, R-Reno, either forgot this wise oversees the cemetery, said Raggio’s comments were D advice or chose to ignore it. an insult. Recently, the long-serving senator criticized the “He ought to publicly apologize to the veterans,” Northern Nevada Veterans Cemetery as a neglected Jones demanded. Steve Ranson site and one that is not properly maintained. Raggio We wonder if Raggio has recently visited the site based his comment on a constituent who complained before he made his comments. A member of our edi- of the cemetery’s condition and that flags were not torial staff, whose father is buried there, visited the Editor, flying by each grave on Veterans Day. cemetery on Monday and found the facility to be in Lahontan Valley News Sorry, senator, your constituent confused Veterans excellent condition. Day with Memorial Day. Furthermore, we wonder if Raggio served in the P.O. Box 1297 What ensued was a lawmaker making wild accu- military. If he did, he would realize that Veterans Day Fallon, NV 89407 sations based on incorrect information. Raggio told spawned from Armistice Day, an occasion marking an Interim Finance Subcommittee in capital improve- the great sacrifices of veterans and the end of World November 26, 2008 ments that the Fernley cemetery “lacks the dignity a War I. Not only does the day recognize the sacrifices veterans cemetery deserves.” our veterans have made in previous wars, but it also The state has maintained two veterans’ cemeteries honors current veterans for their service to their coun- FROM THE JUDGE for 18 years, one in Fernley and the other in Boulder try their patriotism and their willingness to sacrifice City. The legislature approved a bill in 1987 to fund their lives when called to do so. Public officials make mis- the two sites, and in 1990, the cemeteries opened. We are calling on Raggio to push himself away takes. In this case, Nevada Since that time, both cemeteries have been the from his Carson City desk and take the 45-minute Senator William Raggio, R- final resting place to thousands of veterans. drive to Fernley to the Northern Nevada Veterans Reno, made a big one when Raggio also compared the two sites, claiming the Cemetery. After he visits the site and realizes how he criticized the condition of a Southern Nevada facility was in much better shape much he embarrassed himself with his remarks, he veterans cemetery. The writer than Fernley’s. Judging by the hundreds of responses should then publicly apologize to the people of systematically goes through made on various Web sites in Northern Nevada, most Nevada — especially to veterans — for comments and corrects the Senator’s Nevadans don’t agree with the senator’s flawed think- based on the opinion of a select few. unformed criticism and pro- ing. If the senator had attended the Memorial Day Veterans deserve better respect from a long-serv- vides a public history lesson. service, he would have been proud to have experi- ing lawmaker. The recommended course of enced the solemn ceremony held on that rainy action couldn’t be any clearer: Monday morning in May. Steve Ranson can be contacted at the Senator should apologize The Nevada Office of Veterans Affairs took [email protected]. to veterans and their families. Raggio to the woodshed, advising the senator that the

12 grassroots editor • summer 2009 Power to the people

rue story. dam’s fourth wheel? The other day, a 12-year-old boy was What is the condition of the diesels that Yukon watching an episode of “Smallville” with Energy bought from the Minto mine? Are they in T his parents. operation? How efficient are they? In the show, the lights flickered and Where are they located? went out, plunging the Luthor Manor into darkness. Did testing of those diesels cause a power outage? The characters got nervous, and Lex firmly ordered A group of southern experts came to Yukon to Lana not to move. appraise the condition of the electrical grid and recent Richard Mostyn “What’s going on?” said the 12-year-old Yukoner. problems. Who were they? “Why are they so freaked out about a power outage?” What did they find? And so the parents hit the pause button and What did those southern experts recommend? Editor, explained that, in most North American cities, power What were the terms of their contract? Yukon News outages are not a weekly event, as they are here. How much were they paid? Of course, that leads to other questions. Why is Was the contract sole sourced or tendered? 211 Wood Street the Yukon’s power supply so flaky? Has a defective governor at the utility been fixed? Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2E4 Why is our power so dirty — prone to spikes and When? How much did that repair cost? Who did it? circuit-damaging brownouts? Why did it take so long to repair? If not, why not? December 19, 2008 What is the Crown-owned utility doing to fix How does the utility square the increase in its things? And so on. diesel rider with the decrease in global fuel costs? FROM THE JUDGE The Yukon News has a ton of these questions — Will it suspend the rider? When? Will it rebate users and we’ll share them with you in just a second. We the money they’ve paid already? This editorial draws the reader think they’ll provoke some thought. By our math, a promised 15 percent decrease in in with its breezy slightly Of course, we’d prefer to give you the answers. power bills is coming in at about 3.4 per cent. Why? sarcastic tone. This serves to But we can’t. The utility is collecting more money as a result of bring out the serious issue of We’ve been phoning the Crown-owned power recent rider tweaks. What is it doing with the money? recurring power failures in the company for months. But we haven’t received a sin- Is it going to build more power facilities in the Yukon. Even more serious is gle callback. Yukon? Where? When? If not, why not? the refusal of the Crown-owned For the first month, we simply thought the trippy The Carcross First Nation is proposing a micro- utility to be accountable to its power had damaged Yukon Energy Corporation’s hyrdo facility. Does the Crown-owned utility support paying public and answer the phones. this initiative? If not, why not? questions from the newspaper. Dozens of calls were placed. Not one was When, specifically, was the Minto mine first The author and the newspaper returned. In some cases, when a warm body hooked up to the grid? Was the mine receiving power are to be commended for their answered, the line cut out before a single syllable was from the grid before Premier Dennis Fentie’s news persistence, for raising the uttered. conference where he “turned on the juice?” questions, for exposing the Strange. Of course, there are plenty more questions. shameful response from the So we visited their offices in person. This isn’t whimsical stuff. The utility provides the Crown-owned utility and for Janet Patterson, spokesperson for the Crown power that keeps people warm in a climate that can be defending the public interest. Corporation, told us its officials would not be speak- deadly. ing to the paper any more. But, apparently, it considers itself above account- Readers of the Yukon News would not learn any- ability. Richard Mostyn also won thing more about Yukon Energy from Yukon Energy. And, because it is exempt from access-to-infor- Golden Dozen awards in 2005 No interviews. No news conferences. Nothing. mation laws, we can’t even pursue that avenue. and 2008. A news...blackout. We believe the utility should be transparent and Of course, this is what we’ve come to expect from accountable. We believe you deserve answers. our utility. Going off-grid is something that it knows Unfortunately, you’ll have to ask them yourself. something about. You can reach Janet Patterson at 393-5333. It won’t provide any explanation for freezing us If you learn anything, let us know. We’ll pass the out. But, again, explanations have never been the util- information along. ity’s strong suit. Maybe if we work together we can figure out Nevertheless, there are important questions that what’s going on, and force our utility — Yukoners deserve answers. own it — to improve service. Such as: We’re all in this together, dependent on the power Why are some Yukon ratepayers paying 14 cents we produce. a kilowatt hour for substandard power when residents Our goal should be to make Yukon children won- of British Columbia are paying, on average, six cents der what happens when the power goes out. per kilowatt hour? Postscript: This morning, we discovered that BC How do you justify that cost given the quality of hydro’s declared corporate purpose is to “provide our power? reliable power, at low cost, for generations.” What, specifically, caused Thanksgiving Seems simple enough. Monday’s five-hour grid-wide outage? To date, no answer to this question has been provided. Richard Mostyn can be contacted at What is the status or condition of Whitehorse [email protected]. 13 grassroots editor • summer 2009 Don’t stifle debate with threats emocracy only exists with the free logue and discussion in the community. We don’t exchange of ideas and with the recogni- claim to have the corner on what is the best course tion that intelligent people can and and we welcome dissent and provide a free forum for should often disagree. American democ- that dissent to be aired. D racy is in peril when rather than cele- In last week’s Star News it would have been easy brating differences of opinion, opposing views are for us to bark back at the bureaucrat and Ms. Mutter. stifled and threats replace reasoned debates. It would have been easy for us to go line by line Democracy is in peril in Taylor County. through the threatening letter pointing out the thresh- Brian Wilson Two weeks ago, a Star News opinion questioned a old for “actual malice” for public officials as set forth policy decision requiring milk haulers to get permits in the benchmark 1964 U.S. Supreme Court case New to operate on county roads during the spring thaw. York Times v. Sullivan is much higher than simply News editor, The opinion questioned why local government was suggesting that a policy decision made by a govern- The Star News interfering with the ability of dairy producers to ment board is incorrect. It would have been easy for maintain their livelihood and get their perishable us to question the attorney’s understanding of libel P.O. Box 180 product to processing facilities. The opinion was crit- law or question her commitment of her oath to uphold Medford, WI 54451 ical of the county department head who endorsed the the Constitution of the United States of America at plan. The opinion ultimately called on a change in the same time she seeks to undermine the first March 13, 2008 state law. Apparently, the opinion hit a nerve. amendment foundation for our democratic govern- Last week, that department head met with the ment. FROM THE JUDGE publisher and general manager of The Star News to Rather, we let the letter stand without comment This editorial documents the tell them that we were wrong. He demanded a retrac- because we felt an effort to stifle the free exchange of newspaper’s encounter with tion and apology. At that time, he was offered the ideas and viewpoints did not deserve comment. local government officials and same courtesy The Star News gives to anyone who Newspapers serve to educate, to inform, to enter- its right to defend freedom of disagrees with our viewpoints. He was invited to tain and to inspire debate. Newspapers work toward speech as a cornerstone of write a letter pointing out how he thought we were the positive futures of the communities and the peo- democracy. An earlier editori- wrong. That apparently wasn’t enough. ple they serve. al questioned officials for The letter The Star News received was from local For the past 132 years, The Star News has served requiring milk haulers to get attorney Shawn Mutter. Rather than contribute to the the citizens of Taylor County, asking the questions permits to drive on country dialogue concerning an important policy decision, the that need to be asked and questioning the decisions roads during spring thaw. letter threatened The Star News in a blatant attempt to made by government officials, and working as a Despite pressure and legal muzzle the watchdog of the people. watchdog for the people. threats, The Star News The fact that a public official doesn’t like us, is It will take more than a disgruntled public official refused to publish a retraction something we at The Star News can live with. It is not unhappy about an opinion expressed on an important and apology. It printed with- our job to be liked by public officials. It is our job to policy decision to change that commitment. out comment, a letter to the report on issues that impact the people of Taylor editor from officials. This edi- County and in the opinion pages to question the why Brian Wilson can be contacted at torial explains to its readers behind the who, what, when, where and how. [email protected]. in a reasoned dispassionate A newspaper editorial seeks to encourage dia- manner its duty “to educate, to inform, to entertain and to inspire debate.” The people of Taylor County are indeed for- tunate to have The Star News on its side.

Brian Wilson also won a Golden Dozen award in 2008.

14 grassroots editor • summer 2009 Nine ideas for a more user-friendly town hange is the new watchword in the pres- broadcast these meetings to residents with satellite idential race. Comparably speaking, dishes. Duxbury is better run than our federal 5. Stop charging for bus service. State law does- government, but there are still a few n’t require our schools to offer free bus service to all C changes we could make to be a more students, but that doesn’t mean we should do things user-friendly town. Here are nine modest suggestions: that way. Fees for sports and co-curricular activities — 1. Keep Town Hall open later. For the majority of sadly — are a necessary and appropriate step to take residents, town hall hours aren’t very convenient. in this fiscal climate. Fees for the bus are not. Staying open until 7:30 or 8:00 for just one night of Incentivizing more people to drive cars instead of the week would allow residents to take care of various buses is a backward step. The fees also have the unin- Josh Cutler permits, stickers and other business without leaving tended consequence of creating congestion at the St. work early. Monday night could be a good choice to George Street campus, especially in the morning. Publisher, stay open late since there are so many meetings Duxbury schools offer many wonderful extras — a Duxbury Clipper already scheduled then, but just about any night (other cynic might say frills — but getting the basics right is than Friday) would work. This needs to be a cost-neu- imperative. Taking the bus is a meat and potatoes issue P.O. Box 1656 tral change. In exchange the town hall would close and shouldn’t cost extra. Duxbury, MA 02331 early on Fridays. This will require some negotiating 6. Move Rec. Department. Moving the with the unions, but other towns on the South Shore Recreation Department from the Girl Scout house to January 9, 2008 have made the switch and found such a schedule a the Wright Building is a natural. It’s more convenient, win-win situation for town employees and residents. centrally located, and creates a great synergy with the (It should be noted that in an informal Clipper email Student Union and neighboring schools. There’s plen- FROM THE JUDGE survey this idea was most consistently cited.) ty of space inside the building to accommodate the Building on the national theme 2. Keep Transfer Station open later. In the same modest needs of the Rec. Department. of change, the writer offers vein as Town Hall, the Duxbury Transfer station 7. Dump the warrant. The Town Meeting warrant some suggestions to elected should also be kept open later one night a week. This is a largely meaningless document — at least the ver- officials on how they could will have a two-fold benefit of being more convenient sion that gets mailed to Duxbury households. The improve the lives of residents of for residents who can’t go during the day, and also final dollar figures are never available by printing Duxbury. The suggestions show reducing the congestion at the transfer station on the time, warrant articles are subject to change until days the writer’s a deep connection weekends. Again, we’re not looking to increase costs, before the meeting, and often the recommendations of with community and how the so the transfer station would close for a half-day on key committees are not available by press time. We’d newspaper takes its responsibil- Wednesday or Thursday. suggest posting a more complete electronic version to ity to engage dialogue between 3. Make it easier to pay for things. A cardinal rule the town Web site and then sending out postcards citizens and officials seriously. of business: don’t make it hard for people to pay you. alerting people when they are available — a cheaper Duxbury has made some strides in this regard with the and more efficient alternative. A few hundred copies online payment center (there are still kinks in it, how- can be printed up and left at town hall or the senior ever), but also taken some steps back. The recently center for those without computer access. instituted practice of sending two property tax bills at 8. Push back election season. What’s on your the same time may save a stamp, but it’s confusing and mind the last week of December? If you’re like most puts the onus on the taxpayer not to lose a bill for three people it’s the holidays, family and last-minute gifts. months. With the average property tax burden over But that’s also when town election season starts. $6,000 a year and climbing fast, that’s a somewhat That’s because Duxbury has one of the earliest town insulting practice. The town’s website payment fea- election and town meeting dates in the state. There’s ture is a great addition, but many residents prefer to no reason for this. Aside from issues of convenience, use their own bank’s online check-writing feature. there is a more compelling reason to move it back. These payments cannot be processed through the Local aid figures are often not available from the state town’s lock box and have to be re-sent manually. This in March and thus can cause problems for town budg- hang-up needs to be fixed. Finally, the practice of et makers. Pushing back election season by one month adding a 3% surcharge for tax and utility payments into April would largely solve the problem and not from credit cards is understandable given the charge cost a dime. from the credit card companies, but it’s our under- 9. Express Lane at Dunkin Donuts. Okay, this is standing — and someone please alert us if we’re a frivolous and entirely selfish suggestion but the wrong — these kinds of surcharges are prohibited Dunkin Donuts in Halls Corner causes too many traf- under Massachusetts law. fic backups. A simple solution is to make the drive- 4. Live cable broadcast of School Committee thru lane express orders only just as they do at the and Town Meetings. Board of Selectmen meetings supermarket. If you want a coffee and muffin, great; if have been televised live for some time, but school you want the Bacon’s Lover’s Supreme Omelet, park meetings and town meeting are not. Both could be the car and walk. done easily and at low cost and would make both bod- ies more accessible and user-friendly. More compli- Josh Cutler can be contacted at cated, but also worthwhile, would be to find a way to [email protected].

15 grassroots editor • summer 2009 Sheriff Arpaio, W. Valley needs your help ear Sheriff Joe Arpaio, most recent a few feet off 67th Avenue near Laveen. Thank you for the press release titled “All of the victims were known to have some ties with “Arpaio outraged at Phoenix mayor’s com- or to have been ‘coyotes,’ the name given those who ments; sends letter to city manager.” It’s smuggle illegal migrants across the Arizona-Mexico bor- D always good to hear from you. der — and who have been known to kill when they do not Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon expressed receive the money they demand.” his anger over your efforts to round up illegal immigrants After five years, your constituents here in the West in the Cave Creek and Bell Road area, and you expressed Valley are still waiting to hear how you’ve handled those your anger at him for expressing his anger at you. cases, and the many similar cases that followed them, Jim Painter While some might laud your eagerness to go to the aid such as all of those homicide victims whose bodies were of a group of Phoenix business owners who requested dumped over the past couple of years in the vicinity of the Managing editor, your assistance, we were wondering if you could first Gila River south of Avondale. We at the View have heard help the residents of the West Valley and enforce a few from many of your constituents and they’re frightened by The West Valley View laws in your own jurisdiction. You’ve already overspent all of the bodies turning up in their neighborhoods. your budget for this fiscal year, so rather than squander- Others are alarmed by the bank robberies, burglaries, 1050 E. Riley Drive ing even more of the county taxpayers’ money on jobs meth houses and child stalkers. They want answers, and Avondale, AZ 85323 that aren’t yours to do, could you spend just a little on the they want to know they have a sheriff who puts their constituents you were elected to serve? interests ahead of the interests of people who live in cities April 4, 2008 We might be wrong, but it is our understanding the with their own police forces. two primary functions of the county sheriff are to serve and protect the people who live in unincorporated coun- Get back, Joe Joe — get back to where FROM THE JUDGE ty areas that aren’t served and protected by city police you once belonged departments, and to manage the county jail. Perhaps you arrested the murderers during those years This editorial doesn’t mince As a jailer, you’re doing a bang-up job, what with the when you weren’t talking to your West Valley con- its words. Edgy and pointed, green baloney, pink underwear, chain gangs, tent city and stituents. But, now that you’re talking to us again, how the letter appeals to the all. You’ve turned the Maricopa County Jail into the most about an update? How many people have you arrested for Sheriff to do his job. It direct- infamous detention center this side of Abu Ghraib. the murders of all of those victims? ly addressed the problem: the Although the victims might have been in this country Sheriff is spending too much How can we get a cup o’ Joe? illegally (we’re not even certain about that), we are all time helping Phoenix busi- However, if it’s not too much to ask, could you also equal in the eyes of the law. Even-more importantly, we start protecting and serving the folks who live in the unin- are all equal in the eyes of God. Those victims were ness owners root out illegal corporated county areas out here in the West Valley? human beings with families who loved them. They immigrants while murders, We understand the need to go after those undocu- deserve to have their murderers brought to justice. robberies, burglaries and mented day laborers, dish washers, motel maids, land- We understand your desire to crack down on illegal drug houses in his jurisdic- scape workers, et al., but it sure would be nice if you immigrants and help those Phoenix business owners who tion go unsolved. This editori- devoted some of that time, money and energy toward were beleaguered by day laborers. Nonetheless, the city al clearly and methodically solving some of the homicide cases in your jurisdiction. of Phoenix has its own police force. And if Phoenix busi- lays out the case against the What homicides? you ask. ness owners are unhappy with the job their police force is Sheriff and his dereliction of Well, the bodies have been stacking up like cordwood doing, they have an elected city council to whom to take duties. It speaks for the com- out here lately. Granted, not all of them are being dumped their grievances. If their elected representatives don’t munity when it calls upon in your jurisdiction, but many of the cases that popped up respond satisfactorily to their complaints, the people have the Sheriff to be accountable in your areas of responsibility date back a few years and recourse through the electoral process. and start serving the people we’re still waiting to hear that you’ve arrested — or even Protecting Phoenix isn’t your job, Sheriff Arpaio. of West Valley who elected identified — any suspects. Protecting the people who live in county areas is your job. him. There is no way Sheriff For example, here’s an item published in an April All we’re asking is that you do the job you were elected Arpaio could have missed 2003 issue of the West Valley View: “The nine ‘coyote’ to do before trying to police the areas that aren’t your this message. victims were found at different times in the West Valley responsibility. desert between March 2002 and March 5 of this year [2003]. Each of the victims was a Hispanic male shot Jim Painter can be contacted at Jim Painter also won Golden multiple times and dumped on a remote roadside. Eight [email protected]. Dozen awards in 1994, of them were left near Interstate 10 and Miller Road; the 2004, and 2006.

16 grassroots editor • summer 2009 The 34th annual Eugene Cervi Award he Eugene Cervi Award was brave accomplishment, however deserving, but for a career of outstanding established by ISWNE in public service through community journalism and for adhering to the 1976 to honor the memory of highest standards of the craft with the deep reverence for the English lan- T Eugene Cervi of the Rocky guage that was the hallmark of Gene Cervi’s writing. The award also rec- Mountain Journal in Denver by recogniz- ognizes consistently aggressive reporting of government at the grassroots ing a newspaper editor who has consistently level and interpretation of local affairs. acted in the conviction that “good journal- Following his death at 64 in 1970, the New York Times described Cervi as ism begets good government.” “one of the most outspoken voices in American journalism.” Today, sev- The award is presented not for a single eral ISWNE members still regard him as their “journalism conscience.” This Year’s Winner Is... Garrett Ray

arrett Ray became a journalist at age 11 and never broke the habit. During three childhood summers, Ray, his siblings and friends published a weekly mimeographed newspaper, The Neighborhood News, in Greeley, Colo. G He majored in journalism at the University of Colorado. After an internship on the Pueblo, Colo., Chieftain, he edited the campus Colorado Daily. After graduating in 1959, he worked as acting editor of the Bent County Democrat in Las Animas, Colo. After the editor returned from his first vacation in seven years, Ray moved on to the advertising staff of the Box Elder News and Journal in Brigham City, Utah. In 1961 he became a reporter on the Littleton, Colo., Independent and Arapahoe Herald. Five years later, Houstoun Waring and his partner, Edwin Bemis, sold the newspapers to Ray and his backshop partner, Vernon Bangert. With Waring, Ray co-founded the Littleton Press Council, and with Littleton’s city manager, he co-founded the Littleton Leadership retreat. Both were precursors of the “civic journalism” movement of the 1990s. Ray served as president of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors, the Colorado Press Association, and the Colorado chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was a Congressional Fellow in Washington, D.C., and a Knight Fellow at Stanford University. He received ISWNE’s Golden Quill award in 1980. After selling the newspapers in 1981, Ray produced local cable TV documentaries and a weekly interview program. In 1984 he joined the journalism faculty at Colorado State University, teaching media ethics as well as reporting, editing and management. He wrote the monthly “Editor’s Notebook” column for Publishers’ Auxiliary until his retire- ment from CSU in 2001. He holds two journalism degrees from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. from the University of Cardiff, Wales. He and his wife, Nina, a retired potter, live in Fort Collins, Colo. Both are active in the LaPorte Presbyterian Church. They have two grown chil- dren and eight grandchildren. He enjoys photography, hiking and folk music.

17 grassroots editor • summer 2009 AA fewfew wordswords fromfrom GarrettGarrett Ray’sRay’s supporterssupporters

paper as a youngster, and had been editor of the CU campus daily. Garrett should be considered Dean of fraternity We became acquainted with Garrett in the late 1970s when we printed our Canon City weekly and shopper at Garrett’s Littleton Independent. By Brian L. Steffens Garrett had joined the Independent as reporter in 1961. Former owner/pub- Executive Director lisher and ISWNE co-founder Houstoun “Hous” Waring could not have found a National Newspaper Association more promising gem to mentor. Hous turned over the reins to Garrett in 1966. He was editor and co-owner here are no doubt hundreds, even thousands, of smart, dedicated, until 1981. exceptional community-newspaper people all across America and Among Garrett’s many accomplishments was his creation of a community edi- other countries. For those who have made a substantial positive torial board. Through that sounding board Garrett was able to hone in on commu- impact on the community-newspaper industry far beyond their own nity issues from the vantage of multiple viewpoints. T hometowns, however, that is a much smaller fraternity. Garrett’s editorial-board concept has been adopted by community newspapers Garrett Ray should be considered Dean of that influential, collegial group. His nationwide strengthening their editorial viewpoints. classroom efforts in educating young people of the importance of community Through the years, Garrett shared his journalistic passion with Colorado Press newspapers to their communities and to the fabric of American democracy are Association committees and in leadership roles. He was CPA president in 1978. notable, but it’s Garrett’s contributions beyond the classroom that caught my atten- In 1984 he joined the journalism faculty at the Colorado State University tion nearly three decades ago ... and continue to earn my admiration to this day. Department of Journalism and Technical Communication, offering him another For many years Garrett conducted an annual week-long “journalist-in-resi- opportunity to develop ethical, responsible journalists. dence” program for his students at Colorado State University. But the real fun A late-1990s Canon City student at CSU, Bill Wilson III, said, “I would do began at the end of that week when dozens of community newspaper people anything for Garrett.” Bill explained that Garrett had been his professor and advis- would brave the sometimes-treacherous mountain passes to spend a weekend in er, and helped him find his way in journalism. Fort Collins learning and sharing with Garrett and his “visiting” co-teachers. “He was a tough grader. He’d knock you down one grade for a factual error, Having spent much of my professional time up to that point with larger daily wanting to drive home the importance of being correct.” Bill laughed, recalling papers, joining Garrett for one of those weekends proved inspirational and awe- that his professor promised if any student caught him in a grammatical error he’d inspiring. The commitment to each other — community newspaper people and give them a quarter. “He always kept quarters in his pocket, but I remember only Garrett’s “faculty” — the intensity of the learning experience, the comradeship once when I saw him have to ante up.” that Garrett fostered, were eye-opening. No office or corporate politics, no peck- Amy Satterfield, a former professor and senior lecturer who worked with ing order or hierarchy, just the joy of learning, sharing and trying to do things bet- Garrett, described him as a “truly ethical, kind, gentle man.” In fact, she often finds ter for hometown communities. herself judging issues on how Garrett might respond. “I know I’m not alone in That experience has never left me, nor has it for the hundreds of community- thinking that,” she said. “There are not that many people in your life you use as a newspaper people that Garrett has worked with and inspired, spreading that inspi- yardstick in measuring issues, but foremost, he is thoughtful and kind.” ration and dedication to hundreds or thousands of communities across America as At about the time Garrett wrapped up his career at CSU in 2001, he won the his colleagues, students and friends moved their careers across the country. “Keeper of the Flame Award” from the Colorado chapter of the Society for Garrett’s selflessness did not stop in Fort Collins. He’s been a frequent guest Professional Journalists. Not surprisingly, this award recognized his dedication to speaker or trainer just about everywhere in the U.S., a columnist for the Society of ethical, responsible journalism and professional integrity over the long haul. Professional Journalists’ Quill magazine (which I edited), and for the National We join legions of friends, peers, students and admirers in recommending Newspaper Association’s Publishers’ Auxiliary. His wit and wisdom have Garrett Ray for ISWNE’s highest honor, the Eugene Cervi Award. His recognition appeared in countless state press newsletters and several other industry publica- is long overdue. tions. It would be hard to imagine somewhere in this great country that Garrett has not touched a community, where that community is served by a community news- paper. ‘He has a great heart, he has a great mind’ I urge you to honor Garrett Ray with the Eugene Cervi Award for lifetime By Richard W. Lee achievement — knowing full well that Garrett has many more achievements up Professor Emeritus in Journalism his sleeve during his lifetime. Former Head, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication South Dakota State University Garrett Ray: the epitome of ethical journalism ISWNE Executive Director, 1992-99

By Guy and Marcia Wood t came as something of a surprise that Garrett Ray had not received the Angel Fire, N.M. Eugene Cervi Award. Garrett had so completely lived up to the standards of the award, that everyone thought that he had been presented the Cervi f one could put a face on ethical journalism, it would be Garrett Ray’s vis- Award ages ago. age. I The words “outstanding public service through community journalism” We’ve known of Garrett since the early 1960s through the University are indeed the hallmark of Dr. Ray in four areas: of Colorado School of Journalism, where both of us were students. ¥ Service as a weekly editor, specifically as the editor of the Littleton (CO) I Professor Bob Rhode and others often touted recent graduate Garrett Ray Independent; as an example of journalism’s finest. What they didn’t tell us was that Garrett’s ¥ Service to ISWNE as president, historian and link with Greenslade Bursary mom had been editor at the Greeley (Colo.) Tribune, that he’d had his own news- editors;

18 grassroots editor • summer 2009

¥ Service to all community newspapers through his columns in Publishers’ Auxiliary and Grassroots Editor; Garrett always has time to discuss journalism ¥ Service as a professor of journalism at Colorado State University by setting high standards for writing, ethics and community service. By Lee Anne Peck As the editor of the Littleton Independent, Garrett took the reins from one of Assistant Professor the nation’s great weekly editors, Houstoun Waring. I didn’t know Garrett during School of Communication those years, but I did have a great sense of the Independent because I spent two University of Northern Colorado weeks in Littleton studying the Independent’s publisher, Ed Bemis. Garrett upheld the Independent’s great tradition as a community newspaper with a staunch back- ow exciting that Garrett is being honored! bone and a great heart. He won the Golden Quill Award in 1980 while he was edi- I was Garrett’s teaching assistant for both news writing and tor of the Independent. It goes without saying that his writing would match the media ethics in the late 1980s while I was working on a master’s standards set by Eugene Cervi. degree at Colorado State University and also working at the Fort His service to the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors is mon- H Collins Coloradoan. I have always been able to discuss journalism umental. He was president in 1975. The pages of Grassroots Editor and the ethics with him — he was my first mentor in that area of study! He always had a ISWNE Web site are sprinkled with articles he wrote, often great sketches of smile for me and great words of wisdom when it came to discussing the newsroom ISWNE giants. During my time as the ISWNE director he was key in arranging and the way it operates, regarding questions of right and wrong. for Greenslade Bursary editors. Because Garrett had spent several years in Cardiff He and his wife, Nina, have become friends over the years, and I just had cof- earning a Ph.D. at the University of Wales, he had built excellent contacts with fee with Garrett over spring break. I still go to him for advice — now that I am British weekly editors. His friendship with the likes of Lou Cummins led to great teaching full-time at a university and teaching media ethics, too. He always has years of Greenslade editors. He, working with Don Brod and Bob Horowitz, put time to discuss journalism. together in 1995 one of ISWNE’s most notable conferences — visiting the four capitals of the British Isles (London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Dublin) on a 16-day Garrett took a personal interest in his students swing. Over the years Garrett has served the community press in exceptional ways. By Greg Luft His columns for years in Publishers’Auxiliary covered a myriad of subjects essen- Professor and Chair tial to editors. The fact that he continued to do them along with his regular work Department of Journalism and Technical Communication is testimony to his devotion. Likewise, he spent time on the lecture circuit — we Colorado State University had him here at South Dakota State two different times — doing daylong seminars for editors and students about ethics, about obituaries, about quality journalism. lease consider this an enthusiastic endorsement of Garrett Ray as this The lectures told me how good Garrett was in the classroom as a journalism year’s winner of the Eugene Cervi Award for lifetime achievement. I professor at Colorado State University. Colorado State’s journalism program is worked with Garrett for a number of years, and due to that experi- accredited and aims at producing community reporters and editors. It fit Garrett P ence, along with the many stories that have come from students over perfectly. the years about his knowledge, generosity, and kind spirit, I cannot All of this recommendation is about professional accomplishments, but there think of a more deserving newspaperman, teacher, and human being. needs to be a paragraph that says Garrett Ray is the genuine stuff. He has a great Garrett Ray was one of the finest teachers we have had in the Department of heart, he has a great mind, he is a great journalist. And he cares! Journalism and Technical Communication at Colorado State University. As a for- What more can you ask in a candidate for the Cervi Award? mer newspaper owner, Garrett taught a variety of courses, including news writing, reporting, media management and media ethics. He was superb in each and every class. Students adored him for his common-sense approach to teaching, his calm Garrett’s columns imparted clear, concise wisdom demeanor, and his kind yet demanding lessons and expectations. Garrett’s long-term experience in the newspaper industry started as a 10-year- By Stan Schwartz old, when he got together with his friends and siblings to produce the Managing Editor Neighborhood News. He was editor of the campus paper at the University of Publishers’ Auxiliary Colorado in Boulder, and then became a longtime newspaper editor and owner. All of this prepared him extremely well for teaching. hen I first started with Publishers’Auxiliary in 1985, Garrett Garrett’s most profound contributions in the classroom came as the result of Ray was already an established columnist for the paper. He taking a personal interest in students. For those who were interested in the news- had started writing just five years before. But that was not paper industry, Garrett was a wise, sage, and caring mentor. He took interest in stu- near the beginning of his career. He had spent many years dents who invested their time and effort, and today continues to stay in touch with W running the Littleton Independent in Colorado. At the tail end many of those students, both in and outside the changing newspaper industry, pro- of that career, he began to share his expertise and insights as an editor with all viding advice and sometimes reviews of their work. I always enjoy talking with National Newspaper Association members. Garrett, and rarely forget to ask if he’d be willing to return to teach our beginning I looked up to Garrett because of the clear, concise wisdom he imparted every news-writing class, where I believe he used to make an outstanding difference for month. He paid me the highest compliment early in my career. Unable to attend entry-level journalism students. Garrett never fails to smile and politely decline the the annual meeting of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors invitation, in favor of spending more time with his family, and particularly his being held in Atlanta that year Garrett wrote that my report about what occurred grandchildren. during the conference made him feel as though he had been there. In addition to teaching, Garrett brought numerous professionals to campus and I was saddened to learn in 2001, that Garrett would be retiring from writing for perhaps made his mark most impressively in the course focusing on media ethics. PubAux. It was in this class that Garrett’s experience came to play most strikingly. Teaching Garrett’s vast experience and willingness to help made him a valuable friend, an ethics class requires having ethics, and Garrett certainly had that covered. He not only to me, but also to all NNA members who read his column. had a tremendous sense of what was right and wrong, and could easily tie that into I was happy to learn that he was being nominated for the Eugene Cervi Award. his lectures and discussions on the news business. Garrett was often nominated for He truly deserves the honor. teaching awards while at CSU, and in 2001 earned the Keeper of the Flame Award from the Colorado chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, granted for

19 grassroots editor • summer 2009

his dedication to ethical, responsible journalism, and professional integrity over editor, but he was a gentleman first. He would calmly explain why the event or the long haul. incident was newsworthy. Garrett completed his doctoral program at the University of Cardiff in Wales When my husband, Cary Stiff, and I founded a newspaper in Georgetown, during a sabbatical from 1991 to 1992, and although that degree required consid- Colo., 10 years after I first walked into the office of The Independent, Garrett was erable academic research, teaching was his true passion. Because of his long a valuable source of advice. We called him up one day when we weren’t sure how career in the business, combined with his years as a professor, Garrett Ray is well to play the story about the town librarian who was accused of molesting young known among Colorado journalists, and certainly deserves the International boys in the library basement. Our first instinct was to run it on the front page. We Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors’ award. knew we had to cover it. Everybody in town had heard something over the back- yard fence, and it was legitimate news. Gene Cervi’s great-nephew joins chorus for Garrett Garrett agreed that we had to run the story. “But take it off the front page,” he said. He was right. It was a sensitive situation. People in small communities read By Joe E. Cervi the whole paper, anyway, and there was no need to clobber someone who was — Deputy Sports Editor so far — only accused of a sex crime by putting it on the front page. We did what The Pueblo (Colo.) Chieftain Garrett had suggested, and we got positive feedback about the way we handled the story when the paper came out. There were many other times when Cary and I t is with great pleasure that I support and recommend Garrett Ray for the relied on Garrett’s experience and good sense. Eugene Cervi Award. This award, presented by the International Society of It is my feeling that ISWNE would be hard-pressed to find someone more Weekly Newspaper Editors, recognizes those who have devoted their lives deserving of the Cervi Award than Garrett Ray. I would like to give him my high- to the profession of journalism and the importance of weekly newspapers est recommendation. I in our country. No person deserves this award more than Garrett Ray. Always the champion Former student needs his advice more than ever of the smaller newspapers, Garrett never let the size of a newspaper dictate its cov- erage or serve as a crutch for fundamental writing and reporting. No one has more By Clay Lambert respect for quality journalism, the written word, and the smudges of ink on Editorial Director newsprint than Garrett. Wick Communications On a personal note, Garrett was my adviser at Colorado State University. He more than once kept me from bailing out of J-School, and kept me focused on arrett Ray was a part of my life only briefly, but I still feel his sub- becoming a better writer, editor and person. I think of Garrett often as I enter my tle touch more than 20 years later. If memory serves, he set up shop 20th year in the profession. I also curse him sometimes as I continue the search for as a journalism professor at Colorado State University in the mid- my voice. I learned long ago to tell it like it is, and in a way that people could dle of my less-than-storied five-year stumble toward a four-year understand and enjoy. He said my style — and personality — were much like that G degree. I was a writer at the daily student newspaper at the time, of my late great-uncle Gene Cervi. Garrett often told me stories of my uncle, and and, befitting that lofty place in the world, saw myself as The Next Big Thing. By said he saw plenty of Gene in me. 1985, I was elevated to the editor position at the Rocky Mountain Collegian. That Again, it is with great pride that I submit to you my support of Garrett Ray for is how I began to learn that I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was. this award. It is long overdue and much deserved. I was a jumble of friendships, hormones, class responsibilities, and fatigue from near- full-time work at the college newspaper. Fires erupted in my life as if ‘A fighting editor, but a gentleman first’ by spontaneous combustion. Tinder was everywhere. I was a boy becoming a man. Suffice it to say that Garrett was among the more gentle of the forces at work on By Carol Wilcox my career and psyche. I recall quiet talks in his office. We talked about journal- ism, mostly. (I remember an episode in which a political-science instructor was first met Garrett and Nina Ray when I was a cub reporter at The Littleton accused of sexual harassment. Garrett helped me navigate that minefield.) But he Independent in Colorado and Garrett was the editor. It was 1963. I had also taught me things he never really mentioned. He was an example of a good recently come back to the States from Europe, where I spent two years man — a learned, curious guy with a bemused, easy smile — who had made a path learning French at the Alliance Française at night and pretending to be through a career in journalism that (to the best of my knowledge) never traveled I Ernestina Hemingway during my day job. through Washington or New York or Los Angeles. I wasn’t ready to trade After a few weeks at the Independent, I began to realize that Garrett had a fin- Woodward and Bernstein dreams for life at a weekly just yet, of course. ger on the pulse of nearly everything going on in Littleton and Arapahoe County. I graduated and set off on a career in daily newspapers. I wrote and edited for He always knew what the city council, school board and county commissioners papers in the Gannett and Cox chains. I rode in presidential motorcades, I covered were up to. He knew about special districts and what they were allowed to do. the Olympics, I was briefly quarantined for anthrax. And I sort of loved it, but life Special district — what’s that? changed and the business changed too. Eventually, I moved across country to Besides knowing all about government, Garrett also knew which local sports California and set up shop with another daily, where I found that the job I loved teams were on winning streaks. He could write a respectable sports story, and I wasn’t the same anymore. You probably know that story. was in awe of him, because sports was not my métier. He was my mentor, and I One day, on a whim, I answered an ad for an editor’s position at the Half Moon learned things about community journalism that aren’t in textbooks. I also learned Bay Review. It’s a longstanding weekly south of San Francisco in a place too beau- an awful lot about water and sewer plants, fires, car accidents and getting great tiful for any travel brochure to capture. I got the job, and it was instantly a revela- stuff out of the police and sheriff. I won’t forget the rich experience of working tion. People hailed me on the street to talk about the current issue. The mayor with Garrett at the Independent. He was patient and forgiving when we neophytes howled at my editorials. Mothers thanked me for the spread on little Sally’s bas- made mistakes, too. ketball team. I found that thing I saw in Garrett’s eyes all those years ago. I found I remember that many readers were appreciative of the paper’s aggressive pride in true ownership of a product that means something to people. I found that newsgathering. And I recall how a few who didn’t understand what journalism is the things we write about are at once less important than the things I wrote about supposed to be about came into the office to give us a large piece of their minds at those big dailies — and infinitely more so. when they didn’t like something. In the two years I worked at the Independent as I’m still the managing editor at the Review. And last year I was promoted to a general assignment reporter, I never saw Garrett lose his cool. He was a fighting editorial director for the parent company, Wick Communications. As such, I have

20 grassroots editor • summer 2009

a supervisory role for about 30 community newspapers across the country. I have eral thousand dollars in education loans was almost certain to seek employment in found that I need Garrett’s advice more than ever, so I recently re-established my other organizations. friendship with him. Who else would I turn to for advice but my old professor, the Outstanding editors are also effective teachers, of their colleagues and their one with the kindly eyes and ready praise? communities. Garrett is one of these. His fellow professionals had recognized that Thanks for taking the time to read this ramble. I sincerely hope you are able to he was special when they chose him as president of the Colorado Press honor Garrett for a lifetime spent making the world make sense for people like me. Association. Publishers’ Auxiliary did so by inviting him to contribute a regular column. And Colorado State did so when we asked him to join our faculty as Garrett set standard for community journalism director of our news-editorial major. Garrett set out to close the gap in expecta- tions wherever he found it by educating students and employers alike. One of his By Roy G. Robinson first assignments was to serve as internship professor. This involved matching stu- Publisher/Vice President dents for summer jobs with a professional organization in the field they hoped to Graham Newspapers, Inc. enter after graduation. He was outstanding in that role, especially at teaching stu- Graham, Texas dents what professionals expected, and in coaching professionals to realize that they were more than supervisors, that they were temporarily off-campus adjunct t has been my distinct pleasure to have known, and to have served with, professors, and that part of their job was to recruit talent into the newspaper field. Garrett Ray for more than four decades. He was superb at both tasks. As publisher and editor of the Littleton Independent, before his transi- Garrett’s background and teaching instincts made him an excellent classroom tion to the academic profession, Garrett set the standard for community and laboratory instructor. When IBM chose to place a world-class desktop pub- I journalism in Colorado and beyond. His consistent recognition for excel- lishing lab in our department, we were delighted, but also somewhat daunted in lence in every phase of weekly newspaper publishing was envied by his peers and those days when few of us were familiar with computers. Garrett seized the oppor- admired by his readers and advertisers. tunity to learn, and he became a fellow student, teaching as he learned. Students As a longtime board member and officer, including president, of the Colorado found his enthusiasm irresistible. Press Association, his professionalism and attention to detail helped guide the Garrett demonstrated excellence in yet another area of professorial obligation. association through difficult transitions. Besides teaching and engaging in public service, university professors are expect- As a professor of community journalism, Garrett was able to share first-hand ed to contribute to the body of knowledge in their field. Garrett’s curiosity about experience and to inspire students to excel. the social importance of community newspapers led him to the United Kingdom, Garrett Ray is a consummate professional, an accomplished journalist, a faith- where he spent a sabbatical year researching ways in which community papers in ful family leader, and a sincere friend. His credentials are absolutely impeccable. Great Britain serve their publics. In the process he earned his Ph.D. in a little more Certainly he is deserving of the Eugene Cervi Award. than one year’s time, a remarkable accomplishment. More important, what he learned gave him greater insight, which he passed on to students upon his return. Garrett demonstrated excellence in many areas I could write at greater length about Garrett’s talents in the classroom, but I think you get the idea. And I know you agree that we all have been blessed to have him By David G. Clark in our midst as friend and colleague. Former Chair of the Colorado State University Journalism Department Thank you for the opportunity of speaking in his behalf. Former Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the Colorado State University System am delighted to endorse the nomination of Garrett Ray for the Cervi Big-box mall? from page 11 Award. Recognizing him in this way will bestow dual honors — one for Garrett and one for ISWNE for choosing him. My campus association with Garrett as friend and colleague has given in, those kinds of businesses often suffer or disappear altogether. I me great appreciation for his many abilities, and I should like to share a bit Locally-owned businesses give back to the community in ways that big of the background I know. business — driven by a bottom line — does not. On college campuses, for a period after Watergate, many journalism students New Scotland resident Jenna Shillinglaw writes us this week about in news-editorial (newspaper) majors aspired to follow the Bernstein-Woodward how disheartened she is by suburban sprawl and she reminisces over her model into investigative reporting. Who could blame them, after so many nega- childhood home in Glens Falls where she could walk to school, church, tive revelations at the national level? parks, friends’ houses, and the library. However, from his start as a professor at Colorado State University, Garrett “I believe,” writes Shillinglaw, “that the town has a unique opportu- Ray’s philosophy was that the greatest service, and most realistic aspiration for nity to define our future landscape and avoid looking like some of our graduates entering the profession, lies in the day-to-day coverage of events in neighboring towns that have built haphazardly at the whim of big stores, thousands of local communities. In those towns and cities the American dream big developers, big builders, big egos, and big paychecks.” takes root, flourishes, and eventually transforms for the better the conduct of state Shillinglaw’s vision sounds much like that espoused by the architects and national affairs. Decades of community journalism as reporter, editor, and who coined the term New Urbanism, outlining their plan in their 2000 publisher had taught him that. book, Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the At the same time, Garrett realized that a gap existed between student aspira- American Dream. We like their two major precepts — building commu- tion and what some publishers seemed to want. In the 1970s and early 1980s it nities that welcome a range of household incomes, and creating places was not uncommon for a publisher to have expectations that did not coincide with where people can walk to work and shop. Replacing our car-driven the Woodstein ideal. A typical weekly publisher’s request for a new grad was sprawls with walkable communities where businesses are built next to almost sure to specify one or more of these features: good spelling, interviewing, homes is a worthwhile goal. and reporting skills essential; car, no mileage allowance provided (though housing New Scotland, with so much undeveloped land, has a chance to do it might be, on a cot in the pressroom, Wednesday nights possibly excepted); bene- right. We hope it seizes the day. fits nil, opportunities unlimited (see Mark Twain, Ben Franklin, et. al.); and not much chance for advancement. Faced with those criteria, a good student with sev- Melissa Hale-Spencer can be contacted at [email protected].

21 grassroots editor • summer 2009 LookingLooking throughthrough thethe lettersletters fromfrom aa GeorgiaGeorgia prisonprison By Garrett Ray Prison. It really touched me. And, unlike all the let- You know the rest. It was identical, almost word Editor’s Notebook ters we’d received before, it had a local angle. for word, to the first letter. Publishers’ Auxiliary “I am writing to you because I was born in I decided I had better write to the warden of the July 14, 1980 Littleton, but my parents moved away when I was prison before publishing the letters from the two 16,” the young man wrote. “My parents were killed local men. The reply came quickly. like to think I’m no more hard-hearted than in an automobile accident when I was 17. I lived in Here’s what the assistant warden said about the most community newspaper editors. I sel- a foster home until I reached the age of 18. writer of the first letter — the one whose parents dom kick dogs, even on Wednesday nights. I “I am now incarcerated in prison and have never were killed in the wreck: I have kissed a baby occasionally. felt more lonely in my life. I don’t have anyone to “The inmate is serving multiple sentences for But I have been hard-hearted when it write to nor anyone to write to me,” he continued. “I burglary, escape and voluntary manslaughter. He comes to running letters from convicts. believe that some of my relatives still live in or was born in Georgia. His mother and father, three We get one or two a month. They’re usually around Littleton...I also would like to correspond brothers and two sisters-in-law reside in the state. handwritten. They plead for a sympathetic penpal. with anyone as a penpal who lives in or around His girlfriend also resides in Georgia. All these indi- They speak of loneliness and long, boring days and Littleton. I am a white male, but loneliness picks no viduals do visit him on a regular basis.” the need for human companionship — even the kind certain age...” And here are the facts about the second man — that comes with a 15-cent stamp from 1,000 miles It was too good to throw away. I could tell the the one whose parents left him at the age of six: away. time had come to bend my “no publication” policy. I “He is serving multiple sentences for burglary, I know that some of my colleagues around the marked the letter for typesetting, put a headline on it aggravated assault and motor vehicle theft. He was county routinely print these letters to the editor. I can and got it ready for publication. born in Georgia. His mother and stepfather, his understand why. There’s no mistaking the reality of But before the next issue of the paper, something father, his two brothers and three sisters, and his wife the loneliness and sense of isolation. surprising happened. We got a letter from another and daughter all reside in Georgia. He receives visits But we have no way to judge the sincerity or inmate at the same prison. from them regularly.” honesty of the men who write. I am reluctant to pull “I was born in Littleton and lived there with my So our readers won’t see those letters from the my readers into correspondence that might be a con- parents until I was six years old,” he said. “When I “Littleton boys” in our paper after all. And I’m read- fidence game. Am I being overly paternalistic? Too was 6 my parents moved away and left me, and I was ing letters to the editor a lot more carefully these protective? Unfair to the prisoners? Maybe so. placed in foster homes until I became of age. days. I had to rethink my position this month when I “I am now incarcerated in prison and never felt got a letter from an inmate at the Georgia State more lonely in my life...”

Garrett Ray in 2002, playing the dulcimer at a Garrett Ray (left) and ISWNE founder H.R. Long (center) at an early ISWNE conference. relative's home in North Carolina.

22 grassroots editor • summer 2009

Garrett Ray (back row, second from left) met some ISWNE heavyweights at a conference in the late 1960s, including Richard Taylor (back row, far left), Hazel Brannon Smith (back row, center), Wheeler Mayo (front row, left), Kieth Howard (front row, second from left), and H.R. Long (front row, second from right).

GENE CERVI AWARD WINNERS 2009 Garrett Ray, Fort Collins, Colo.. 1990 Karl Monroe, Collinsville (Ill.) Herald 2008 Burt and Ursula Freireich, Litchfield Park, Ariz. 1989 William Rotch, Milford (N.H.) Cabinet 2007 Guy & Marcia Wood, Angel Fire, N.M. 1988 Bruce Brugmann, 2006 No award given San Francisco Bay Guardian 2005 Frank Wood, De Pere, Wis. 1987 James Russell Wiggins, Ellsworth (Maine) American 2004 Frank Garred, The Port Townsend Leader, Port Townsend, Wash. B. Freireich 1986 Rollin McCommons, Athens (Ga.) Observer 2003 Gary & Helen Sosniecki, The Lebanon Daily Record, Lebanon, Mo. 1985 McDill (Huck) Boyd, Phillips County Review, 2002 Bill Meyer, Marion County Record, Phillipsburg, Kan. Marion County, Kan. 1984 Richard McCord, 2001 Marg Hennigar, Lighthouse Publishing, Santa Fe (N.M.) Reporter Lunenburg, Nova Scotia 1983 Homer Marcum, 2000 Allan A. Seiler, The Pike Press, U. Freireich The Martin Countian, Inez, Ky. Pittsfield, Ill. 1982 Kieth Howard, 1999 No award given Yellow Springs (Ohio) News 1998 Jack Authelet, Foxboro (Mass.) Reporter 1981 Edward DeCourcy, 1997 Carol Wilcox & Cary Stiff, Newport (N.H.) Argus Champion Clear Creek Courant, Idaho Springs, Colo. 1980 Robert Estabrook, 1996 Charlotte & Marvin Schexnayder, Lakeville (Conn.) Journal Dumas (Ark.) Clarion F. Garred 1979 Houstoun Waring, 1995 No award given Littleton (Colo.) Independent 1994 Jim MacNeill, The Eastern Graphic, 1978 Tom Leathers, The Squire, Jim MacNeill, the father of Montague, Prince Edward Island Kansas City, Mo. 2009 conference host Paul MacNeill, won ISWNE's 1993 Bob Bliss, The Montgomery County News, 1977 Charles & Virginia Russell, two most prestigious Hillsboro, Ill. Dewitt County Observer, Clinton, Ill. awards in 1994: the Cervi 1992 Robert Trapp, Rio Grande Sun, Espanola, N.M. 1976 Blair Macy, and the Golden Quill. He M. Hennigar Keene Valley Sun, Kennesburg, Colo. died May 16, 1998, at the 1991 Henry Gay, Shelton-Mason County Journal, age of 62. Shelton, Wash. 23 grassroots editor • summer 2009 SpareSpare time?time? GoneGone beforebefore youyou blinkblink By Garrett Ray Editor’s Notebook Publishers’ Auxiliary Feb. 8, 1982

ast month I went to a movie on a Monday afternoon, and I went ski- ing on a Thursday. Incredible; but since last November I have been “semi-retired” from the weekly newspaper business. When you have measured your life by newspaper deadlines for L two decades or more, how does it feel when you no longer have to meet a daily or weekly deadline? Suddenly it is not an academic question. After 20 years with a community twin-weekly, we sold the paper last spring. Within six months I discovered how hard it is to be a soldier in someone else’s army after being the general in your own. So I chose to step out last November, away from deadlines, constantly ringing telephones and lunch meetings. I look at this new pattern not as retirement but as a bridge to a new career, still not clearly defined. Do I miss the pressure? Not a bit. It might be different for other editors. How you feel about no longer being an editor depends on your answers to some important questions: How is your health? Did you leave voluntarily? Do you have money for a tran- sition period? How much of your self-image is wrapped in newsprint? What preparation have you made for the change? I had a taste of “retirement” eight years ago during a year off to return to col- lege. When I had no regular responsibilities to my staff and community. I felt like Garrett Ray in 1982, hosting the local cable TV series, "Garrett Ray's People" a non-person. It was scary and depressing. It took nearly three months for me to learn that there is more to life — even my life — than deadlines. I’ve tried to So I said “yes” to every new opportunity that looked interesting. A chapter for remember that. an academic book? Any time! Two TV scripts about local history? When do I start! So when I stepped out of An editors’ conference? Workshops for writers? Sure! Lots of time! active leadership at the If my intent was to keep so busy that I would not feel the pain of separation, I Littleton Independent last have succeeded admirably. But in all these new tasks, what happened to that time year, I was careful not to fall for contemplation and relaxation that I had looked forward to? into that old trap. Instead, I Surprisingly, I have found some time — not as much as I would like, but fell into a new one. enough to make a significant change in the pace of my life. I suddenly had the free- The nicest feature of the new pattern is blocks of time that can be several hours dom to do whatever I chose long instead of only a few minutes. I can concentrate on one piece of reading or to do, every day. And what I writing for an entire afternoon if that’s what it takes. I can’t remember the last time chose to do, almost uncon- I enjoyed that luxury as a newspaper editor. sciously, was to fill every I work mostly at home. My wife, a potter, also works at home. “Don’t you get hour with new activities. I in each other’s way?” we are asked. We do not. I help more with household chores must have dreaded the but I try not to intrude on my wife’s decision-making turf. She reminds me when prospect of not “doing some- I cross that line. And enjoying a mid-morning cup of coffee together is a luxury, thing constructive.” I must not an interruption. have feared that once again, I All in all, this “in-between” period in my life feels good. I no longer reach 6:30 would be the man without an p.m. feeling exhausted or frantic or both. I’m not bored; if anything, I’m still too identity. busy. There were some fixed If this sounds great to you, please resist the temptation to call it “30” next pieces to the new life: I would week. For you it could be different. Having some plans and some financial secu- write the monthly Editor’s rity when you make the change are necessities. Notebook for Publishers’ Also, your life may be in better order already than mine was. You may have a Auxiliary, as well as a weekly comfortable balance between work and play, busyness and stargazing. If so, hang column and an editorial for in there with the deadlines. You have the luxury of a career with challenge, reward the Independent. But that and stimulation. And if you begin to burn out, here’s a tip to restore the freshness: Every now Garrett Ray in 1957, covering a coroner's inquest load seemed like nothing and then, shut off the typewriter and go to the movies. On a Monday afternoon. while an intern at the Pueblo (Colo.) Chieftain compared to what I had been doing.

24 grassroots A journal editor for newspeople Published by the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors

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