Extra “special”
First, the important news: It sounds like the mayor is going to ask that the public hearing on creating special districts be set for Sept. 13.
Secondly, um, I’m just going to confess I blew up at Lee Clemmensen in Council Chambers. Oh dear.
When other people have meltdowns in Chambers, I write about them, so for the record, this time, the testiness came from the silent “fly on the wall.” Oops. Fly got mad.
A while back, maybe a couple years, I was talking with Clemmensen in her home. A car key fell out of my pocket onto the floor, and it doesn’t look like a car key. It’s like a little black box, and Clemmensen thought it was a recorder.
Nope. I showed her how the key part clicks up, and that was that. As most people might figure, it isn’t ethical to record sources without their knowledge. My boss says it’s also illegal.
Today, Clemmensen accuses me of having recorded her that day. She found some device at Target that’s apparently the same kind I used that day.
Well, that accusation came after her complaints about this week’s story on the council meeting. More on that one in another post. And alongside the problem that I apparently incorrectly identified Councilman Jason Wiener in a blog post as a professor when he was just a teaching assistant.
Maybe I did; maybe he’s not; maybe if I did and it was wrong, a well-meaning reader would say then and there, “Yo. Correct this title. It’s assistant (or adjunct or whatever).”
So I got mad and told her she was “paranoid” about the key thing and I wouldn’t be subject to her allegations AND the meeting was over but chief finance director Brentt Ramharter and Councilman Roy Houseman were still in the room so I very much apologized to them for being unprofessional in Council Chambers and then called my boss and had a meltdown because reporters shouldn’t really be YELLING at citizens even when those citizens are pretty much accusing them of being unethical louses.
Houseman’s response, by the way? It’s a budget meeting.
The good news? Maybe I have high blood pressure now. Know what that means? Medical marijuana card! (Kidding. Don’t want one; don’t know if high blood pressure gets people cards.)
But if I’m going to record you, you’ll know. We don’t record in secret. OK?
Honestly, that meeting probably wasn’t a bad time to throw a little fit . I thought it was going to be a time for council folks to try to put some caps or restrictions on the special districts resolutions, but I guess that doesn’t happen until another meeting.
Instead, there were tiffs about meeting dates, and complaints the schedule meant the districts would be “rammed through” during summer break, and other stuff that wasn’t about shaping those new taxes at all. Maybe next time. The fly on the wall will let you know.
– Keila Szpaller
July 14th, 2010 at 7:40 pm
Your posts are entertaining and informative and real.I quibble with the word citizen, however. Unless you were “checking papers,” a better word is resident or constituent.My fanaticism, from my glass house.
Green tea … Breathe slowly and deeply!
Kathleen
July 14th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
I imagine you get a lot of flack… actually, i know. i’ve never lost faith in your reporting, ethics, or your general enthusiasm for the local government beat. i have a long list of people i wish i had blown up at and know i was on the cusp several times: Jean Curtiss, Linda Stoll, a deputy county attorney, Roger Millar, 75% of the city council, most opponents to the zoning rewrite, and a reporter for the “other” paper…among others (how’s that for full disclosure?). i think in the line of business regarding local government frustration and blow ups are perfectly natural/normal.
keep plugging!
July 15th, 2010 at 9:37 am
I value professionalism in others and myself when it serves to make the world better. Once, long ago, when I was at MRA, there was a heated discussion with a couple of City Council members (no longer on Council)about a Mountain Line issue. I believed what they wanted to do was foolish and harmful to Mountain Line and they couldn’t be convinced otherwise. Later, some of the MRA staff asked if I thought it was wise to yell at elected officials. My behavior was embarrassing and I apologized to the Council people, but sometimes things get away from us. It’s being human. Acknowledging the lapse, learning from it, apologizing and moving on to the next thing is best.
July 16th, 2010 at 9:41 am
To those familiar with the object of your aggression, it’s perfectly normal and completely expected…Ms. Clemmensen is less than cordial, most of the time.