|
|
 |
||||||
|
Opinion An Independent Attitude Week's events rejuvenate columnist Sometimes so much goes on one doesn't know where to begin; this is one of those weeks ... Well, maybe not.
I need to thank some people who took over this space for a couple of weeks to give me a break. Love the column, but a break is nice. I appreciate that Joel White took the space to discuss the economic situation in counter point with Kathie Greer. Both of these writers held up their ends of the argument nicely and inherited the proud mantle of American discourse in the media. It is all too rare today to see the civil discussion these two folks undertook; I hope our readers enjoyed it and felt better for it. Thanks also to William Seewald who has taken over this space on the first Thursday of each month and brings not only a worldly insight but a superb turn of phrase. Adding to being re-energized from the break, I am also energized by the story we broke last week about Potter County Commissioner Joe Kirkwood and his use of VISTA workers at Cornerstone Outreach Center. More will be coming out on this, I am sure, including some details found elsewhere in this issue. The other boost I got from this story was the recognition by someone I highly respect — John Terry — with whom I spent two hours Monday. It was the second or third time I was on his show; I appreciate how he respects the Indy and the value of its reporting. During the show, I pointed out that we got a full response to our federal Freedom of Information request, and the documents backed the article. You can read more about those details in this issue. Also, during the show, we got some interesting calls. One of the callers wanted to frame the work we did as an anti-religious crusade against Cornerstone and Kirkwood. I pointed out on the show that I've been active in the Episcopal Church for 25 years. Actually, it's longer than that. Anyone who tries to call me anti-religious or anti-Christian is way off base. But one of the things I didn't get to point out is that I am also not anti-Cornerstone. I think organizations like Cornerstone can do good work for a community. The VISTA workers there were dedicated to helping people, and it's too bad some of the work they did wasn't appropriate. Further, I also didn't get to tell the people who came forward how proud I was of them. It took real courage to come forward, and many expressed concern that Kirkwood might retaliate against them. I told them that if there were cases of retaliation, we'd report that too. These folks have done a service to the taxpayer by pointing out how public resources have been undermined. And they have pointed to questions about the character of a public official. And, if I may, public officials should be held to a higher standard of conduct. So should members of the clergy. It's more important than ever these days for us to have elected officials who perform their jobs with integrity —we've certainly not seen that at the national level. Nor, it seems, at the local level. Why is it more important these days, as if it hasn't been important in the past? It seems to me, the stakes have become so much higher. Local governments are making decisions that have bigger impacts on our lives. How so? Well, let's start with the decision many years ago to use tax money to establish the Amarillo Economic Development Corp., and that agency's use of millions in tax dollars to lure business to our area. Then establishment of the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, which would be the catalyst for redeveloping downtown Amarillo. And then the newly created Downtown Amarillo, Inc. which will hire an executive for a five-figure salary. You can bet that's the start of another local bureaucracy and another reason for us to hang on to our wallets. Look, folks, I am not on a witch hunt or vendetta against Joe Kirkwood. My mentors were old line old time journalists who knew that a vigilant media serve society well. It keeps politicians and institutions honest, and it protects the little guy. Those are the values we should revere. George Schwarz: Editor and publisher of the Amarillo Independent. george@amarilloindy.com. E-mail
comments about this story Posted: Oct. 9, 2008 |
|
 |
