While the waning 2012 Olympic Games were held in London, that doesn’t mean there weren’t some medal-winning performances at home.
Standing tall as the platinum medal for arrogance-by-an-executive-in-charge-of-an-increasingly-irrelevant-though-once-monopolistic-source-of-news-in-the-county is John Lynch.
“Uncle” John is the CEO of “Papa” Doug Manchester’s U-T, the county’s largest newspaper. Since the two have taken over the business they’ve attempted to give the paper’s headquarters a makeover by installing a digital sign and an auto museum. In both instances the city of San Diego questioned whether the U-T had the right permits. And in both instances Lynch has barked back at city officials or reporters. Regarding the sign, Lynch reportedly suggested his paper write a story describing how anti-business the city of San Diego is. And when a journalist called Lynch to inquire about the auto museum he told him to “get a life.”
Yes, nothing instills confidence in a newspaper’s commitment to transparency and “watchdog journalism” like one of its top executives dismissing the notion that it has to play by the same rules as everyone else. Along with his platinum hardware, Lynch should also be given a case of Arrogant Bastard ale for his remarkable public relations prowess.
Receiving the gold for finally-hashing-out-district-elections-details-in-relatively-amiable-fashion is the entire Chula Vista City Council. It’s a bittersweet presentation. Their melodramatic spats and bickering on the dais makes for good entertainment. But Tuesday’s six-plus- hour council session was devoid of that. Instead they worked together and hammered out the final revisions to a November ballot proposal that will ask residents to decide if they want to vote in district elections. So what if it took them most of the day to play nice? Done deal. Now it’s up to the voters.
Winning a silver in the same category but different event is Mayor Cheryl Cox.
The mayor’s performance in keeping the meeting flowing was nearly flawless. But as the day dragged on and her colleagues’ questions seemed to be either redundant or pointless, it was evident her patience was thinning. You can’t blame her really. At times it appears dealing with four different personalities, egos and political agendas on the council dais can be taxing. Some days she must feel as though she’s a principal again, corralling school kids and keeping them focused.
There’s an old saying: Never let them see you sweat. While Cox wasn’t sweating the meeting, her colleagues did appear at times to be getting under her skin and it showed. The political game calls for perfect performances. Tuesday Cox was nearly flawless. Nearly but not quite. Ah well, silver isn’t that bad.
