The D&C wasn't so giddy over reporting the resignation of Airport Director David Damelio that it forgot to push a key fact way down in its article. At the end, in fact.
It's that the airport operating budget, which Damelio tapped for cigars, "... is not directly subsidized by taxpayers."
Taxpayer funds pay for capital improvements at the airport, like buildings and runways, but not the operating budget, whis is at issue in this matter.
That fact would make a world of difference in reader perception and understanding of the story. That must be why the D&C pushed it down to the very last sentence of the story, buried on an interior page.
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Contributors
THE ALMANAC OF MONROE COUNTY POLITICS
4 comments:
David was not smart in the way that he handled the cigar purchases, no one can deny that. But, that does not change the reality of what the agenda of the newspaper is and was. This situation began the election of 2011 and the D&Cs all out effort to beat Maggie and deliver the legislature to the Democrats. It was very interesting that Karen Magnuson, in an editorial, pointed out that the story was the work of a hard digging journalist...BS! It was someone acting on a tip!
Why, with all of the potential areas of investigation in an airport, would you FOIL the credit card statements of the Director and pour through them...if someone did not tip him off to something as sinister as cigar purchases! Nothing in the story questioned lunches, travel, anything...cigars! Let me speculate on what happened. Someone, in a dispute with the airport over something (maybe some services provided where the Director was pushing back on a price increase) puts the reporter onto the issue to eliminate the Director. The side benefit is that they make it a Maggie story, even though it is arms length through the Authority. Then, after making it appear that it was taxpayer dollars and created the impression that they could not find anyone who smoked the cigars with him (bet they could have easily if they wanted) they make it a 4 day story by keeping a link to the old story on their website.
Last, they write an editorial saying the the Attorney General should investigate. The AG, the most potentially partisan politician in the State, should investigate the purchase of 21k in cigars over a three year period of time!
No agenda though...just fair, honest, unbiased reporting by a hard working reporter! What crap!!!
The basic thrust of what you're saying is right; ditto for Lucy's piece, but it doesn't matter.
Mr. Damelio blew it. I think I'll have to do a response to Lucy's piece to explain why.
Look for it tomorrow.
Bottom line: David Damelio is a public employee of Monroe County, paid for by taxpayer dollars. His actions were unethical. Regardless of the source of the money, it is public money for public benefit. No wonder there is no trust in government if the public condones this kind of behavior. He was wrong. He should have been fired. End of story.
Not really the end of the story. Check out Smugtown Beacon and Wilmot's "unnamed former GRIA employees" stories of other Damelio antics. This guy should be investigated by law enforcement and not allowed to walk away unscathed.
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