Print this story |
E-mail story |
This story has 26 comments Add your own |
iPod friendly | Bookmark this
What is this?
Endorsing part of Tribune's responsibility
Published Saturday, November 1, 2008
Every year, I get asked the same question, though it may vary just a bit.
“Why in the world does the Tribune endorse candidates in local elections? Do you like having people mad at you?”
And the answer is always the same: Of course not, but we feel the newspaper has a tremendous responsibility to our readers and Lawrence County’s citizens to take a stand in political races that could have dramatic impacts on our communities.
After all, we will hold our elected officials accountable for their actions once in office so it only makes sense that we weigh in on who we think is the best candidate before they get there.
An important point to realize is that the editorial board — managing editor Rick Greene and myself — really aren’t telling someone who to vote for. What we are saying is that this is who, in our opinion, will best serve the voters.
Are we always right? Of course not. Are we ever right? Who knows?
But I can assure you that the endorsements are based solely on our assessment of the candidates and their qualifications. There are no ulterior motives, no hidden agendas or party affiliations.
We meet with each candidate in select races and spend time trying to get inside his or her head and find out what makes them tick. We also consider information from candidate forums, campaign material, track records, news articles and other public activities.
This year, our endorsements were especially difficult because we have many quality candidates looking to serve the public. In some cases, the differences between candidates were minimal when their strengths and weaknesses were compared.
Ultimately, we endorsed the candidates who we believed could move the county forward and a big part of what led us to this was experience.
We would have loved to have endorsed in every race, but we chose to focus on sheriff, commissioner, state representative and state senator.
That decision has opened the way for a new one: “Why aren’t you endorsing in the presidential race?”
The decision not to do so created some spirited debate among the staff.
Ultimately, it comes down to credibility and taking a stand on what we know best.
Do we know everything there is to know about the local offices and their impact in the county? Not even close, but we do have a strong understanding of the community, the role of these officials, the types of decisions that will need to be made and the impact of those decisions.
The presidential race is simply too vast and the issues facing that office are simply too broad for us to have any real expertise. It would be impossible for us to weigh in with any real credibility.
An analogy I use is that of a college student or private individual who writes movie reviews.
Has this individual watched a lot of movies? Sure. Have they read volumes about the subject? Probably. But why do I or anyone else care about their opinion? What gives their view any more weight than my own view?
They simply don’t have the expertise or credibility to be compelling.
As a local newspaper, we can understand and analyze local issues and what candidates hope to accomplish far better than we can the highly complex national issues that affect the nation in a myriad of ways.
In the end, our endorsements are simply the view of two individuals and often times don’t reflect the diverse views of many others on the newspaper staff.
So we may make a few people mad, but we can never be accused of being too scared to stand up for what we think is best for Lawrence County.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?
Michael Caldwell is publisher of The Tribune. To reach him, call (740) 532-1445 ext. 24 or by e-mail at mike.caldwell@irontontribune.com.
Comments
Posted by Vil (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 1:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Rumors are only rumors. Les Boggs has been the target of many viscous rumors which are 99% untrue.
When a man is very successful, others get jealous. That is what has happened with Mr. Boggs.
Posted by MasterChef (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 8:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr. Successful will be unemployed on Tuesday!
Posted by lawcoconcerned (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 8:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
dear voters, here we are again talking about someone that aparently has a lot of clout that he can bully his way into getting an endorsment from the county mouthpiece buy a threat. this is truly wrong. the facts are the facts, this man can not be full time because his time is spent doing things inaporiate. i think all the county voters that take the tribune should stop it and tkae a paper that is not scared of mr boggs and his money. i think vil(boggs) thinks his so called sucess gives him all the morals it takes to get into a public office. i still do not understand how you can clai m lm to be a full time commisioner when you can not do the real full time job as clerk of courts. i still want to know what the 19 improvements are in the clerks office? my vote is for tanner! les you should give up politics not church
Posted by mcaldwell (Mike Caldwell) on November 2, 2008 at 11:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Once again, the central issue isn't who the comments are about but what those specific comments contain. If they violate our Terms of Use, they will be pulled, no matter who they are about. When too many users fail to follow the rules, all the comments will be disabled.
The ones reposted above are fine. It is the name calling toward other users, profanity, and personal attacks about things that aren't related to someone's public office that won't be allowed.
I suggest everyone re-read the Terms. http://www.irontontribune.com/terms-of-u...
We have been very patient with supporters on both sides who continue to act childish and embarrass both candidates. Continued violations will result in me pulling these comments and banning users.
We have treated ALL candidates equally and fairly throughout the entire race. We certainly weren't bullied, bought, or anything else in the endorsement process. We met with both candidates and gave them equal chance to explain their plan for helping the county move forward. It was our opinion that Boggs had a more clear plan and some good ideas.
We welcome people to disagree and say we are wrong but it is insulting to imply that our motivations were anything other than this.
Posted by aa (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 12:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The Ironton Tribune endorsed Les and Jason because they were the better candidates and they have proved that. Thanks Ironton Tribune for a job well done.
Posted by Vil (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The rumors of Les Boggs are highly exaggerated. Mr. Boggs is a good man who has the time for this position. Explain to me how Heaberlin can be a superb commissioner, which is what we need in this crisis, a superb teacher, which should be a huge focus for him if he actually wants to be a good teacher, and his family, whom I hopes he makes time for. There's only 24 hours in a day, folks. A man can only do so much.
Plus, he's states he's not a 'politician', yet he pulls some of the dirtiest tricks in the book like his youtube videos. Heaberlin has already said one thing and done another, so how can we honestly trust him?
Posted by wickedelphaba (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mike,
I understand the following term of use:
"you agree not to post any defamatory, abusive, harassing, obscene, sexual, threatening or illegal material, or any other material that infringes on the ability of others to enjoy this site, or that infringes on the rights of others. "
But it is pitiful when you apply this to one side and one side only. Vil and others continue to post defamatory remarks about Heaberllin, yet you only disable comments when suzy or yayasisiter tell the truth about Boggs.
Posted by Vil (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I want to know what I have said that can be disputed.
If it is about the video Heaberlin posted, the truth is on youtube. Heaberlin put up a video from Boggs kids dance recital. There is no dispute that the man did it for the video is still up.
The argument is if doing those actions makes Heaberlin a classy or classless person. It is up to you to decide if he is or not by his actions.
Posted by wickedelphaba (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 2:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Neo,
I have some questions for you...did you sit down with Heaberlin for a face to face?
Do you honestly believe that Boggs would tell you or any voter the truth about those rumors?
His insurance plan is a FARCE. It was already investigated by the commission (long before Boggs brought it up) and found to be a bad deal!
Talk about tightening of the belt?
Boggs isn't even a full time Clerk of Courts, and I just can't get over his involvement with the FAILURE of Larewnce County General.
I happen to think that teachers are the smartest and most hard-working people on Earth - SO DOES OBAMA. I'll be happy to vote for one on Tuesday.
Posted by wickedelphaba (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 3:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Vil,
THE VIDEO SHOWS NO KIDS! Your comments insinuate that the video includes footage of children which it doesn't. Talk about embedded falsehoods.
I would encourage readers to check it out for themselves, too. I understand that the video may be embarassing for Boggs, but as it was a political presentation it is fair game. I wonder if you would feel the same if the candidates in the video were reversed?
I am tired of the political mud-wrestling too, Neo. But I cannot sit idly by while some skew the truth and are others unfairly muted when they tell it.
Posted by aa (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 7:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yayasister, you don't know what the truth is.
Posted by bgreene (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 8:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Vil,
I am a Republican. Always have been, but Mr. Boggs should have never USED his kid's dance recital to annouce he was running. I have seen the youtube vido as well as the "LIVE SHOW". Mr. Boggs' large igo and "BACK-up Dancers" need to chill out. THEY ASKED FOR IT! Its not like it was personal family vido that Mr. Heaberlin stole from Mr. Boggs! IT WAS A DACE RECITAL WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE! The only people I feel sorry for are the adults, not to mention kids who will never be able to forget the poor dance moves of Les and the girls.
Also, I know Les Boggs. AND LET ME JUST SAY HEABERLIN WILL BE THE ONLY DEMOCRAT WHO WILL GET MY VOTE!
Posted by bgreene (anonymous) on November 2, 2008 at 9:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Neo,
VIL IS THE ONE WHO WILL NOT COME OFF THE TAPE! I want someone who has good and fresh ideas, and who is an honest person in their personal life as well as the professional life. Heaberelin is the one that has put the people of law co voice back into the mix. At least we can now go to the meetings. it is because of Heaberlin the meetings were moved from 12:00pm to 6:00pm. He is making large steps on the right direction.
Posted by ideaman (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 6:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm not the editor of a newspaper. I am just a citizen of Lawrence County, but here's my endorsement for county commissioner:
Heaberlin has shown in his fourteen months in office that he cares deeply about Lawrence County and has striven to clean things up in our government and to move Lawrence County into the future.
Moving the meeting time is a good place to start. Whether it's more convenient for him is beside the point; it is definitely more convenient for most of the working people of Lawrence County.
Posting jobs in the newspaper is a good step. That's not been done before. Do the other offices in the courthouse do that? If not, they should. Every person in Lawrence County deserves to know what jobs are available in county operations before they are filled by those whose only qualifications are being friends or family of the office holders.
As a teacher he could make a much larger salary by moving his family to Columbus or some other larger city, but they have chosen to stay here because Tanner Heaberlin cares so deeply about his home county that he wants to do what he can to make this a better place to live. He's not a polished politician who can say whatever his audience wants to hear. He is a genuine person--a good person with good ideas and the zeal to improve Lawrence County.
On the other hand, I do not believe that Boggs is running for commissioner for any reason except power. I have talked to him and that is what I took from his conversation. He is very impressed with all his skills. He has a "job creation plan" and "19 improvements" but that's as much detail as he's offered on either. To quote an old TV commercial, "Where's the beef?!" I will be interested to see what the performance audit has to say about the clerk of court's office.
I will acknowledge that Les Boggs is creative and has interpersonal skills. He demonstrates those skills pretty frequently.
After talking to both candidates and assessing their skills, personalities and their ideas for Lawrence County I am supporting Tanner Heaberlin--the one candidate who honestly seems to want to improve our county for everyone's sake--not just his own.
Posted by Vil (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
^^^ I completely agree.
My mother taught school for over three decades. She always brought her work home grading homework, grading tests, creating lesson plans, doing research, and so on. That took up a majority of her time, and the little bit of free time she actually got she spent it with her family.
Heaberlin will be shortchanging someone with his lack of time. I doubt he will shortchange the time with his family. That means one of his jobs that is paid by the taxpayer will get shortchanged. It would be a shame if he shortchanged his students.
Les Boggs has the time and he has the experience needed for the job.
Posted by itsallgood (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The health care plan boggs suggests is not new.
The company I work for has an insurance rep come to our office annual to discuss money saving options on health ins. This plan discussed above was an option given to my company months ago. It is the way insurance companies are heading in the future. Away from co-pays and back to the way it used to be when my parents worked and had insurance. This isn't some brilliant idea Boggs thought up.
Posted by osu (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 4:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't care about Boggs' personal life and his issues with it. What I care about is a man with such a large ego that he has this "plan" he's formulated a year or more ago, and he keeps it SECRET from the other commissioners. This "plan" is supposed to save a lot of money--so, if it's such a great plan, why didn't he go to the Commissioners and explain it?
Tanner Heaberlin has proved himself to be a watch-dog. Unfortunately his party counter part hasn't helped him as much. How long did Malone know about the fired employee being kept on the payroll?
Tanner Heaberlin should have gotten the Tribune's endorsement. But in the end, how many people pay attention to endorsements anyway??
Posted by Vil (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 6:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No OSU, Heaberlin has proved he can take an 'anonymous' tip from the courthouse.
I don't like Heaberlin because of his attitude either. He acts like he is so much better than everyone else, why would I want that guy in office?
Posted by lawcoconcerned (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 8:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
vil, tanner has a lot class and should be the commisioner that this county needs for the next term. as far as his attitude, i belive investigating his opponet would serve you well. you haven't researched yet enough to make a good sound judgement call on mr boggs or maybe you know him better than you are letting on. maybe you are the candiate that is trying to discredit tanner. i hope when this is all over you will see that all this talk about full time is a bunch of hogwash put out there like before to get votes. time will tell!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Tired (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 9:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I know there are going to be phone calls, but it really ticked me off tonight when I get a call from the so called football coach at rock hill, stating he was with rock hill and was endorsing Obama.
HELLOOOOOOOO.....................school can't be allowing that crap. Get rid of the do nothing coach, he can't do his job with a football team, who's going to listen to him about politics!!!
Posted by osu (anonymous) on November 3, 2008 at 9:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh, yes, tired, he can. It's called the FIRST AMENDMENT.
Posted by Vil (anonymous) on November 4, 2008 at 2:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Rock Hill went 0-10 this year. Their coach knows about as much about football as he does politics.
Posted by pslate (anonymous) on November 4, 2008 at 3:23 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by bargo (anonymous) on November 4, 2008 at 4:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
oh vil...neo, i now know who you are! stop the madness!
Posted by Vil (anonymous) on November 4, 2008 at 5:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Interesting how the Tribune puts John Sidney McCain on the main page, but refuse to print Obama's middle name, Hussein.
Posted by bornandraisedironton (anonymous) on November 6, 2008 at 12:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Now that the election is over - I would ask that the Tribune do a comprehensive report on how much each local candidate spent. It is a matter of public record and one reporter could cover it for all of us. It certainly would be interesting reading. How about it Mike??
Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
(Requires free registration.)