I'll tell you how clueless Dewey is!

[Hoss]

Clueless enough to, while under scrutiny, HIRE A DAMNED PRESS SECRETARY!

Unbelievable.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100804_11_0_Former223862&rss_lnk=11

Have any of our former mayors had this post filled?  I can't remember.

[custosnox]

Wright, 63, said he plans to communicate and advocate for the mayor "in ways he can't do for himself or doesn't have time to do." He will be paid $75,000

Because Dewey is so busy doing city stuff, like attending board meetings.

[nathanm]

I can only hear the sad trombone.

[sgrizzle]

Why The Face?

[Conan71]

No smile, you wake up one day and find out you're no longer a non-descript piece of furniture in the TPS system and pulled off the incredible coup of more than doubling your income with flexible hours. To top it off, it's during a time we are cutting public safety positions. I want a gig like that.

Press secretary? Shouldn't Simonson be the spokesperson for $150k? There's three morons sucking over $300k out of the city budget at a time when we can least afford it.

[swake]

No smile, you wake up one day and find out you're no longer a non-descript piece of furniture in the TPS system and pulled off the incredible coup of more than doubling your income with flexible hours. To top it off, it's during a time we are cutting public safety positions. I want a gig like that.

Press secretary? Shouldn't Simonson be the spokesperson for $150k? There's three morons sucking over $300k out of the city budget at a time when we can least afford it.

So, he hires a high school buddy with some journalism experience 20 years ago who is teaching broadcasting in a local school but with seemingly zero public relations experience doubling his salary for a totally new position in the mayor's office? One that is addition to and seeming completely duplicative of the existing "Communications Director", whose job is, you know, being responsible for communications for the city and mayor? Are YFKM?

And Dewey just comes right out and says that he wants someone who can give the press "opinion rather than just factual information"? Wow. But then we now all know how much Dewey doesn't like those pesky unfun facts, always getting in the way of what you want to say.

Is Dewey drunk all day long? What color is the sky in Dewey's world? What in the he!l is going on? When did Kwame Kilpatrick become mayor of Tulsa? Did Dewey attend the Doug Pielsticker school of advanced management and public relations?

[Gaspar]

I think we elected a delegator rather than a leader.  That is unfortunate. 

[RecycleMichael]

I will defend the Mayor on this one.

Every other Mayor has had a press secretary and the starting pay is actually less than the previous Mayor's paid their press secretaries. I think that an effective Mayor needs someone to work directly with the press corps to properly get the message out.

I don't know this new guy. I don't know whether he is worth his new salary or not. He was clearly working for a lot less money when he was a teacher. Let's hope he is good with the media.

The timing is odd. I would have thought he would have filled this position long ago, but he clearly needs a person doing this job. My main question is what happens to the people in the city communications department. Does this new position supervise them?  

[Hoss]

I think we elected a delegator rather than a leader.  That is unfortunate. 

Hey, I voted for the other guy..

[swake]

I will defend the Mayor on this one.

Every other Mayor has had a press secretary and the starting pay is actually less than the previous Mayor's paid their press secretaries. I think that an effective Mayor needs someone to work directly with the press corps to properly get the message out.

I don't know this new guy. I don't know whether he is worth his new salary or not. He was clearly working for a lot less money when he was a teacher. Let's hope he is good with the media.

The timing is odd. I would have thought he would have filled this position long ago, but he clearly needs a person doing this job. My main question is what happens to the people in the city communications department. Does this new position supervise them?  

The issue is that Kathy Taylor's "Press Secretary", Kim MacLeod still holds that job under the title "Communications Director", Dewey now has TWO people in that role even while the office of the mayor is way over budget.

[RecycleMichael]

The issue is that Kathy Taylor's "Press Secretary", Kim MacLeod still holds that job under the title "Communications Director", Dewey now has TWO people in that role even while the office of the mayor is way over budget.

Kim had the same title (and same office) when other Mayors had press people. Sheryl Lovelady worked for Mayor Kathy Taylor and Karen Keith worked for Mayor Bill LaFortune.

[Hoss]

Kim had the same title (and same office) when other Mayors had press people. Sheryl Lovelady worked for Mayor Kathy Taylor and Karen Keith worked for Mayor Bill LaFortune.

I don't question him having a press secretary.  He's been in office this long and is just now hiring one?  I question the timing.

Appearances are EVERYTHING, especially in politics.

[swake]

Kim had the same title (and same office) when other Mayors had press people. Sheryl Lovelady worked for Mayor Kathy Taylor and Karen Keith worked for Mayor Bill LaFortune.

Neither was called "Press Secretary", Karen Keith's title was "director of community relations and Vision 2025 implementation" and Sheryl Lovelady held the title "Communications Director", the same title that MacLeod holds now.

I also really don't care if he wants two people doing the job, but when he's hiring a high school buddy (and doubling his salary) when his office is so far over budget at a time when all other city departments are seeing furloughs and cut backs it doesn't just send a wrong message, it's indicative of a mayor that is just completely clueless.

[RecycleMichael]

I don't question him having a press secretary.  He's been in office this long and is just now hiring one?  I question the timing.

Mayor LaFortune hired Karen Keith after about six months in office.

[swake]

Mayor LaFortune hired Karen Keith after about six months in office.

I don't think anyone should ever hold up Bill LaFortune as an example of a good, or even decent mayor. I actually though he had tied with Terry Young as the worst possible mayor Tulsa could ever have. But I have been proven wrong, Dewey has lowered the bar by quite a bit.