A reporter from a local publication asked me some questions. For the record, here are my responses:
1. Why do you feel so strongly about the Allied contract going out for rebid?
I have now heard from three trash haulers, not including Allied Waste, who are interested in submitting proposals to Ada County to provide the service to residents in the unincorporated areas of the County. With reassurance that Allied Waste will not be the only bidder, this contract should be re-bid because Allied has had it for 14 years. This contract amounts to a government-granted monopoly to a captive, paying audience for a service which is mandatory in unincorporated Ada County.
2. In your blog, you had indicated that Allied said there would likely be increased costs associated with their contract if you opened it up for rebid – have you received a good answer yet as to why the costs would be more? If so, what was that information that made this issue more clear?
I have had no further communication about this issue. Please feel free to contact Allied Waste to find out where they stand and why.
3. Regarding your personal media policy, why is it that you don’t want to interact directly with the media?
That is not my media policy. What I will not do is knowingly and willingly participate in sound-bite journalism.
4. In the voter guide you said you’d like to cut back on P.R. staff because you said that Commissioners should be able to speak for themselves – so how can you reconcile that position based on your current decision not to talk with the media.
I HAVEN’T SAID I WILL NOT TALK WITH THE MEDIA!!! What I have said, specifically, is that I will talk to the media on my terms, not yours. I won’t bother to waste my time, or bore my readers, by repeating here all the ways in which I am open and accessible to the public and the circumstances under which I will speak with the media. Prior to returning to office I decided I would only do media live-broadcast interviews that are not subject to editing. This approach eliminates a reporter’s ability to take my comments out of context to fit into a pre-determined agenda. Unfortunately, I learned this lesson the hard way during my first term as a County Commissioner and I am not about to let a reporter twist my words so that they may somehow be used against me.
I stand behind the comments I made during the campaign. I do not support tax dollars being spent on a county P.R. department. Instead, I choose to communicate directly with the people of Ada County via my blog, through one-on-one email and telephone conversations, and in the context of public hearings and town hall meetings. Despite a full schedule of nearly back-to-back meetings, I have kept my word and have already posted ten blog entries to my site. So far, I’ve had a great response from the public and even from reporters! Don’t you find it ironic that just this week two local papers filed stories about the Allied Waste contract and the current CCDC/Courthouse parking situation – two issues that no one would have known about had I not posted them on my blog?!
In the spirit of cooperation, I have agreed to answer questions from reporters. If they want to know something about Ada County business, they can e-mail me their questions. I’ll be happy to post my answers here, in their entirety, in this open forum for everyone to see.