by:  Diane Benjamin

Mayor Transparency Renner seems to be taking the Obama approach to informing the public:  hide everything.  I’m sure you’ve heard the President is now only allowing staff photographers to take pictures at official events, the pesky press might actually capture something interesting instead of staged mugs.  Now Renner wants everything filtered through hired mis-speakers so the real story gets buried.  Why else would the City be hiring a Communications person?

Maybe Pantagraph reporter Rachel Wells should have questioned some Alderman about her Coliseum story today.  I’d be willing to bet she was either told she had the whole story and didn’t need to or told the alderman weren’t informed.

Let’s put some pieces together:  There was a secret executive session last week labeled “pending litigation” and there is another one this Monday.  Then a story comes out about major upgrades to the Coliseum HVAC system.  The building is SEVEN years old.  Get the idea that somebody is playing CYA?  Get the idea they don’t want “Unsafe” conditions at the Coliseum to be made public?

Who is paying for the “upgrade”?  Is the original installer of the obviously less than adequate system facing a lawsuit?  Where are the bids for the project?  Do you really think the public can’t connect the dots?  Crews will be working through the weekend?  Sounds like an emergency to me.

I think we found what the City is hiding!  Unfortunately Renner and Hales think the public isn’t capable of handling the truth.  If you didn’t know patrons were in danger while attending events and you are fixing the problem, do you really think the public wouldn’t thank you?  Public officials aren’t held responsible for fixing problems when they find them, they are held accountable when they try to bury the truth!

Your lack of credibility is showing.  As the President has found, lies have a way of getting out and making life miserable.  Your covering up the truth will have the same effect.

How about some honesty instead of spin?

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