Blog for AZ issues a challenge: If you think you can do a better job of running this city, then you run for office and let the voters decide

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

"Of course you realize, this means war!"
— Groucho Marx, then later Bugs Bunny

I have had enough of the constant bashing of the City of Tucson by its local daily newspaper, the Arizona Daily Star. Ever since Lee Enterprises bought what was once a great local newspaper, the Star has degenerated into a rag resembling Rupert Murdoch's New York Post. It is gradually drifting towards becoming the Weekly World News (of "Bat Boy" fame).

The systematic destruction of a once great local newspaper should be considered a crime in a country that enshrined the media as the only business expressly given constitutionally protected rights in the U.S. Constitution. The editors and publisher of the Arizona Daily Star are abusing this sacred trust.

The problem as I understand it from speaking to people familiar with the operations of the Arizona Daily Star is "Metro Team Leader" editor Joe Burchell, and his boys frick and frack: "news" reporter Rob O'Dell, whose reporting contains so much editorial commentary it belongs on the opinion page, and "opinion" columnist Josh Brodesky whose column runs in the news section instead of on the opinion page where it belongs. The Star has erased the traditional firewall between news content and opinion content — following the FAUX News Fraudcasting model.

These three individuals hold a mighty high opinion of themselves and believe that they can do a better job of running the City of Tucson than anyone else. Well, Blog For Arizona issues a challenge: If you think you can do a better job of running this city, then you run for office and let the voters decide. Resign from the Star and file to run for office on Monday morning. Seriously. Let's hear your solutions instead of your constant sniping from the sidelines. Face the voters.

There is a bizarre unsigned editorial opinion in the Sunday Arizona Daily Star (the author should take ownership and identify him or herself), that is gratuitous Tucson bashing in an opinion ironically captioned Tucson needs you to quit carping and get involved (the author should take a hard look in the mirror):

These days there are few things that pull Tucsonans together better than a good old Rio Nuevo or City Council bashing.

The city's perpetual state of dysfunction can be a politically unifying force. It's a conversation point where most of us can set aside our differences and agree the city is in a sorry state.

This is, in fact, the Arizona Daily Star's business model for selling newspapers. "Always with the negative waves." And it is an entirely false premise. The Arizona Daily Star can get away with pushing this false narrative because it entirely fails to report any news from the great state of Maricopa. If you want an example of truly dysfunctional government, Maricopa County and its satellite cities have offered up a smorgasbord of political corruption, scandals. investigations, lawsuits, recall elections, etc. over the past several years. Regular readers of The Arizona Republic are well aware of this drama. If you only read our sad small-town newspaper the Arizona Daily Star, however, you would be completely unaware of these facts because the Star fails to report relevant news.

By comparison and contrast to our bullying neighbor to the north, Pima County and the City of Tucson are a model of civility and efficiency in government. Tucson is an island of serenity compared to the drama of our bullying neighbor to the north. Context is everything. By failing to report any of the drama that has been playing out in the great state of Maricopa for years, the Star can frame a false narrative to serve its own economic and political agenda — which I will suggest is driven by its major advertising partners.

[T]his kind of civic schadenfreude does nothing to make things better. Complaining doesn't change things. Outrage only goes so far. There is no joy in our failures.

The only way to change the course of the city is for quality people to run for office and get involved. So ask yourself, has that happened? Maybe we get the elected officials we deserve.

Once again, the author should take a good hard look in the mirror. If you think you can do a better job of running this city, then you run for office and let the voters decide.

The opinion devolves into gratuitous Tucson bashing and more of the Star's false narrative to sell newspapers (see above), by quoting from the Viceroy of Tucson, Jonathan "Payday" Paton, whom the author clearly has a crush on (we know that the Star's major advertisers do):

Former state Sen. Jonathan Paton summed up the cynical condition of our city and its politics eloquently in last Sunday's Star. Paton was explaining why he won't be running for mayor, despite some Republicans asking him to join the race.

"I guess it's sort of like, the position itself is set up to lose," he told the Star's Rhonda Bodfield. "It's a very weak form of government, and I really don't see myself as a ribbon-cutting kind of guy."

As a state senator, Paton had no problem injecting himself in city politics, crafting the now-rejected law that would have forced the city into non-partisan elections. He believed that law would improve city governance, and even in defeat this week he was quick to lob a volley at the city.

"If you look at Tucson, it is easily the worst-run city in the state," he told Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services after the Arizona Court of Appeals overturned his law.

Given his comments – that he believes the city is the worst-run in the state, and that he is not into ribbon cutting – perhaps Paton should consider running for City Council. After all, Paul Cunningham is up for re-election in Paton's ward. Regina Romero and Shirley Scott are also up for re-election.

Once again, by comparison and contrast to our bullying neighbor to the north, Pima County and the City of Tucson are a model of civility and efficiency in government. Tucson is an island of serenity compared to the drama of our bullying neighbor to the north. Context is everything. By failing to report on the drama that has been playing out in the great state of Maricopa for years, the Star can frame a false narrative to serve its own economic and political agenda.

And I would suggest to the author that someone who is so openly hostile to the City of Tucson as Jonathan "Payday" Paton has no business serving on the Rio Nuevo Development Board. He can only be a divisive force who actively seeks to undermine the City of Tucson – that's what he was appointed by state of Maricopa politicians to do. If he truly cared about the City of Tucson, he would do the right thing and resign.

The author winds up his or her woeful lament with this missive:

Compared to all of the other non-candidates we have out there on the sidelines – who love to complain about the city, but won't get involved – maybe Asta's the kind of mayor we deserve.

Once again, the author should take a good hard look in the mirror. If you think you can do a better job of running this city, then you run for office and let the voters decide. Or stop your "always with the negative waves" whining.