Speaking of the N&O, I’m perplexed at the N&O’s portrayal of Russ Stephenson in recent stories, all written by municipal reporter Colin Campbell.
I like Colin. He and I both volunteer for Little Raleigh Radio, bringing an LPFM station to downtown Raleigh. He’s also interviewed me on occasion on Parks board matters and does a good job in his reporting. Still, his reporting on Russ has raised some questions.
As I understand it, Russ took issue with the delay the Planning department had in reviewing a developer’s plans. This resulted in a dressing down at council, which is unfortunate as I respect all involved. However, Colin’s story failed to mention that Russ’s motion to move it to his committee passed on a unanimous council vote.
Got that? Unanimous.
Russ is not all-powerful as recent reporting (and some of his detractors) might allege. One of the first things you learn in following local politics is that it takes at least five votes for anything to get done on the council. If he takes issue with something and can convince at least four other councilors to agree then it must have some merit.
Colin’s story in today’s Midtown Raleigh News carries the misleading headline, “Stephenson could rezone his house.”
Bullshit! Russ can do nothing of the sort. It takes five votes to do that (with Russ’s not being one of them) and someone at the N&O should know better.
Disclaimer: I am a supporter and campaign contributer to Russ because he actually responds to constituents. It’s because Russ works harder than any other councilor. When I was East CAC chair I frequently invited key city councilors to important meetings. Russ was the only one who consistently showed up. When my neighborhood needed assistance with blocking more adult establishments moving into nearby Capital Boulevard, Russ assisted us. He’s always been there for us. He listens, and he responds. Russ is not about Russ, recent media coverage to the contrary.
As for the Wade CAC elections, I blogged about that last year and the paper is now reporting only part of the story. Certain individuals involved in that election have not been forthcoming in their activities and I’ve chosen for the time being not to air this dirty laundry, hoping that the community could put the whole episode behind them. The recent tilted coverage might change my mind, however. Frankly, it has no bearing on Russ Stephenson’s performance at any rate.