Furst Draft

'Fuzzy bookkeeping' or smart planning?

Last night's P-B Dialogues meeting regarding the emergency management issue in Rochester/Olmsted was enlightening in many ways. Here's the news story on the event by reporter Matt Russell.

As I summarized last night, it appears that the professionals involved with emergency management -- the city and county emergency management directors (Rochester Fire Chief Greg Martin and Olmsted County Sheriff's Capt. Kevin Torgerson) and Rochester Police Chief Roger Peterson are satisfied with the plans for separate city and county emergency management functions. Not sure what Sheriff Steve Von Wald's latest thinking is on this issue (he was out of town last night) but we'll find out.

As Peterson said, most emergency management programs are set up in this way, with city people responsible for local planning, county or regional programs serving an "umbrella" function to assist and support cities when needed, just as state and federal agencies are available in catastrophic situations. "We would not be 'silos,'" or two independent agencies that would not communicate or cooperate, as some have suggested.

There seemed to be no gap between the city and county professionals on the matter. If public safety is your first concern about this (not money or turf/politics), then you were probably reassured about the discussion last night.

Mike Podulke, county board member, and Mark Bilderback, city council member, also were at the head table and Podulke raised questions primarily of "governance" and redundancy, of going against the goal of more cooperation and convergence of city and county goals.

He said "fuzzy bookkeeping" was involved in the city's assertions that it won't cost significantly more for the city to take over its emergency management functions. But he didn't address my point that the main financial issue seems to be the hole blown in the county's emergency management budget by the city's pullout, and others also said it remains to be seen if there's a significant cost impact for Rochester taxpayers.

Peterson said, "We'e involved in emergency management because we were drafted into the position" as the mission for emergency management changed after 9/11. "In 2001, the focus of emergency management changed -- now it is preparedness -- mitigation -- recovery from disaster that exceeds local capability," not just weather warnings, etc.

"The funding issue is that when the mission changed, our structure did not. We began having problems fulfilling our mission," he said. "The problem is, one organization cannot plan for another organization, cannot prioritize, develop resources, budget and manage another organization." Every city and municipality has that responsibility, he said.

Podulke pointed to the successful merging of city and county functions, especially with public health and the planning department. "People predicted it would be the end of the world" when those departments were consolidated, but he called Olmsted County Public Health a model for the state. It's "strong personalities and personnel issues" that have led to the split in emergency management.

Bilderback, who's in emergency management at Mayo, disagreed and said "it's the responsibility of the city to plan." He and others said that already, preparedness and planning are light years ahead of where they were previously. The Joint Emergency Management function is not going away, but it has taken on a new structure.

John Eckerman of the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce expressed the chamber's concern that two emergency management efforts will cost more than one, and will hit Rochester taxpayers especially hard. "We believe it's not too late and it's in the city's best interests" to resolve any differences outstanding with the county and remain in a consolidated management structure.

But last night, it was hard to see any differences between city and county on how emergency management should be structured locally. There are no personnel issues or personality conflicts, by all accounts; those are historical, apparently. But the professionals on board now seem to be in agreement that the structure now being considered makes great sense.

I'll post more on Monday...

'An article like that with an anti-Christian view'

This reader has a problem with the front-page story we published Monday on the new pastor at Peace United Church of Christ in Rochester. The new pastor happens to be a lesbian and the Peace United community clearly was acknowledging that fact and welcoming her arrival.

Here's the comment from voice mail -- and I'll admit that I didn't list to the elderly male caller's full 2-minute message:

I was really surprised that you printed a story like that. I have less respect for Peace United, Brian Winters and the Rochester Police Department and the Post-Bulletin for printing an article like that with an anti-Christian view. I would suggest you read to your staff Romans 1, especially the last part of that chapter, and if Harley Flathers was the chief editor down there, this may have been reported a lot different.

I would like you to print the names of her partner or partners and also how many people are dropping out of that church because of it...

That's where I quit listening.

I did take a more nuanced comment from another reader whom I respect who thought the story tended to sensationalize the new pastor's sexual orientation. She suggested that it was inappropriate to give the pastor attention based on her sexuality. Can't agree on this one, either. It's newsworthy, especially at a time when some denominations are deeply challenged by this issue, that a Rochester church very publicly welcomes an openly lesbian pastor. In fact, a top leader of Peace United told me about it in advance and welcomed coverage. That should be apparent from the story itself.

Today's TV report

Today's report on KTTC, read by Wolfgang Amadeus Furst:

Mayo's annual report will be released today -- whoops! wasn't supposed to have revealed how much money Mayo made last year...embargoed until 10 a.m. -- but let's just say it was nice move up from the previous year and the result of expense control.

Our annual Oscars contest is under way today, with the ballot published in today's paper and also available online. Pick the winners of all the major Academy Award categories and you'll win a valuable prize.

Tonight at 6:30 at the Rochester public library, we'll have a Post-Bulletin Dialogues community meeting, very informal, free and informative -- tonight's agenda item is the rupture between the city of Rochester and Olmsted County on the emergency management issue.

And if you missed it yesterday, the last of our Spirit for Growth sections was in yesterday's paper -- come and get it, or call me.

The new me

In case you missed my TV appearance this morning, this is the new me -- costumed to raise money for the Rochester Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, part of its Aspiring Conductor contest, which is similar to a jail-and-bail, if you're familiar with that schtick.

I'll wear the wig on TV at 6:40 a.m. daily until viewers cry "uncle" and give, oh, some significant amount to the cause. Or until the wig gets too itchy.

To make a donation to this worthy cause -- getting me to remove the powdered wig -- go to the RSOC Web site or call 286-8742.

'That's not a joke. That's a real story.'

Here's a classic story from McClatchy about how politics today operates -- Gov. Pawlenty asserting as a "real story" something that's completely untrue. Even the reporter here buys into the ridicule of Obama as relying too much on teleprompters, which of course is a major national issue, but at least he sets the record straight regarding Pawlenty's assertions of fact.

Tiger Woods' speech was 'a surprising success'

Almost before Tiger Woods had finished reading his speech this morning, this press release was in my e-mail:

Dear Jay,

According to Leading Media Trainer/Crisis Communications Coach TJ Walker, Tiger Woods’ press conference was a surprising success. TJ is available for analysis via Satellite TV Studio.

Here is TJ Walker’s video analysis of Tiger’s speech today: http://www.youtube.com/tjwalker

TJ Walker will explain:Dear Jay,

·         The things that Tiger did well in his speech
·         If Tiger came across as genuinely sincere
·         If Tiger answered any or most of the questions the press and his fans have been asking for months
·         If Tiger’s press conference will pave the way for redemption, or further tarnish his reputation

TJ Walker is one of the leading media trainer/crisis communications counselors in the world. For more than 25 years he has coached president s of countries, CEOs, Prime Ministers, Nobel Peace Prize winners, Miss Universes and thousands of corporate executives. He is CEO of Media Training Worldwide www.mediatrainigworldwide.com

TJ Walker has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning Show, Comedy Central’s Daily Show, CNN, Fox News Channel, Bloomberg TV, ABC News, NY1, and more than 2000 other TV and radio news talk show appearances. Walker is a national #1 bestseller and has been on the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Business week bestseller lists.

Walker Electronic Press Kit http://www.mediatrainingworldwide.com/epresskit.html

TJ Walker Demo Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18jagMi5cBU

TJ Walker Preview Analysis of Tiger Woods Press Conference   http://www.youtube.com/tjwalker

Availability: Walker is available for live and recorded TV interviews anywhere in the world from his Manhattan remote broadcast studio (there is no fee or expense for TV stations) (remote via Skype or other streaming options also available, including LiveStream and iChat.)

To Book, contact Ryan McCormick at (516) 901-1103 or Mike Bako at 212-764-4955 or TJ Walker at 917-204-9490 (cell).

P-B Dialogues on emergency management

Details to follow, but mark your calendar for next Thursday: A P-B Dialogues event on where Rochester and Olmsted County are at regarding emergency management. If you've been following the news, you know there's a certain lack of harmony between city and county on the issue; we'll have officials from both parties discussing the issue and what's being done to resolve differences.

We'll get the list of participants in the paper on Monday, but join us from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Rochester Public Library for good conversation and hot coffee.

Look-ahead at today's edition

Today's look-ahead on KTTC:

We'll have reaction from local and state officials regarding Gov. Pawlenty's quick veto of a bill to extend a health care program for the poor -- the bill had passed the Legislature with overwhelming support from both parties. The governor is in Washington to address the Conservative Political Action Conference.

The Rochester Regional Science Fair gets under way today at the University Center Rochester -- the 52nd annual event gives more than 400 students a chance to show what they can do with science -- among the fair's sponsors is Rochester Public Utilities. The top five award winners go on to state.

And in today's Answer Man column, you'll learn many things that will make you smarter -- including how the Beltline in Rochester got its name, how long you can stay in your house during a foreclosure, and more about a potato chip company that operated out of a garage on East Center Street many years ago. The chips were even better than Old Dutch chips, I'm told.

'Why won't KTTC or KAAL touch this with a ten foot pole?'

Here's the promo from today's KTTC spot at 6:40 a.m.:

After a very tense 80-minute discussion Wednesday night, the Rochester City Council approved a multiyear contract with the Convention and Visitors Bureau. The board made some changes in the proposed contract to shorten its term to three years, added some oversight provisions, but lambasted critics of the proposed contract, and also the Post-Bulletin's coverage. You'll want to check out that story.

If you want more tension, there's some between Rochester's two state senators -- DFL Sen. Ann Lynch lashed out at Republican Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem after he voted against the Senate's public works bill, which she said was a major blow to $75 million worth of Rochester area construction projects now in the bill. Sen. Senjem has a different perspective.

And in our Life section, we'll tell you about a new live music venue downtown and an older one, the 90-year-old Rochester Symphony Orchestra, which has a concert coming up this weekend, themed, "Pure Passion."

I noted, regarding the RCVB issue, that as far as I know, we're the only local news organization paying attention to this important issue. Why?

FYI, here's an online reader comment on that point:

I guess my next question is why won’t KTTC or KAAL touch this with a ten foot pole?

Today on TV

Here's what I regaled KTTC viewers with, regarding today's paper:

Most people in our part of the world know about Riedell Skates, the Red Wing skate-making company, but every four years the rest of the world is reminded of how good those skates are -- we'll have a story today on how five of the top figure skaters in the Winter Olympics are wearing Red Wing-made skates in competition this week.

Some of the most closely read items in the Post-Bulletin are the legal ads placed by government, and recently we had a listing of tax forfeiture properties for Olmsted County -- 34 properties in the county face forfeiture unless their owners come up with past due property taxes -- you might be surprised at the size and dollar amounts of some of those properties -- we have have that story today.

And in the Life section, along with the Family Time column by Lindy Lange, which is about training for kids interested in riding and caring for horses, we have a feature on all the touring companies that take visitors around Southeast Minnesota to see the sights --natural, cultural and entertainment attractions -- people do come to this area from around the world for medical care, and many also went to get out and see what the region has to offer.