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| Local radio entertainment host Anderw "Tallman" Mckay just goes out of his way to support and provide cover to the one County Commissioner who is responsible for ALL the turmoil on the board. It's incredibly surreal.... |
Local radio host Andrew "Tallman" Mckay ran a segment very early this morning on 1620 vilifying me and taking a shot at Commissioner Barry for "daring" to question a $12Million Dollar-single bid contract that the board rightly reeled in and put back out to bid earlier this year.
The bid rejection happened a while back--- and at the time it was a 4-1 vote to do so. Something didn't smell right, and I stand by the decision the board made that day. Only ONE bidder on a nearly $12 Million Dollar drainage improvement job?? Like they say on ESPN "Come on, Man?" (And had that even been awarded at that time--it is almost guaranteed that the costs would have escalated exponentially anyway with change orders ad nauseum.)
Heck, it might have ended up costing more than what current bids are coming back...
But setting that reality aside--I found it nauseating the way the clips were selectively edited to lionize Tallman's idol and hero, Doug, while attempting to portray me as the guy who is saying "no" to a worthwhile project. Boo hoo, that "meanie" Bergosh. Boo hoo.....
Total BS.
What Tallman doesn't discuss is the fact that I seconded the motion, expressed support for the project, and said I realized the cost increases were not commissioner Underhill's fault. I also indicated I would consider supporting the project for the people if Commissioner Underhill commits some additional discretionary D2 LOST funds to the project. Slicing and dicing snippets does not a fair portrayal make.
Yes, I did mention the Bellview Library project. Multiple times. It was a good discussion to have, and timely to boot. That project's costs also increased----and I ended up allocating 10% of that total project costs from my D1 Discretionary LOST funds. So the question Tallman should ask is simple: Why can't Doug pony up 10% to cover his cost overruns as I did? (Currently Doug says he has allocated a little more than 3% of the costs)
But the major sevice McKay does for Doug is what he left out of the snippets he played to glorify his buddy Doug.
First-the discussion had an objective--which was to tone down the rhetoric and attacks online coming from Doug's office--his secretary and intern--directed at the rest of the board--not just me. I said--"let's take the next year and bilaterally stop the online garbage." And of course Doug wouldn't hear of it. It's unprofessional and makes Doug look incredibly small when his employees engage in this conduct--as smart as Tallman wants us to believe he is--why can't he see that? (e.g. most professional leaders would not tolerate such conduct from their employees--they would curtail it for obvious reasons or such at-will employees would be removed) Perhaps that was too much to seek? Who knows, but that was objective 1.
Objective 2 was to ensure that everyone who watched now knows the truth behind what is going on, dynamically, between and among the board. So when Andrew Tallman McKay deliberatley leaves that portion out, he is being unprofessional, biased, and frankly------dishonest.
I ended my remarks by stating the facts, with a rhetorical question to Doug that was conveniently left out of Tallman's collection of audio snippets. But it was the coup de gras.
"Doug--you and your office run us down online constantly, call us unethical, thieves, dishonest, corrupted---how do you think that helps you win votes?"
That was the seminal question of the exchange--which put everything into proper perspective. And that was the portion Tallman purposely left out.
Because Doug sat there and did not dispute what I said to him, didn't disavow it, didn't deny it, didn't do anything. He just sat there and took it. Then, he gave a facile, flaccid, mealy-mouthed response that was gibberish.
The reason D2 is a pariah is because D2 has made himself one. He and his secretary and his intern.
Bashing us constantly online, calling us thieves, dishonest, and corrupt when that's simply not true. It's his fault, all his fault, and nobody else's---- Tallman. Doug's fresh out of friends in the board and that's why he has a difficult time getting votes. His fault.But by all means, Andrew, keep ignoring the obvious and keep shilling for him while trying to equivocate D2's behavior with the rest of the board's actions (which is ridiculous stupidity)
Yeah, Tallman is not a journalist, he's just an entertainment host and nothing more--and this is just more evidence of this.
Glad Rick Outzen and 1370 are covering real topics objectively as a counter to the "Tallman We Love Doug Show"
Glad 1370 is cleaning 1620's "clock" in the morning ratings. 😏
Watching last week's BOCC meeting it became so clear how little the commissioners including yourself are concerned with the other districts or citizens. Your own statement you quoted "Doug--you and your office run us down online constantly, call us unethical, thieves, dishonest, corrupted---how do you think that helps you win votes?" is very telling. That really stunned me when I heard those words. You and Barry are not willing to do what is right for the citizens if Underhill’s staff are mean to you. All five of you are more concerned with your own district and do not care about the others. A prime example of what is wrong with our form of county government. Pair that with a lucrative 401a retirement plan and we all see how this works.
ReplyDeleteAndrew is an odd little man. He was in Phoenix and he’s continued to be one here. I guess he will move to Charleston SC and change his name once more. Maybe to Andrew McBean. Again, an odd little man.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1020--yes he is--very odd indeed. anonymous 1253: Well you are conflating multiple issues but let me help you see things more clearly....First--we vote for great projects at every meeting and in every district. and to your point about not caring about other districts--that's ridiculous. I'm the commissioner who has vocally supported four of our districts becomming "at-large" districts because I see the ward politics. Meanwhile--there are limited resources to do projects for all citizens in all districts. So if Doug's project doesn't make it over the line--it's because he went way over budget and refused to put in any of his discretionary LOST toward the overage. And as commissioner Barry aptly stated "sometimes projects just don't happen--they get too expensive..." Now, to the point of Doug's office help (secretary and intern) going online and bashing us all, calling us thieves, liars, cheats, unethical, corrupted---yes--that is unprofessional, juvenile, weird, and counterproductive. It's also dysfunctional, and when the chips are down and a project is "on the bubble"---do you really think that childish, immature behavior from his office helps him get votes? It is a legitimate question for which he had no cogent response. Just gibberish that was incoherent. The great news: He will be gone in about a year--whoever replaces him will be a 1000% improvement for board dynamics.
ReplyDelete"Whoever replaces him will be a 1000% improvement for board dynamics."
ReplyDeleteAs far as the tenor and productivity of the meetings, yes. As far as local control and the interests of District 2 go, not necessarily.
It has been horrible for the County as a whole to have somebody like Doug sitting that dais. The damage has been immense. Thank the people who have been protecting him for that, while it has been left to the citizens to fight him tooth and nail on his corruption and sadistic enjoyment of blowing things up.
We need real infrastructure and roads in District 2, and an actual plan to rebuild business on the West Side. While nobody will be more relieved to see Doug go than me. But if we end up with someone doing the bidding of Tallahassee and/or Downtown with a smile on his face, that's not necessarily the best prescription for fixing our district, which is in desperate need of somebody who actually cares about it. Not to mention knows it well enough to fight for real progress in our neglected neighborhoods and business corridors.
Andrew McKay is absolutely TERRIFIC, in my point of view. We need more like him.
ReplyDeleteI follow local issues relatively closely, and I don’t have one single negative thing to say about Andrew McKay.
Rick Outzen’, in comparison, is often clueless. And Outzen doesn’t respond to legitimate criticism of his indefensible and often LAZY point of view.
I once held a favorable impression of Mr. Outzen. No longer.
Tallman's Show is a loser in head to head morning drive radio versus Outzen--who is on the #1 rated morning drive show and station for a reason. Andrew "Tallman" McKay has the potential to be better--but his incessant and ridiculous shilling for Doug Underhill is so odd and abnormal that it completely shreds any journalistic integrity he might have had...I mean, the day after multiple probable cause charges of violations of state ethics laws are sustained in Tallahassee--1620 and Tallman have Doug Underwood on the show and it is about 45 seconds on the important Tallahassee news--then a sappy 10 minutes of soft ball questions about Doug retiring from the Navy, his love of jet skis, etc. etc. You can think Tallman McKay is terrific--that's your right but never mistake his garbage for news. It isn't. It's biased and slanted, non unlike an Anderon Cooper or Rachel Maddow job. . His (Tallman Mckay) insinuation on air that I am attemptng to "Gerrymander" my district was a flat out lie that exposed the fact that he doesn't even know what the word means. So yeah, Tallman runs a morning entertainment and chat show. News, nah, not so much. And Don't worry Tom, he'll be gone soon enough to a larger market, where he'll once again re-invent himself and take on the name "The Tallman Underhill show--or something dumb like that LOL
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