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| Those that do a rain dance should not be upset when they get wet.... |
Yesterday afternoon I got a call and a text from the AM 1620 News producer asking my opinion about the latest "revelation" about the Medical Examiner. Apparently, the Medical Examiner was on Andrew Tallman McKay's show yesterday morning along with a remorseful funeral director. I told him I don't listen to the show, didn't hear it, didn't know what happened.
Later in the day, I got a call from the PNJ. Same topic. The reporter texted me a podcast of the conversation.
Then this morning I get a text from Channel 3. Same issue.
So I held my nose and listened to the podcast.
Here's the takeaway: The funeral directors sent letters to the county making outrageous, unbelievable accusations that were graphic, salacious, and incredible. They were also public records the minute we received them.
I posted excerpts to this blog because these allegations were so out of the ordinary. As is typically the case, the media outlets in town who constantly mine my blog for story ideas picked up the story and ran with it.
And now, come to find out, at least one of these funeral directors regrets sending the letter. He says he wishes he would not have sent it. He all but recanted.
That is interesting, because I thought these allegations were hard to believe and I said so in my original post.
Looks like my suspicion has been supported---and none of these allegations are true. Things are perfect and "nothing to see here, move along."
Glad to hear that, because if I get multiple allegations like that from reputable businesses in town on a very sensitive topic of interest to my constituents--I will likely blog about it so my constituents know. And often times the media will pick this up and run with my topic--reaching an even wider audience. Good.
But the lingering head scratchers on this topic for me are now two-fold.
1.) Why write a letter and make accusations that are false? Why did this funeral director do this?
2.) Why get mad at me, a public official that blogs important topics of interest---when my blog has a limited number of viewers when juxtaposed with WEAR's massive audience---and most people saw this story once they (WEAR) picked it up. And the PNJ. So why is this guy and the ME upset with me?
Seems ridiculous to me---writing something apparently that was not true and sending it to the county commissioners in the hopes nobody ever reads it??? Huh?? What???? Makes no sense at all.
Sounds like buyer's remorse to me. Better yet: Sounds like these guys did a rain dance and are mad when it started raining and they got wet.
What I'm curious about--why on earth did the funeral director who brought these concerns to Commissioner Barry and made the invites on the meeting do something that plays right into the hands of the people scheming to pull the ME's office over to Santa Rose? To be clear, to put the burden of a new state of the art facility over in SR ON THE ESCAMBIA TAXPAYERS' SHOULDERS.
ReplyDeleteDon't the funeral directors get how bad that would be for not just Escambia as a whole and the functionality of the system, but their own businesses?
Dirty pool happening from some corner, but it sure doesn't seem to be the BCC. Why did the PNJ misreport that the 1.5 budget item for a new ME's office was allocated to Santa Rosa? To the best of my understanding, although Santa Rosa made the ask, the money was lined off for "District 1."
On the flip side, I can't see why on earth the taxpayers should have to gift off improving that horrible basement for Sacred Heart. If the other counties all recognize and agree that what is needed is a scaled down, still state of the art building, why on EARTH are we not building that in Escambia County where it belongs? Is this part of a larger movement to start pulling the seat of government over to Santa Rosa? If the ME goes there, it's not a stretch to wonder if the State's Attorney's Office will be next...
I don't know what is going on and didn't listen to Tallman but Underhill is spurring his Gal Friday into action against D5 commissioner regarding this. Wonder if he thinks he will get a seat back on the BCC. Gross.
ReplyDeleteWonder if he sent those letters himself.
What a 🐐 rope.
I will try a civil Dialogue with you and hopefully not get nuked , Will you at least concede that it could of been handled differently . Did it ever cross your mind to pick up the phone and speak to Dr Oleske? I understand you feel
ReplyDeleteLike you needed to inform constituents but call her first maybe . I know you can’t speak for commissioner Barry or judge him and his actions but if you found your self in the same situation by asking all funeral homes to come to the table and discuss issues would you ask them to write a letter to the board or would you of called Eric Gilmore to look into since he is on the board ? One more scenario what if the meeting with the funeral homes was to discuss the way ems was handling body’s and horrendous claims . Would we ask them to write a letter to the board or get with staff and look into it ? I must say to be transparent I am against relocating the office to Santa Rosa at this time . There have been so many flags starting with Santa Rosa donating land and then not donating land along with the hiring of Dan Shebler to work for them after his public forced departure from Santa Rosa . Our county has the most cases and if it is relocated to Santa Rosa Escambia County tax payers money should be the least if not little used funds .
A big nothing burger. So now the ME and funeral directors are talking. Big deal.
ReplyDeleteThey probably didn't think it would be all over the news and on the blog.
This too shall pass.
Good grief, this county is weird.
ReplyDeleteKevin Wade to Carl Hiaasen at a book signing: "Why haven't you ever written a book about Pensacola?
ReplyDeleteCarl Hiaasen: "Because nobody would believe it."
Steven Bursey--Thanks for the post, nobody gets nuked here when they don't attack--this is not ECW. I've met and spoken with Dr. Oleske on a number of occasions and even toured her facility--which is why I was skeptical about the letters once I received them. However, once I posted them, the media picked up on it because they watch this blog and it has become, in some respects, their (Media's) bird dog for interesting stories. So they ran with it, requested the full documents from the county, and blew the story up. Apparently this has led to a reconcilliation of a sort between the ME and the funeral home directors, which is a good outcome. Would not have occurred without some publicity---as I am told it was difficult communicating with her office. I don't think they will have that trouble going forward, so all is well that ends well. But the one guy from Ch. 3's story last night really should examine why in the world he would put such allegations in writing and then turn around and recant and act like he is somehow a "victim" for essentially crying wolf. I don't get it, and as I told Tanner Stewart when he asked me about this---it looks like it backfired on that funeral director.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile Rome is burning and crickets from BOCC
ReplyDeletehttps://ricksblog.biz/nearly-half-of-escambia-families-struggle-to-afford-basics/
https://ricksblog.biz/real-news-alice-has-trouble-living-here/
Another
ReplyDeletehttps://ricksblog.biz/daily-outtakes-do-we-have-the-will-to-tackle-homelessness/
9:23/9:29 yep, Rome is sure burning. If by Rome you mean Tallahassee, while DeSantis doesn't just fiddle but smashes it up onstage. Just waiting for the full blown Alice Cooper moment where he starts biting the heads off live chickens.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, I'm less than thrilled at the County response on homelessness. But then, I was less than thrilled when Melissa Marie Johnson "assisted" in evacuating the homeless from under the bridge being laid siege by Grover by dumping them into camps in the County.
Meanwhile, Mollye Barrows continues what in my opinion has been fair and very thorough reporting of County business at the PNJ. I was particularly heartened to read Mr. Trahan's explanation of what transpired--which was a nothing burger. Basically, some funeral directors had valid concerns, they asked Commissioner Barry for a meeting, he asked them to provide written concerns, and Commissioner Bergosh made the concerns public on this blog.
Enter Andrew McDay with his typical salacious sh*t stirring, desperate as usual for relevance (seems he even has gone as far to try to duplicate some of Rick Outzen's programming style...good luck with that).
I really hope our Medical Examiner doesn't have and Edleresque taste for the spotlight, as her apparent glee during the interview and the photo accompanying it could suggest. It is *ridiculous* that she had to operate under the circumstances she did during covid, and she had every right to voice her concerns. It's no secret that facility has been a problem for a long time. So let's bring the focus back to
BUILDING A APPAROPRIATELY SCALED, STATE OF THE ART MEDICAL FACILITY HERE IN ESCAMBIA COUNTY WHERE IT BELONGS, WITH THE OTHER COUNTYIES PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE.
Only in the crazy world of Panhandle politics would getting to the appropriate solution take years on end of the Escambia BCC having to dig their heels in with long ball while bad faith actors conduct weighted negotiations attempting to gift Santa Rosa with an Escambia funded Palace of Medical Examiner Wonders. The medical examiner can't be blamed for not understanding the wild politics of the area. Hopefully now that she's had a taste of that celebrity, she'll realize no good comes from it and work with the Escambia BCC to get the facility she and her staff--any medical examiner and staff--deserve.
Pitiful leadership - and we wonder why corruption exists - just look at our leaders and the things they do.
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