First of all, thank you all for your calls, letters and comments on this issue. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to continuing this discussion with you over the coming weeks.
Over the last few days, several of you have commented about our decision not to speak with Darlene Burcham or members of City Council in our preparation of our May/June cover story. Although we stand by that decision, we understand and respect your concerns, and we offer the following reasoning for our actions:
First, the facts presented in our story and in the continuing coverage found on this blog all came from public record or from the University of Virginia’s Weldon-Cooper Center for Public Services. We believe these facts speak for themselves and thus required no comment from city government. Additionally, while no one at city hall or city council has ever talked about it, we doubt that they are unaware of Roanoke’s position of the highest taxed city in Virginia with the lowest household income.
Second, the views and positions of city government and council are chronicled daily and weekly in The Roanoke Times and on local radio and television. Likewise, the proceedings of city council are broadcast on Cox Cable. The city also staffs a public information department charged with presenting the city’s views in the media. Twice yearly, that staff creates and publishes its own Citizen magazine extolling the achievements of city government.
In conclusion, we believe the city’s perspective is well-and oft-told and instead devoted our limited space to an analysis sans rhetoric.
CHRIS … AND A FEW YEARS AGO SHE GOT AWAY WITH HIT AND RUN BECAUSE SHE IS THE CITY MANAGER.
If this is true, what were the circumstances and how is it that she was not prosecuted? NO ONE is above the law! Is there any documented evidence available to the public or through the FOIA?
“”" I read some of the other blogs on here and see the bigger picture about you. You truly hate your tennants.”"”
This guy just keeps pulling stuff out of his a**.
“”"You refer to them as low-lifes and people on food stamps, etc. You are truly are a slum lord.”"”
Because I rent to minorities and poor whites that are taking advantage of the government and tax payer, I am a slumlord. Interesting.
“”"Your entire issue is the fact that you have to abide by city codes on your slums. As a result, you can’t further take advantage of those people below you on the social ladder. “”"
The codes are not anything new so that would mean that I never have been taking advantage of those below me on the social ladder. I just pay my mortgage and deal with problems. Another stupid comment from our economic genius. The bank is the one that rakes in the cash. Landlords make their money on the purchase of a property and realize it on the sale. A landlord typically gets $100 bucks or so per unit per month or less when all is said and done. But they are taking advantage of people, huh?
“”"Therefore, you “jack rents” on your tennants and complain when they can’t pay. “”"
There is this little thing called supply and demand Queen. I hate to tell you but if I jacked my rent above fair market value I would have NO tenants. But this is a concept that is way over your head.
“”"Your type of predatory business habits are for the gains down the road once you’ve paid off your 40 mortgages. “”"
Another thing that indicates your complete lack of knowledge of real estate. Who said that I have 40 mortgages fool? I said I have over 40 houses in Roanoke City. A little lesson for you. The banks won’t lend to someone who has more than 10 mortgages.
“”"You hate government overall because you feel left out and you have a “right” to programs you have no access to. “”"
LOL, I wish I could get Section 8 and foodstamps for myself too. LOL.
“”"You hate government because you probably can’t get a loan right now to acquire another property…if you can, your mad about the rate or, perhaps, the loan process takes longer since the banks are scared. “”"
More wisdom from our so called economics genius with a degree from the University of Radical Lefties. 1. Those with perfect credit never had a problem getting a loan. 2. Mad about the rate? You’ve got to be kidding me. Why would anyone be mad about 4.5% interest? Or a commercial rate of 6.25%. 3. Mad because the loan takes longer? You’ve got to be kidding me. You are really digging now.
Lesson number 2 for you. One must love thy government as they are what brings happiness to your life. We have been put on this planet by all mighty God to be controlled by the government and a gracious loving government they are.
“”" You do have Republican characteristics, but you are too full of hate. “”"
Really, where did you get this hate from? It is you that keeps preaching your wealth envy and hate for those that are more fortunate than you. Maybe one day when you break your leftist mentality things will get better for you and you will start to understand that those who work their a**es off with a smart career choice with upward mobility will do well and those who sit on their a**es and complain about what others have that they don’t have will remain on their a**es.
“”"I saw you, along with a few others, mentioning that you are looking into relocating and that’s a good thing. “”"
Here we get back to the reading comprehension thing again. You really need to get some help for that. Not once did I ever say I was going to relocate.
“”"Check out the Roanoke website and look at all of the awards/nominations that have been given. I call that progress. “”"
A bogus award for the city being a great place to raise kids is with the 50% dropout rate is progress. God you are thick headed.
“”"Revitalization of downtown = progress.”"”
I don’t really have an opinion on this as I don’t go downtown frequently but I have heard from others that this has been a massive failure.
“”"Art museum = progress. “”"
I have also heard that this has been a tremendous failure. To the degree that they can’t get people to go and have to hire someone for 50K and tell them how to turn over this flop.
“”" So, some of the bigger missed improvements have been a result of the political idiot citizens.”"”
Now you are attacking the people of Roanoke. You never stop, do you? You are one of the most hateful leftists I have ever run into. I’ll bet your one of those radical libs that listen to Rush Limbaugh every day and just fester and boil inside to the degree that you search out people on the internet to attack with your liberal sickness.
“”" Mr. investor fetish, if you think I’m the “queen”, then you must be Bill White the Neo-Nazi. Did they finally give you a computer in the Chicago jail system? “”"
Wow Queen, you’re really pushing here. A highly common characteristic or argumentative tactic that old school libs used to use. The Race Card. Sorry buddy but that doesn’t work anymore.
“”"… you truly are a scumbag. A worthless scumbag that wants everyone to boohoo for you. Not me! I don’t deal with pigs that promote social inequality.”"”
Promote “social inequality”. LOL. Can you tell me what makes the radical left so hateful of those who have more than them? Have you people come to some conclusion that you have tried hard enough and you will never have the millions you once wished you would so you would like to rob the rich and give it to the poor so you can increase your social status? What makes you socialists tick?
I can tell you from experience, those who work 40 hours a week will never become successful. 40 hours a week is the minimum, not maximum. You also have to think of things on a long term goals rather than living by the minute or by the day. You also must choose your career path wisely.
An example relating to someone who wants to get into real estate. In 5 years I will have saved up enough money to pay down all of my debt an fix up my credit.
Within another 5 I will have saved enough with my second full time job to buy a house outright if I make a smart purchase decision. You then can buy it, fix it up and when done, rent it out. You own it outright at this point so you can put a loan on it and use the money to buy another.
On this new house you bought, you own it outright because you used the loan from the first.
So now you put a loan on the new house and buy another.
All it takes is 1 or 2 paid for houses and you are in the game full bore.
But notice the upfront intensive drive you must have to work 80 to 120 hour weeks to get there.
Weak minded people such as yourself will never do it and will always be destined to just wine about what others have and how unfair it is.
Go crawl back under your rock Ohh hateful one.
Mr. Investor/sheep fetish
I read some of the other blogs on here and see the bigger picture about you. You truly hate your tennants. You refer to them as low-lifes and people on food stamps, etc. You are truly are a slum lord. I was kidding before, but after the one comment you posted, I’m actually convinced. Your entire issue is the fact that you have to abide by city codes on your slums. As a result, you can’t further take advantage of those people below you on the social ladder. We all know that your investments do nothing for you in the short term. Therefore, you “jack rents” on your tennants and complain when they can’t pay. Your type of predatory business habits are for the gains down the road once you’ve paid off your 40 mortgages. You hate government overall because you feel left out and you have a “right” to programs you have no access to. You hate government because you probably can’t get a loan right now to acquire another property…if you can, your mad about the rate or, perhaps, the loan process takes longer since the banks are scared. You’ve shown us your magnificent skills at business. Why you don’t run Roanoke is beyond me. You do have Republican characteristics, but you are too full of hate. You truly are like a liberal extremist. I saw you, along with a few others, mentioning that you are looking into relocating and that’s a good thing. The less idiots that are around this city, the better. That’s step 1 of improving things. Removal of the slum lord and the other idiots. Check out the Roanoke website and look at all of the awards/nominations that have been given. I call that progress. Revitalization of downtown = progress. Art museum = progress. We would have even more great things like the Rockledge Inn if idiots didn’t turn it into a political war zone. So, some of the bigger missed improvements have been a result of the political idiot citizens.
Mr. investor fetish, if you think I’m the “queen”, then you must be Bill White the Neo-Nazi. Did they finally give you a computer in the Chicago jail system? Based on your post on one of the other blogs in this site, you truly are a scumbag. A worthless scumbag that wants everyone to boohoo for you. Not me! I don’t deal with pigs that promote social inequality. I bet your entire household is one big sty. Disgusting.
“”"Trump is my name. Gotcha! I have nothing to hide. “”"
It’ s interesting that you named yourself Trump considering your lack of real estate knowledge.
“”"Given the timeframe of this article, housing prices did go up. You are obviously a dumba** for thinking they did not. “”"
People, this is what we call radical leftist economics.
“”"Also, anyone can get a certificate to rent. “”"
Yes, anyone who abides by code enforcements strict rules of habitability of a property. BTW, it is called a Certificate of Compliance, not certificate to rent and if you are a slumlord you obviously wouldn’t be complying, would you?
“”"You don’t have to worry about using your real name if you obey the law/codes anyway. “”"
A little wet behind the ears, are ya? The greenhorn thinks that governments can not put pressure on people they don’t like if they are abiding by the law.
“”"After all, you wouldn’t want anyone on here to know how many violations you have actually had. “”"
If a rental unit has a violation it must be fixed right away or the Roanoke Code Enforcement will take you straight to court. Landlords in Roanoke don’t get away with being slumlords for very long. It is clear that you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. It makes One wonder if every single thing you say is complete BS.
“”"My whole point on property increases was that now with the recession, you are still getting taxed on what your values used to be. “”"
More radical leftist economics. No need to explain it to The Trump, AKA Queen. She is mathematically handicapped.
“”"In times of a recession, you could care less that some of your tennants/future tennants are on hard times. Your rent is the same. “”"
LOL, this clown actually thinks that I am in the business of making no money. That I would cut a break for someone and drop the rent during economic hardship. Fool, most landlords don’t actually OWN their property. The bank does and I can assure you that the mortgage keeps on coming. Maybe I will try what you say. I will call the bank up and tell them I want them to forgive a portion of the loan so I can cut a break for the tenants. Another wonderful example of liberal economics.
“”"For the record, I’m an Economics major and I’m Republican.”"”
You meant to say you are a liberal and you are a liar. It is impossible for an economics major to be a complete idiot about economic issues.
“”"So, take your hate towards government and discriminatory comments towards liberals and rethink your Econ 101 lessons.”"”
One must learn to love thy government and learn Economics 101, Lib style. Huh Queen?
“”" You also might want to try and look into the stock market. “”"
Stock market = low ROI. Understand Mr. Leftist Economics dropout?
Trump is my name. Gotcha! I have nothing to hide. Given the timeframe of this article, housing prices did go up. You are obviously a dumba** for thinking they did not. Also, anyone can get a certificate to rent. You don’t have to worry about using your real name if you obey the law/codes anyway. Obviously your very paranoid of that. After all, you wouldn’t want anyone on here to know how many violations you have actually had. My whole point on property increases was that now with the recession, you are still getting taxed on what your values used to be. Sounds like you’re a victim of the line of work you are involved with. I love your quote that either way, your rent is the same. Point made. In times of a recession, you could care less that some of your tennants/future tennants are on hard times. Your rent is the same. Slum Lord. I noticed you dislike judges too. I bet you dislike police as well. Any comment on that? For the record, I’m an Economics major and I’m Republican. So, take your hate towards government and discriminatory comments towards liberals and rethink your Econ 101 lessons. You are by far NOT a conservative. We don’t talk/think like you. Now, go get ready for court tomorrow. Make sure you have all of your documents ready so you can go in front of a hateful judge and get a hateful judgement against someone who can’t afford your “slum” rent. You also might want to try and look into the stock market. Supply and demand works there too my liberal friend and you don’t have to deal with “hateful” judges. Be careful as well, I hear there is code corruption everywhere. George Bush started it when he partnered with the Catholic Church! Oops, they have been exposed!!!! Oh noooooo! baaa aaaaaahhhh. I’ve ruined your sheep fetish.
Trump,
“”"My first question to you is: why do you want to be listed on here as anonymous? You have 40 houses in city limits? Wow! “”"
Why did you call yourself Trump and not use your real name? I think it is pretty obvious that I would never endanger my business. With the corruption in Roanoke I wouldn’t be surprised if I had code enforcement all over my property like flies on s***.
“”"I guess you did have to find something to blame for your tangible assets decreasing in value. “”"
Typical comment that a radical leftist would make based on a “guess”. Well, I will explain a little something to you. I am a landlord and could give a s*** if property goes up or down. My rent doesn’t. The lower the value goes the more money I make buying property far below value. I am not participating in the recession. People who are affected by property values decreasing are flippers and the run of the mill homeowner. Not landlords. The longer the recession the better for me.
“”" If you went to council meetings, you would know that the city gave quite a bit of $ to the schools…just like always. This came at the expense of other things in the city. “”"
Like what expense of other things in the city? Like the millions given to the bus company to do some interior decorating? Like the golf course? Give me a break.
“”"You are one of those people that want the handouts but never fully learn/dive into situations and try to do something about it. Right?”"”
Sorry there ignorant one but there aren’t any handouts I know of for landlords. Exactly what type of handouts am I missing out on?
“”"You also seem that you believe anything your read or hear. That’s unfortunate. “”"
That would be you ohh foolish one. I will quote my previous statement to you. “The mindless liberal pro establishment “sheep” in this country who Baaa leeeeve everything that they are told with complete disregard to logic and reason will be solely responsible for the transformation of our great country from a republic to an oligarchy.”
“”"Without news, people like you wouldn’t believe media propaganda. Without propaganda, people in the media couldn’t fuel their underlying motives.”"”
LOL, conspiracy theorist. The Roanoker has underlying motives. Facts are propaganda. I have never even heard a stupid liberal say that. Please explain how a fact can be propaganda. I really want to hear this.
“”"It’s hilarious. People like you are mad that your property taxes increased as a result of your property values increasing.”"”
People reading this blog. This is a perfect example of how the extreme leftist mind works. It shows how they do not base their thoughts on reason and logic. This Trump person says that property values increased at a time where everyone knows that they decreased. Yes you are right that Roanoke increased the values but the fact is that properties are selling for less…. Therefore they are worth less, not more. Please think prior to writing. I am not interested in debating with ignorant people.
“”"How about this…you will never have an increase in your property taxes again at the expense of your property value not increasing either.”"”
No, how about this fool…. Property values will increase when they actually are increasing. Please, stop with the ignorance.
“”"Now you can be the slum lord and take it out on them. “”"
What made you assume that I am a “slumlord”? If you rent in a low income area does that mean that you are a slumlord? I guess that you didn’t realize that all landlords have to have a certificate of compliance in Roanoke to rent to tenants,, therefore the Roanoke Government decides what is acceptable living conditions and I can assure you they will not give one with even the slightest problem.
“”"We you rent you houses, do you ever increase rent for the tennants? “”"
Obviously I do fool. Rent prices are based on supply and demand but you libs have absolutely no understanding of economics.
“”"I bet you are in the same group of people that ride around in a monster SUV and complain about gas prices too.”"”
Sorry Ohh foolish one… I ride around in a monster SUV and “don’t” complain about gas prices as I can afford it.
“”"I keep seeing that the city government has been exposed. What’s exposed. It’s all public information anyway. Why not expose what the true underlying motive is of the two gentlemen that wrote the article? “”"
It’s funny how mad that this radical leftist gets when factual information gets published. Publish factual info and you have a motive. LOL.
“”"Now get over there and fix the things your tennants complain about it. “”"
I wouldn’t get my rent if I didn’t. Judges in Roanoke aren’t landlord friendly.
Anonymous Investor,
My first question to you is: why do you want to be listed on here as anonymous? You have 40 houses in city limits? Wow! I guess you did have to find something to blame for your tangible assets decreasing in value. It makes sense as to your stake in the game now. If you went to council meetings, you would know that the city gave quite a bit of $ to the schools…just like always. This came at the expense of other things in the city. You don’t ever hear about that part though. Didn’t you read in the papers that Court Rosen wanted the city’s “rainy day funds” used to save schools? The deficit for schools came from the cut in state funding. Did you vote for Kaine? Probably didn’t vote at all. You are one of those people that want the handouts but never fully learn/dive into situations and try to do something about it. Right?
The interpretation you got from this article is that it’s about government overall instead of a “smear campaign” over city management and council. You also seem that you believe anything your read or hear. That’s unfortunate. Of course, without negativity, there wouldn’t be news. Without news, people like you wouldn’t believe media propaganda. Without propaganda, people in the media couldn’t fuel their underlying motives.
It’s hilarious. People like you are mad that your property taxes increased as a result of your property values increasing. How about this…you will never have an increase in your property taxes again at the expense of your property value not increasing either. There, your problem is settled. Now you can be the slum lord and take it out on them. We you rent you houses, do you ever increase rent for the tennants? No way! Not you right? And if you do, it’s the government’s fault. I bet you are in the same group of people that ride around in a monster SUV and complain about gas prices too.
I’m just telling you to do ALL of your homework before shooting off at the mouth. No government is perfect. But, for every negative thing we can find, there are positive contributions too. I keep seeing that the city government has been exposed. What’s exposed. It’s all public information anyway. Why not expose what the true underlying motive is of the two gentlemen that wrote the article? I just want to see balance from both sides. Now get over there and fix the things your tennants complain about it. Lead by example my dear frieind.
Trump,
“”"You accuse everyone in city government of being liberal. Classic.”"”
Reading comprehension problem by Trump. Throw the liberals out of office would only mean those who are elected.
Wow, overly touchy, I’ll bet that we have now been personally graced with the presence of the Queen aka the Trump.
“”"I bet you didn’t even vote. I bet you don’t even live within city limits.”"”
Ok, what do you bet on the voting? And you are right about not living within the city limits although I own over 40 houses within them. Is that enough for you? I’m sure I pay quite a bit more public officials salaries than you.
“”"Also, do your homework. Although the city is related with the school system, they do NOT control the school system. “”"
I’m sorry, I thought we were talking about the local government. Did you for some reason forget that the schools are government facilities? FYI, School funding comes from a variety of federal, state, and city money pots. About 46 percent of public spending on elementary and secondary schools is derived from “local” government budgets. The size of the local tax base is one reason for the large disparity in spending in different areas. Roanoke’s tax base in not small.
“”"The decision to close schools was made by the schools. The city had nothing to do with that.”"”
And why exactly did they make this decision? Was it because of funding? Are you telling me that the Roanoke City has nothing to do with funding? Please, think before you speak and vote. The mindless liberal pro establishment “sheep” in this country who Baaa leeeeve everything that they are told with complete disregard to logic and reason will be solely responsible for the transformation of our great country from a republic to an oligarchy. And they won’t even know it happened.
Mark my words, the “Queen’s” little Oligarchy of Roanoke will soon come to an end as she has been exposed and the people of Roanoke simply won’t have it.
Karen,
If you worked for the city, you would actually know that Burcham drives a minivan (not a city issued vehicle). Also, you misused the term basis…I think you meant biased?
Hades,
You accuse everyone in city government of being liberal. Classic. I bet you didn’t even vote. I bet you don’t even live within city limits. Also, do your homework. Although the city is related with the school system, they do NOT control the school system. The decision to close schools was made by the schools. The city had nothing to do with that.
Even if the city did have control of the schools…those decisions would be made by council along with all other “governing/funding/else” decisions. Maybe you people should get out and vote next time if you do not like decisions being made by council.
It is about time we finally hear the other side of the story. All we ever hear is the governments side of issues. I was outraged when I filled out their survey and saw that they didn’t even ask the question if they should take a pay cut. Everyone else is taking cuts.
And they had the guts to tell us they were planning on spending the tax payer money on buying up real estate and rehabbing it. Going into business against local real estate investors.
Blowing millions on interior decorating of the bus company and shutting schools when they already have a shocking drop out rate.
It’s time to throw the liberals out of office and hire some libertarians that will quickly get the government back down to size.
I agree with Chris, he has hit the nail on the head. I have no statistics and don’t really care if the Roanoker is right or wrong by publishing the articles about the Queen. In fact, I think that it is about time someone is letting the public in on some of her antics.
Those who are taking up for her probably don’t work for the city of Roanoke. If you worked there, you may think differently. Since she has been employed by the city, she has done absolutely nothing for the employees except scaling down on the benefits. She’s not interested in the citizens or the employees, just her resume.
After the disaster with the land behind Berglund, she has been suspisously quiet but you can bet she is working hard behind the scenes. It seems that she has her spineless “bosses” right where she wants them. Of course that would include the two-faced Mayor Bowers, wonder what she did to change his mind about her.
Speaking of wasting money, I wonder if anyone knows just how many hundreds of thousands of dollars they waste on consultants because they can’t make a decision themselves. Granted, some things need to be reviewed by experts but not all. Victory Stadium for example. They just put on a show for the citizens.
By the way, I believe her city vehicle has been repaired more than a couple of times and swept under the rug. Bowers has had the police come to his home on Camilla St., ask his ex.
If you think my opinion is basis, you are right. I’ve seen too much B.S. go on within the city. Why don’t I give my real name? Like it or not, I need my job.
I don’t want to go back and forth, but it should be pointed out that there’s a big difference between a commercial magazine such as The Roanoker and media produced by the City of Roanoke, such as its magazine and local time on Cox Cable. When you consume those media, you know their agenda is to promote the City; they are not trying to be balanced. A commercial magazine, however, would seem to have a journalistic responsibility to be more balanced in its presentation. That’s all I was trying to say.
Now there are plenty of examples of unfair and unbalanced media. I’m not blind or naive to that. And any magazine publisher has the right to do whatever he or she wants to do within the pages of the magazine. Again, I applaud you for presenting these facts to your readers, and hope it spurs debate about the future of the City.
I, for one, believe the Roanoke region is heading in a positive direction. I also believe many bad decisions have been made in recent years, and tax dollars have been wasted in countless ways. Things need to change. And it starts with communication and discussion of the facts. I’m glad The Roanoker is sparking such, even while I disagree with its approach.
I THINK IT’S TIME FOR THE QUEEN OF RIP OFFS AND CONS TO LEAVE, SHE HAS RUN OUR CITY INTO THE GROUND SHE IS THE ONE THAT PUSHED FOR DEMOLITION OF A HISTORICAL LANDMARK. IF SHE HAD HER WAY THE MARKET BUILDING WOULD BE DEMOISHED FOR A PARKING GARAGE. SHE DOESN’T CARE ANYTHING ABOUT OUR CITY JUST THE MONEY OUR TAX DOLLARS PUT IN HER BANK ACCOUNT. AND A FEW YEARS AGO SHE GOT AWAY WITH HIT AND RUN BECAUSE SHE IS THE CITY MANAGER.
DAVID BOWERS SAID IN HIS CAMPAIGN IF ELECTED SHE WOULD BE LEAVING I GUESS HE IS A SPINELESS JELLY FISH NOT ABLE TO KEEP HIS WORD ……
Re: Mr. Black, “While the facts…”
As was clearly and prominently noted in the story, THE ROANOKER chose to use its limited space to present important and never before presented research. The city does not have to rely on the local media outlets, as the writer suggests, to provide the city’s views. The city of Roanoke, at a huge cost to its taxpayers, maintains its own considerable media channels. Consider that the city publishes and mails out its own CITIZEN magazine to 46,000 households, a circulation more than triple that of THE ROANOKER. There are countless hours of television air time of local government programming on Cox Cable every week. And there is the substantial city website.
None of these rely on the local media for coverage.
This response calls to mind the O.J. trial where the murders of two humans beings became secondary to the trial of the LAPD.
Chris,
To further clarify, “Little Gray Man” and I are only the moderators of this blog. Any post or comment we add here is on behalf of the collective editorial staff of The Roanoker magazine and does not necessarily correspond directly with our personal views. Thus, our individual identities are not in any way relevant to the issue.
As for any other posts and comments provided under pseudonyms on this blog; As Mr. Big rightly states, these contributors are not members of our staff and have used their own discretion in deciding whether or not to protect themselves with anonymity.
Chris,
I can assure you that Mr. Big (myself) is not the same as the others. I can also assure you that I must post anonymously or suffer severe punishment for voicing my opinion since I am employed by the City. My position is one that is popular among a lot of City employees in my line of work and other departments. It is unfortunate that we cannot voice our opinion without fear of retribution, but that is the system we work in.
I do appreciate your position on how anonymity = cowardice, but there just isn’t any other way at this point. I assure you that I have been involved in local politics for a long time and have fought for issues both big and small. Something needs to change soon or the downward spiral will continue!
Little Gray Man,
I think you are stretching a bit to imply that Ms. Burcham somehow has the power to adversely impact the career of anyone in the private sector. If these people lack the courage to speak out publicly, perhaps they should keep their opinions to themselves. Anonymous bomb throwing is for cowards. I find it particularly disturbing that employees of The Roanoker are allowed to operate behind pseudonyms. How can we trust that Mr. Big, Mr. Orange, Mr. Gray and all the others aren’t the same person just trying to stir up controversy to attract readers?
Chris … I used Mr. Black as a pseudonym because I find it very odd that The Roanoker’s publisher/editor would post on this blog with a pseudonym such as “Mr. Orange.” Perhaps a fit of snarkiness got the best of me. But I’m not trying to hide … Mr. Black is Mike Dame. I spent 16 years as a newspaper journalist as both a reporter and editor at a major metropolitan daily, the Orlando Sentinel. Perhaps by sharing my credentials here, it will provide a bit more weight to my post. I believe you’ve commented on my blog … http://www.damecoinc.com.
The difference between blogging and journalism has been debated since the first blog appeared. While we should all be accountable for what we write, I believe that established media professionals should be held to a higher standard. I am bothered by the fact that Ms. Burcham was not interviewed for this article, but that is not my greatest concern. What bothers me more is the fact that all of the posts and most of the comments on this blog are anonymous. If you’ve got a problem with the way the city is run, this is a great venue to express your views. Your arguments would be taken more seriously if you had the courage to use your real names instead of hiding behind pseudonyms.
Have you ever dealt with the City’s Public Information Officer? Another one of those choices of Burcham in her total City Chater control over personnel especially her immediate fifedom. Ask about the PIO’s former experience in this field; a very critical one in any operation the size of Roanoke’s City Government.
Hello???!!!!!
While the facts presented in the story are indisputable, considering their source, what is troublesome from a journalism perspective is the authors’ reliance on other local media outlets to provide the “city’s views.” This may not necessarily be bad journalism, but it certainly doesn’t pass the smell test of fairness.
Any responsible journalist would actively seek out comment from all sides of the issue and present those in the same report. From that perspective, The Roanoker’s article was irresponsible reporting. Like it or not, the magazine is among the region’s historical records. And in this case, your editor did a disservice to Ms. Burcham, the City Council and the City’s full-time staffers by making a conscious decision not to seek out their comments on the facts presented. This is inexcusable for a monthly magazine that certainly has been working on this story for months, giving it plenty of time to seek out Ms. Burcham and others for their perspective. And that is what has been recorded for history.
To present a blog as a forum for discussion is admirable, and I hope it has the desired effect of shedding light on issues that certainly need to be discussed openly. But The Roanoker cannot rely on such devices as a means to present a balanced report.
The Roanoker could have avoided this criticism of its cover story by simply seeking out Ms. Burcham and others for comment. If those city officials provided “no comment” or what you may have deemed as predictable rhetoric as a response, so be it. At least that response would have been presented in your article, closing the door on any feeling of unfairness in your reporting.
Interested,
Thank you for your comment. We agree, the story is not about our coverage or motivations, and it is not our intent to make it so. The only matter at hand here concerns the facts we have presented and how citizens and city government respond to the issues involved.
As per your inquiry about the city’s reaction to our coverage; Despite the fact that we had the first copy of the new issue hand delivered to Mrs. Burcham’s office last week, thus far we have not received any correspondence from the City regarding this story, nor do we have a timeline on when such a response may come, if at all.
We have also not been informed of any efforts by other media outlets (save for those noted in my previous post, entitled “The Conversation is Growing – Whose Side Are YOU On?”) to cover this story. However, we share your sentiments in hoping City Council and Mrs. Burcham will not try to sweep this issue under the dusty rug of city politics, and that our fellow members of the media will give it the attention and coverage it deserves.
Mr. Orange,
Justification isn’t necessarily needed, but appreciated. It’s just a complaint, which is fair, but whether this falls under journalism standards or not isn’t the issue or a big deal. Then this story is more investigative opinion/editorial.
It’s now up to the City’s “PR Machine” to respond and respond they must. I am hoping the other media outlets in town pick up on this and ask the pressing questions.
Has the City contacted the Roanoker in regards to the story? When will they respond? or will they just pretend this didn’t happen.
Thanks for your comment Chris, and not everyone is hiding behind a pseudonym, however, there are folks here in positions with the City or respected Roanoke businesses where their careers could be affected by their participation.
We do appreciate though folks like you who are willing, able and feel comfortable to participate with their real names. (And for the record, Little Gray Man works for the publisher.)