“Why do you think you need to be the East Ridge Watchdog?”
That was a question that was asked of me a couple weeks ago by Marvin “Stump” Martin, the city’s Parks & Recreation Director. I’ll admit that when the question was asked I was kind of shocked and stunned. The reason I was stunned was because the question was asked with a negative connotation behind it, and before I get into it more I should probably provide some background to help the reader understand.
A week prior to this question being asked, I wrote a news article where I quoted something Martin told me on a private Facebook messenger chat. In hindsight, I now realize there was a misunderstanding. I totally admit that Martin had asked me to keep what I was told private. However, because it was a toneless, text-based conversation I misinterpreted what I read and published something, that while completely true, I shouldn’t have. That post on East Ridge News Online was taken down hours after it was published.
The next day, after reading the “Spring Sports Flyer” produced by the Department of Parks & Recreation, I posed a question online asking for feedback on East Ridge Sports and the $90 fee. I wanted to know if parents thought it was fair, and if in a town with title 1 schools (meaning a high number of low income families) kids who wanted to participate might be left out due to their parents not being able to afford the fee.
This did not please Martin at all.
The meeting where Martin asked me about my need to be “The Watchdog” began with a very negative tone. Martin held up papers from a printed out newspaper article that I was mentioned in.
He had “googled” me. I guess, I should consider it an honor that I had worried this city employee to the point where they had to “dig up dirt” on me.
Martin asked me about my job. So I guess this is where I let you know that while I love to write for East Ridge News Online, my nine-to-five is working for a company named Matthew Ross Gilham Media, INC. I am the editor/general manager of a newspaper that is produced, printed, and circulated in 10 major metropolitan cities throughout the United States. It’s found on just about every convenience store counter in the area and is commonly known as “Just Busted.”
Every week we reproduce publicly available arrest records, sex offender records, crime news, most wanted bulletins, and other similar data in an easy to read and consumable format. Nothing different than information that’s printed in every newspaper in the country, just more concise and less editorializing.
So, I sat down with Martin and I’m immediately asked if I’m the same “Matthew DeGlopper” as the one that works for “Just Busted?” Well, the answer was as obvious as the question, and I readily admitted that I was. I have nothing to hide, and I’m proud of the work we do.
“I don’t think I could work there,” Martin said. “Too much negative journalism”… “Everything about that is negative.” I tried to defend what my job does. I feel that we provide a public service in attempting to inform people about what happens in their communities. I could have informed him about the good “Just Busted” has done.
I could have told him about the grandmother in Memphis who bought our paper for weeks after a home invasion. See, she knew criminals don’t just stop being criminals. After two thugs kicked in her door and pointed a gun at her and her five-year old granddaughter, she knew they would be in our newspaper eventually. So she bought a new issue every week and after six weeks her granddaughter spotted those men, and this gave the police the names of the men who needed to be brought to justice for her home invasion.
The thing is, this wasn’t about changing hearts and minds. This was an attempt by Martin to bully me. A chance for him to get a little retribution.
That’s when Martin hit with his backlash about the article and the Facebook post about the $90 fee for kids to participate in recreation league sports. Then the boom… “I don’t know why you think you need to be the East Ridge Watchdog?”
That question hurt. In fact of all the weak attempts to upset me this one worked. Honestly, I answer the phone calls of the company that prints the names and faces of close to 10,000 people per week. Thats a lot of angry calls. There wasn’t anything that Martin could say about my job that I hadn’t heard twice already. Haters are gonna hate, and I get that.
I love my home, and I love this city. Anyone who has read anything I have written should realize that. When I write a piece that blasts city officials for what I see as issues within local government that isn’t an attempt by me to diminish anyone. It is instead an honest and heartfelt attempt to make an argument that hopefully stirs someone with power to make changes that I feel will help everyone in this city.
One quarter of the city budget is derived from property taxes. Those are taxes paid by myself and my neighbors. If I don’t make sure that my money and my neighbors’ money isn’t being wasted then who do I have to blame when taxes are increased? NO ONE!
Many of my neighbors are seniors who live on fixed incomes. They cannot afford to see their tax bill jump because, in part, city officials choose to have a $25,000 birthday party for the city instead of considering their fiduciary responsibility to the citizens. So I attend meetings. I remember and take note of what happens. I pay attention. In fact the only City Council member who has attended more meetings than I have is Denny Manning. That’s because to the best of my recollection he hasn’t missed any and I have missed one.
Yet, despite this, Martin attacked. “Why do you think you need to be the East Ridge Watchdog?” is a question that stuck in my brain.
“How’s this bad?” I think. Should I feel bad about being a “watchdog?”
Then it hits me: I realized in spite of Martin using these words to hurt me they in fact ring true. What do “watchdogs” do? They protect things. They watch over and provide security for something and do so vigorously.
So you know what, when it comes to my city, when it comes to my neighbors, when it comes to my taxes, absolutely I am a “watchdog.”
That leaves me with two simple questions: Number one; Stump, why does having an East Ridge “watchdog” scare you?
And number two; Why are there not more East Ridge “watchdogs?”
