Playing politics in hometown? May 25, 2013

  


When you think a situation can’t get any more confusing, I ran into “A” at the annual journalism awards dinner where she tried to spin me in favor of “R,” the old guard candidate running for mayor in Hometown.

“A,” who covered Hometown before “D” took over her beat, is rumored to be our poet’s barhopping buddy (this according to Hometown blogger GA), and so I got suspicious, wondering if this was some kind of scam.

“A” had texted me out of the blue earlier in the day, asking me to give her a job reference, something else that seemed suspicious – although I shrugged it off, knowing she most likely couldn’t get a reference from our former Temporary Boss, who didn’t like her, or our regular boss, who liked her even less.

Yet, knowing how close she was to our poet friend, the whole thing struck me as too similar to events a year earlier when our poet friend first texted me in the middle of the night.

My BS radar went into overdrive when she sat down at our table at the awards dinner and started selling me on the virtues of candidate “R”, who was then running for mayor against incumbent mayor “Z.”

“R” represented the old population of Hometown, who felt displaced by the invasion of yuppies, while “Z” represented the uppity newcomers.

“A” was actually far too friendly in her trying to spin me on “R’s” behalf.

This morning, I learned that my poet friend’s boss, had become “R’s” campaign manager,” making me think none of “A’s” actions were accidental, and making me wonder if she and my poet friend have leaped into the Hometown race on behalf of my poet friend’s boss – and she (my poet friend) may be using her influence over “D” in Hometown the way she did when “D” covered the Virgin Mayor’s town previously – just in time for the election.

This makes me wonder if she (our poet friend on behalf of her boss) encouraged “D” to make the transition to Hometown, knowing that she and her boss would be working the election there.

All this comes at a time when the inner circle of the Virgin Mayor is looking for new digs in case the federal case against the Virgin Mayor ends up in a conviction.

“R” is extremely close to the Neighboring Mayor, who our poet friend alienated last year, and with home RR – her one-time boyfriend – has an on-again-off-again relationship which appears to be on again. But there are number of people inside and outside Hometown who don’t trust R or his relationship to the Neighboring Mayor and would like to see “Z” remain in power.

The question for me is “A’s” involvement with “R’s” campaign a sign that she and our poet friend are going to use their influence on our office to help “R” against “Z”?

Will our poet friend use “D,” who covers Hometown, to shape stories the way she seemed to do when he covered the Virgin Mayor’s town previously?

Will our poet friend use her influence over our owner as well, in order to show the inner circle, she still has relevance, even after she was forced out of our office last October.

Will our Boss allow “D” to slant stories on behalf of “R”?

The whole thing stinks, and I’m more than a little nervous about what role we will play since two of our former employees are deeply involved in this campaign.

 

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