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Sign 'gag' taints school board election
The scorecard in the recent “sign-gate” debacle is both sad and disturbing. From my perspective, it reads like this: Holy-rolling Kern High School District trustee Chad Vegas and KERN 1410 AM radio talk show host Scott Cox: 1. Media and public: 0. Only two people benefited from this (whether they intended to or not) and those are Vegas and Cox. For Vegas, seriously, all the money in the world couldn’t buy this kind of publicity. And make no mistake, it will continue. I can already see a heartfelt forgiveness/come to Jesus press conference. As for Cox, his bosses have already ended his suspension and he’ll be back on the air Monday. The fall ratings book just started and I’ll bet KERN gets a bump from this. Who’s gonna kill the goose that laid the golden egg? Early last week, Cox stole 15 of Vegas’ four-foot-by-eight-foot signs in what he says was a gag for his radio show. Vegas wasn’t laughing and neither were Sheriff’s investigators who are still looking into the case. Given past practice in Kern, there’s a strong possibility Cox will face charges. Back in 2002, then-Rosedale Union School Board trustee Ken Mettler, who now shares the dais with Vegas at KHSD, was accused of vandalizing an opponent’s sign by covering portions of it with white paper. When the case went to trial, the judge dismissed it, saying the alleged actions didn’t meet the definition of graffiti under the penal code section that Mettler was charged with. (Note to Cox: It’s never too early to lawyer up.) Meanwhile, all us schmos in the media played our roles hook, line and sinker. I’m not saying we were suckered, or that it wasn’t “news.” Just that it played extremely well for Vegas, who capitalized on every twist and turn, feeding the media just enough to keep us in the chase. But here’s why I think the public is the biggest loser in all this. Elections are sacred. Just like free speech. You don’t mess with either. Stealing yard signs may seem like a prank, but it is, in effect, tampering with the process. Just as the absence of signs reduces a candidate’s visibility, the added attention from the hype could influence some voters. It’s unfair to the public and dirties the process. This election, in particular, is serious business. KHSD’s dropout rate is high, its test scores are low (especially when compared to other districts with even worse demographics than ours) and our grads aren’t exactly jamming the halls of the state’s universities. In fact, KHSD grads often need a lot of remedial attention to succeed at even the community college level. Getting the right people on that board is crucial. As anyone who’s read this column previously knows, I do NOT believe Vegas is one of them. His repeated forays into cultural politics — getting winter/spring breaks renamed Christmas/Easter and mandating “In God We Trust” posters in every classroom — are so divisive and distracting they outweigh any work he’s done on purely academic issues. All of that said, I would never tear down, steal, deface or otherwise molest his campaign signs. Just as I would never deny his right to express his opinions. That’s all part of this crazy thing we call the Constitution, which sets us apart (or at least is supposed to) from garden spots like Cuba, Russia, China and Myanmar. I had hoped with a host of challengers, Vegas would at least have to sweat a little over this race. Cox’s little “joke”, however, will only help deliver another four years of Vegas’ attempts to shove his religion down our throats. And I don’t find that funny at all. Opinions expressed in this column are those of Lois Henry, not The Bakersfield Californian. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. Call her at 395-7373 or e-mail lhenry@bakersfield.com. 8 comments from 8 users
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posted by
sagefever
on Sep 27, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Good column ~ I noticed some of Rev. Cournyea's signs were also" stolen",but he declined to "raise the tent" for a media circus.He already had my vote,but that just makes me all the surer of my choice.
posted by
Cubwin23
on Sep 27, 2008 at 06:57 PM
Ummm, DBR1...here's a newsflash. She is a columnist (not a beat journalist) whose job it is TO GIVE HER OPINION. Did you by chance notice the little caveat after her article where it says her opinions are hers and do not per se reflect those of the newspaper? She is paid to give her opinions, just as the Shrider lady (and others are). The only difference is this lady seems to focus on issues that actually might matter to people in Kern County, instead of wasting space talking about what outfits our local restaurant servers are wearing. posted by
adampayne
on Sep 27, 2008 at 07:17 PM
Right on the money, Lois! posted by
mcdougle
on Sep 27, 2008 at 07:55 PM
Speaking of "There is no such thing as bad publicity in a political race" I seem to recall Mr. Vegas got considerable "ink" four years ago when there was a major flap about his right to hand out fliers on the sidewalk in front of the Civic Auditorium as people were attending an event (Flier-gate?) His right was upheld and he got a ton of free press. As a candidate, I often experience the frustration of yard signs being torn down or disappearing. It used to bother me but now I just factor it in as an unavoidable side effect of campaigning. Of course, the large signs do cost close to $100 dollars plus the manpower to put them up. I agree that the signs are an extension of a candidate's freedom of speech and should be left alone. And.... candidates should be held responsible for taking them all down after the election - win or lose. posted by
Quest
on Sep 27, 2008 at 08:09 PM
I couldn't agree more. Nice opinion piece, and right on the mark. It seems to me that we could use more people on both sides of the aisle who feel the same way that you do. I'm an Independent, and one of the things that has really turned me off on "Values" candidates is their propensity to talk the talk, but not walk the walk. I'm encouraged when some seem to understand that you do the right thing, even when it's not always popular or helpful to yourself. Thanks a lot, Cox. Here's an idea for your next gag. Why don't you camp out on top of a pole with no bathroom for a week. You know, to show how sorry you are, and to demonstrate how much bs there is in politics. That might be something we all could laugh at. posted by
JustAThought
on Sep 28, 2008 at 07:53 AM
I'm an Independent, and one of the things that has really turned me off on "Values" candidates is their propensity to talk the talk, but not walk the walk. I'm encouraged when some seem to understand that you do the right thing, even when it's not always popular or helpful to yourself. _________________________________________________ Great statement. I guess the radio station thought the "right thing" to do for business was to bring Scott back. posted by
Anselmo86
on Sep 28, 2008 at 09:28 AM
I disagree lois. I think your statements were actually quite silly. You wanted the media to 'benefit' from this? In what capacity other than increased ratings, site hits, and ad revenues- and not to mention give you something to write about. Other than that, how else can the media benefit? I am in no way a Chad supporter, and I do believe he is using a public venue to 'shove his religion down our throats' - But how did he benefit beside exposure? The exposure he received was immense, but I seriously doubt it would make people change there minds about him. He has his supporters, and he has his opposers, and I assure you none of them crossed lines. It's not like you guys wrote anything nice about him- so in reality his bullsquat politics were exposed- causing him harm and 'empowering' the people, to make a more informed vote. Right? Scott was disciplined. He didnt gain any new listeners. Your arguement is baloney. Im dissapointed in you, I liked you because you slammed Nicole, but you just became as big as a whiner as Chad Vegas.
posted by
Helga3412
on Sep 29, 2008 at 10:40 PM
I agree with Lois. Cox gets a week of press and he is laughing all the way back to work today according to the latest news story. Vegas gets a week of free press and sympathy because Cox stole his signs. One thing for sure, Cox has a face for radio.
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