Friday, April 15, 2011

More PIOs gone wild

It is easy to personalize the PIO issue when the PIO is someone like Mayor Berry's Chris Huffman-Ramirez. His arrogance makes it easy to forget that its not so much the PIOs, as it is the people who employ them against the public interests, who are the real problem.

The villain in the piece, link, North Central Transit Director Josette Lucero, was overheard directing her Public Information Officer to dis-inform the press (and the people);

"I'm tired of helping these people and they don't print what we want them to print, anyway."

"You shouldn't be front line right there after the meeting so they can ask you questions, making yourself available like that,"
One of the more disturbing aspects; this $94K a year public servant will not be fired for her non and malfeasance.

More importantly, the person or people to whom Lucero reports, will not be held accountable for their mal or nonfeasance either.

Now would be a good time to visit the issue of loyalties of Public Information Officers in general. Are they there to inform the public, or are they there to spin the truth to cover up the incompetence and corruption of their bosses?

Whose interests are theirs?

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