Author: opinionstogo

Report — Don’t Incite

As we now know, the aftermath of the TyRon Lewis wrongful death case did not result in full-fledged rioting. The community breathed a collective sigh of relief as fears had been flamed that there might be a reprise of 1996’s burning and looting spree. Calmer heads ultimately prevailed over the revolutionary rhetoric of the Uhurus and their H. Rap Brownshirts.

No thanks to the St. Petersburg Times , however.

This is how the Times heralded the news that a jury had rejected a call for more than $1.6 million in compensation for Lewis’ family. The 4-column, front-page, above-the-fold headline declared: “Jury Finds City Owes Lewis Family Nothing.” Directly below was a 4-column, close-up, color photo of infuriated family members.

At a time when no one knew if violence — actually an extension of a previous night’s limited looting — would break out once a verdict had been rendered, the Times chose language and a juxtaposed photo that was at least fuel for the Uhuru firebrands. (Having provided an ongoing bully pulpit for the anarchist rantings of Omali Yeshitela wasn’t contribution enough.)

It was tantamount to saying “Mostly White Jury Agrees That Family Of Black Teen Killed By Trigger-Happy White Cop Deserve Nothing For Their Heartbreak.”

The Times loves to tout its role as a responsible, involved corporate citizen as well as its reputation for award-winning, independent journalism.

Tout this.

Cuba Policy Beyond Pandering

Just when we thought the Bush Administration’s panderfest to Cuban-Americans couldn’t get any more blatant or arrogant, we get the “recommendations” from the government-ordered Commission on Cuba. The 500-page report included a chapter on how to end the government of President Fidel Castro. The remaining chapters strongly suggested ways the U.S. can help a post-Castro government implement democracy.

You don’t have to be a Bush-basher or a blame-America-first leftist to find this beyond the pale. It’s as if Guatemala, Chile or Iran never happened. Uniquely tragic Cuban-American history notwithstanding, it’s not for the U.S. to say what kind of government Cuba should have. It is a sovereign state, like it or not, and entitled to determine its own destiny — even if under the despotic aegis of Fidel Castro.

Appropriately enough, the commission was headed by Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is hardly unfamiliar with regime-change scenarios.

Byrd’s Basic Problem: Nobody Likes Him

Maybe the voters of Plant City know something that no one else is privy to. Or maybe a “living within our means” mantra totally carries the day in District 62. Or maybe they’re just clueless. But their representative — and outgoing House Speaker — Johnnie Byrd will now try to pull off an improbable political feat: win a U.S. Senate seat when so many people outside Plant City don’t like him.

But Byrd, it should be noted, is off to an unprecedented start. By the time the recent Legislative session had finally argued its way into exhaustion, Byrd had scored an unparalleled Capital hat trick: the alienation of the media, lobbyists and fellow legislators — no small accomplishment.

A Miss America Worthy Of The Role

At last a role model worthy of the role. Ericka Dunlap, the black, reigning Miss America, is a University of Central Florida senior who plans to attend law school. She spoke at the recent Teen Leadership Summit in Tampa and didn’t mince words about education, ambition and values — including teen sex. To wit:

“I am not trying to be white; I am trying to be successful.”

“No guy from my high school can say he was with Miss America.”

You keep going, girl.

Talking Bolts’ Hockey With Rick Peckham

For the last nine years Rick Peckham, the well-modulated TV voice of the Tampa Bay Lightning, has been broadcasting Bolts’ games in tandem with color analyst Bobby “The Chief” Taylor. He has soldiered on through the bad old days that only ended a couple of seasons ago. He has called the play-by-play for a hockey team that had become all too familiar with 50-loss seasons. They were the Devil Rays of hockey.

“That was tough — not being able to win,” acknowledges Peckham. “You keep trying to look for positives in a young, inexperienced team. The Chief and I would pray that the opposition would call someone up (from the minors) in time for the game so we would have something to talk about.”

But as bad as those days were, the last two years have made it more than worthwhile, says Peckham. There has been no dearth of positives to chat about.

“Sure, it’s exciting,” says the 49 year old whose broadcast experience also includes 11 years with the Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricanes). “Watching and covering a winner is always more fun, but it’s also the professional satisfaction. When we have our production meetings the morning of every telecast, we look at all our options. And there are a lot more. There are graphics to choose and topics to talk about. These days, as you can imagine, there’s a vast array of topics to talk about.”

Among them, the lack of respect accorded the Lightning by the national media. It’s especially apparent in the ESPN studio.

“People are just learning about the Lightning,” notes Peckham. “They are relative newcomers without a lot of familiar names. But they went 8-1 in the first two series. They outscored Montreal 14-5. It takes time, but I think people are waking up to just how good this team is.”

The success, says Peckham, has to do with more than talent, although that is obviously in ample supply. “They have the parts you need,” he stresses.

They have the cornerstones: 24-year-olds Vinny Lecavalier and Brad Richards. They have the undersized Martin St. Louis, who led the NHL in scoring, and goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who has been playing up to his elite status. They have veteran leadership in Dave Andreychuk, Tim Taylor and Darryl Sydor. They have a bunch of non-marquee names who know their roles. They have a taskmaster with a deft touch in head coach John Tortorella. And they have a general manager in Jay Feaster who is as astute as he is anonymous.

“Tortorella is very cognizant of players’ needs, especially for rest,” says Peckham. “He gives them days off down the stretch. He’s also a good communicator — very articulate.

“I think a lot of people would be surprised at how patient he can be,” adds Peckham. “He won’t yank a guy for making a mistake — especially if it’s one of commission. He knows which buttons to push. His style is to forecheck and apply pressure, which creates a high tempo. Players enjoy that. He’s got all the bases covered.”

But there’s also a downside to the upsurge in Lightning fortunes. Peckham and Taylor worked more than 60 regular season and playoff games for the Lightning’s contractual partner, Sunshine Network. But after they called Game 3 of the Montreal series, it was au revoir for the season. It was their last play-by-play telecast. Now that the team has gone where no Lightning franchise had even dared dream of going before, Peckham and Taylor are no longer on board to officially chronicle history. It’s strictly a national network tie-in now.

“It’s something we have to deal with,” Peckham says. “You’d like to be calling every game — especially now — but the networks (ABC/ESPN) have exclusive rights. We’ll try and stay as involved as we can and roll with it.”

As it turns out, that involvement — thanks to an arrangement between Sunshine and the Lightning — means that Peckham, Taylor and Paul Kennedy will be doing live pre- and post-game shows.

Speaking of talking, when Peckham isn’t doing it from his broadcast perch, he finds the experience nerve-wracking.

“I’m edgier when I’m not doing the game,” he explains. “I’m kind of nervous for them; you want to see them succeed. I’m much more emotionally involved. I don’t really relax.”

Peckham’s comfort zone is the broadcast booth — and while he does other sports (he called the ArenaBowl last spring on radio) — the up-and-down, rapid personnel-changing blitzkrieg that is hockey is his game. The key, he emphasizes, is self-discipline.

“In hockey there’s so much going on that you can’t describe every pass,” points out Peckham. “You have to edit yourself, so you don’t fall behind the play. You need to kind of edit on the fly.”

Peckham also edits out any temptation to speak in the first person plural. The Bucs’ Gene Deckerhoff and the University of Georgia’s legendary Larry Munson, for example, are graduates of the “we” school of home-team broadcasting. A lot of hard-core fans love it; many others don’t.

“This isn’t a criticism of anybody else, but that doesn’t work for me,” says Peckham. “I try to paint a picture of what’s going on, and that includes good plays by the other team. Now we don’t call it down the middle, but I don’t think we take the cheerleading approach.”

He says he and Taylor — not unlike the Lightning players — spend a lot of time on video critique sessions. He mainly uses the Internet to familiarize himself with Lightning opponents.

And whether it’s the Lightning or their opponents, he says, hockey players — for all the mayhem often associated with their game — are the easiest athletes to deal with of all the major sports.

“They have a reputation for being approachable and easy to talk to, and it’s well- deserved,” notes Peckham. “And the Lightning are a good example. Not just nice guys, but also savvy. You won’t see them talking out of turn or being brash. They aren’t that way, and they know how to stay out of (media) traps.

“I think people would find them very down to earth and even funny,” adds Peckham. “In fact, some of the funniest people are hockey players.”

Just don’t ask the New York Islanders, the Montreal Canadiens or, hopefully, the Philadelphia Flyers.

Tampa’s Arts Czarina Is Listening And Learning

Wendy Ceccherelli, the city’s newly-hired director of arts and cultural affairs, is out and about getting the lay of the artistic land and a feel for the business community. Among her stops was a recent appearance at a CreativeTampaBay Salon hosted by Ybor City’s Brad Cooper Gallery. Ceccherelli, 48, recently relocated from Seattle. She impressed attendees as enthusiastic and open to ideas and suggestions.

She noted that the ultimate deal-maker for her was finding out that Tampa had a “Young, female mayor” who wanted to “create a buzz about a ‘city of the arts'” and was a true believer in Richard Florida’s “Rise of the Creative Class” philosophy. She later learned that “the cultural mix in Tampa was quite special.”

In her six weeks on the job, she’s been busy cataloguing what’s unique about the city — with an eye toward building on those strengths. Her eclectic list already ranges from Busch Gardens, the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, the St. Pete Times Forum and the new Tampa Bay Amphitheatre to the Columbia Restaurant (and flamenco dancers), the Tampa International Film Festival, Hispanic cultural roots and related networks — and even the Dragon Boat Races.

As for challenges, Tampa’s “car orientation” is a serious one — as is the lack of “critical mass in downtown.” There is, of course, no defined “arts district.” Galleries are scattered around town. In fact, Brad Cooper, nestled between Ybor’s Coyote Ugly Saloon and the Green Iguana Bar & Grill, could be Exhibit A.

And while everything from pushing for public art to expediting arts-friendly development is high on her agenda, Ceccherelli left no doubt as to her first order of business: the new art museum. It has to get out of the ground this year. It needs solvent sailing. It’s the key cultural catalyst for downtown, an important cog in the city’s economic engine and a Riverwalk linchpin. Recent fund-raising efforts have been encouraging.

“My top priority,” Ceccherelli underscored, “is the Tampa Museum of Art.”

In a later aside, she clarified that position for the benefit of those concerned that artists, per se, might be short shrifted as a priority.

“The museum is a city project,” explained Ceccherelli. “It’s part of my department. I’m putting it out there to make it clear to people we have a focus. But just because I have a top priority, doesn’t mean it’s the only thing I’m looking at.

“We need to figure out what it is we need to do to create a healthy environment where artists can thrive,” she emphasized. “It’s about housing and public art; it’s about noise ordinances, zoning and on-going financial support. The artist community is incredibly important.”

Ceccherelli also divulged the “secret” to Seattle’s success as a city renowned for its well-attended and plentiful arts events: “the weather.” As in cloudy and rainy.

“If you’re inside for nine months, you get stir crazy,” she impishly explained — with apologies to the Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

No Harm, No Foul?

Earlier this month former NBA player Jayson Williams was acquitted of manslaughter in the shotgun slaying of a limo driver at his New Jersey mansion. But he was found guilty of trying to cover up the shooting. No date has been set for the sentencing.

Let’s see if we have this right. Williams was convicted of four charges related to tampering with evidence, concocting a cover story for witnesses and trying to make the death look like a suicide. In other words Williams, who did not testify in his own defense, was guilty of covering up a non-crime. Air ball.

Mayor Iorio’s First Year Priorities

Mayor Pam Iorio has been in office a little more than a year now. Most observers would grade it a good start. She hasn’t exactly frittered away the mother lode of good will she debuted with. Many might even call it an ongoing media honeymoon — even if the mayor disagrees. (Officially, she does.)

Her persona is still positive, her public image still unflappable. “I love it,” she still says of the City Hall experience.

She tries to diffuse anything that’s less than lovable — say, the latest incarnation of Ryan Construction or smutty e-mail circulating in the parking department — early in her day. She speed-reads both dailies each morning between 6:00 and 6:20 A.M. “Whatever irritates me, happens then,” she acknowledges.

“I sometimes vent. But that’s what husbands are for. Then I drive to work, maybe talk to (Chief of Staff) Darrell (Smith) or maybe (Special Assistant) Fran (Davin). Then it’s all right.”

“What you see is what you get,” says Smith. “She doesn’t turn it on for the public spotlight. You won’t hear her raise her voice. She’s remarkably calm. She’s about logic and problem-solving and holding people accountable. She treats the public and the media as customers.”

The only scandal on Iorio’s watch has been in the housing department, and that was an inherited mess of arrant audits and criminal indictments. But the new mayor owns it, especially since it continued to fester through her first year. She then literally cleaned house, which is the best way to deal with debacles.

The mayor has a fairly lengthy short list of her administration’s first year accomplishments. They’ve been well chronicled in the media — including a 14-minute city video. What is worth underscoring here, however, is what tops that list.

She has hired well, she emphasizes, from Police Chief Stephen Hogue to Solid Waste Department Director David McGary. She also touts the diversity of her hires: of the 18 department head and managerial positions filled by Iorio, more than 40 per cent are minorities — blacks and Hispanics.

And, no, she doesn’t agree with those who feel she may have beefed up the bureaucracy with some of those hires, none of them at modest salaries. That’s because Iorio not only filled positions, but also added some, such as Paul Wilborn, the creative industries manager, Santiago Corrada, administrator of neighborhood services, Susanna Martinez, a full-time communications director and Davin, the special assistant.

“I’m proud that we’ve assembled a quality team,” says Iorio. “It’s about bringing in the best and brightest. It’s what I said I would do — to serve the public. I don’t think we added ‘layers’ as some have said.”

Co-topping that list of accomplishments is the effort at helping residents of East Tampa take back their neighborhoods from the druggies. The police crackdown on drug holes didn’t end with Operation Commitment, she stresses.

“I really credit the police and the community policing policy,” says Iorio. “They are going after the drug suppliers. You could drive to 29th and Lake right now, and you won’t find open-air drug dealing any more. And we haven’t seen any evidence that it has simply gone elsewhere. We monitor that.”