Election Procedures to Change After Complaints in Vienna
From the Sun Gazette comes Brian Trompeter's angle on Vienna Election corruption:
The Fairfax County Office of Elections will change some of its procedures after some voters reported election officer misbehavior during the May 1 Vienna Town Council election.
Two supporters of candidate Deborah Brehony filed reports with the State Board of Elections saying some election officers encouraged them to vote for three candidates, when the ballot specifies “not more than three.”Brehony and fellow challenger Susan Stich encouraged supporters just to vote for them, as filling out a whole slate also would give votes to the three incumbents running in the race.
Brehony, during an election-night interview, also said at least one voter was told to vote for three candidates so that the “new people would not get in.”
Margaret “Maggi” Luca, secretary of the Fairfax County Electoral Board, said she was present when the incidents occurred and sent election worker Rhoda Stevens home as a result.
Stevens was allowed to exit via the back door because Stich supporters were taking photos in the front part of the Vienna Community Center, which is the polling place in Town Council elections, Luca said.
It is unlikely Stevens will be allowed to serve as an election officer again, Luca said.
“That was just truly unfortunate,” Luca said of the incidents. “We will use it as a teaching experience forever after. I can't believe the [election officer] had any ill will involved in the comment, but that's irrelevant.”
County election officials also will select Vienna's election officers henceforth, she said.
The county in the past has supplied a list of potential election officers to Vienna Town Clerk Carol Orndorff, who then selected officers from each of the town's quadrants and sent the list to the Vienna Town Council for approval.
Luca said she could not guarantee such equal town-wide representation under the new arrangement.
Vienna Town Council elections require one election officer for each of eight voting machines, two officers for each of three alphabetic categories at the voter check-in tables, plus a chief election officer and that person's assistant. The chief election officer earns $200 on election day and other election officers make $100.
Election officers begin work at 5 a.m. on election day, work through the poll closings at 7 p.m. and stay on the job until the votes are tallied and sent to the county Office of Elections, Luca said.
Brehony and Stich came in fourth and fifth place, respectively, in the five-way race for three available Town Council seats. Incumbents Dan Dellinger, George Lovelace and Maud Robinson will begin new two-year terms on July 1.
Comments
More twit reporting from Trompeter. Taking a picture of a corrupt poll worker is somehow a bad thing?
Why did Trompeter not report that Stevens was caught (and taped) on a public phone ordering "someone" to remove the George Lovelace political sign from her front yard at around 5pm on election day?
Trompeter you can pick your salary check up at Town Hall. Perhaps if you ever assume the role of real reporter you might learn some ethics.
Posted by: HV | May 12, 2007 10:57 PM
Bad challengers! Deborah complains about possible corruption and Stich wants it documented. Shouldn't you have been the one doing that Brian? And The Town Clerk (who is one of the Councilman's mother) is picking out the volunteers? How convenient is this set up? But don't worry folks now that they have been caught things will change. Oh good now I can sleep at night.
Posted by: give me a break | May 13, 2007 08:19 AM
Where are the comments of the Mayor? Does she know about this yet?
Posted by: give me a break | May 13, 2007 08:20 AM
Per Trompters reporting it was Luca who allowed Stevens to exit the back door. If for the reason Trompter reports is true is another matter. This adds a new meaning to "Back Door Politics". Don't kid yourself about Trompter picking up pay checks at Town Hall. He probably is striking for the Public Information Officer job.
Posted by: wyltn | May 13, 2007 08:53 AM
On second thought, doesn't Trompeter walk around with a camera? Could it be that they were trying to avoid a photograph of Stevens in the newspaper. Question is, would Trompeter have printed a picture of Stevens if she left through the front door? Also possible that he had taken other photos of her that he could use in his stories.
Posted by: wyltn | May 13, 2007 09:04 AM
If this was any town other than Vienna there would be an official investigation by the state police to follow up on Rhoda Stevens admission that she was told to do what she did. I wonder what else they were told to do? Trompeter "reported that Stevens had to leave by the back door because of the photographs..."
Two points:
1. This was a news story did Trompeter get pictures? No
2. The story about her leaving by the back door after the photos were taken at 1:30PM. This is an out-right lie. She didn't leave. She was there until after 6:30PM still telling people who and who not to vote for.
Small town charm. Right!
Posted by: Small Town Politics | May 13, 2007 02:57 PM
I think another important fact is that this poll worker was allowed to stay for more than 6 hours after it was documented she began interfering with voters. Why is this town trying to protect the guilty and condemn the innocent?
Posted by: frustrated citizen too | May 13, 2007 04:58 PM
Once Again, Trompeter's writing has become the story and not the message. Is he on the take?
The Fairfax County Office of Elections will change some of its procedures after some voters reported election officer misbehavior during the May 1 Vienna Town Council election.
According to the Society of Professional Journalists, he should: Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so. So, he blindly states that a change has been decided on. When, who decided, what happened?
Margaret “Maggi” Luca, secretary of the Fairfax County Electoral Board, said she was present when the incidents occurred and sent election worker Rhoda Stevens home as a result.
Trompeter is either a liar or he is stupid, and his spoon-fed information is just flat out wrong. After Stevens was exposed for wrong-doing at about 1 PM, she was not removed, in fact, she was allowed to stay there until way after 6:30pm.
Stevens was allowed to exit via the back door because Stich supporters were taking photos in the front part of the Vienna Community Center...
Again, wrong! Trompeter is not telling the truth. He is trying to get you to believe that Rhoda Stevens had to be let out the back because of the photos of her that were taken (no professional journalists thought this was news-worthy)... she stayed in the polling place for 6 more hours after the photos were taken. She was not led out the back, after being photographed. Trompeter wants people to think that some harm or shame was forced upon Stevens as he prints in his article that they allowed her to leave out the back because of the taking of photos. He should be made accountable for his lies, or at best sloppy reporting.
According to the Society of Professional Journalism:
Journalists should:
— Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
— Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
— Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
— Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.
— Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
— Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
— Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it.
— Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story
— Never plagiarize.
— Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.
— Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
— Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
— Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.
— Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.
— Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
— Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.
— Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public's business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.
After reading Trompeter's words, it is clear that he cares not at all for these standards, and gives the appearance that he is in the pocket of the local government. Did he once attempt to get any account from Stich or Brehony, face to face? Did he interview any of the key players? All he did was get second hand information and print that.
He has become the story, and is no longer capable of reporting the story.
Posted by: Seek Truth and Report It | May 14, 2007 08:42 AM
Wiki gives a simple definition of propaganda:
"Propaganda is a type of message aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of people. Often, instead of impartially providing information, propaganda can be deliberately misleading, or use fallacies, which, while sometimes convincing, are not necessarily valid. Propaganda techniques include: patriotic flag-waving, glittering generalities, intentional vagueness, oversimplification of complex issues, rationalization, introducing unrelated red herring issues, using appealing, simple slogans, stereotyping, testimonials from authority figures or celebrities, unstated assumptions, and encouraging readers or viewers to "jump on the bandwagon" of a particular ideology."
The Sun Gazette in general and Brian Trompeter in particular have been easily engaging in propaganda, rather than factual reporting of the news on behalf of the mayor and town council. Marie Kisner (Vienna's public information officer) has it made with the Sun Gazette, as well as the other local newspapers. They will not stray from the fold if they want information from her or any of the Town Leadership.
Posted by: PR Professional | May 15, 2007 04:43 PM