Don’t let the door hit you on the way out
Fear and Loathing in Waynesboro column by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
“I’m sorry.”
Come on, Frank.
You know you need to do it.
And not just to make amends to Meghan Williamson.
Your ability to lead city government is on the line here.
“It’s a loss,” Vice Mayor Frank Lucente said of the news that Williamson is resigning her post effective Aug. 8, first reported in The Augusta Free Press on Friday, “but I think she’s young, and she wants to travel a bit. You’re only young once, so it’s not such a bad idea.”
For the record, Williamson, 24, isn’t leaving her post because of a busy travel itinerary. And Lucente, who helped engineer the effective firing of the person who hired Williamson two years ago, former city manager Doug Walker, has to be well aware of that. Which is why it bothers me royally that he would put this kind of statement out there knowing full well the damage that could be done to Williamson’s reputation by leaving the impression that she’s moving on from her time in Waynesboro because she “wants to travel a bit.”
Williamson did more than keep a seat warm in city government for two years. She was a key player in the effort to have Downtown Waynesboro, Basic City, the East Main corridor adjacent to both and the city industrial park in the West End designated a Virginia Enterprise Zone, which will be a boon to development in all four areas for many years to come. She also played important roles in several development projects in our thriving West End and helped steer the successful Kline’s Dairy Bar to a downtown location.
She doesn’t deserve to have this callous statement that she is leaving Waynesboro because she wants to travel on the part of Lucente hanging over her head when she’s out applying for her next job in the development sector. The impression left by the statement is that Williamson is leaving the city high and dry because she’s immature and wants to sling a backpack over her shoulder and go hike a mountain or two so that she can find herself. Anybody who has worked with her in the local business and industry community and in local and regional economic-development circles knows a different Williamson than the one in the picture that Lucente is trying to paint of her. She has been a tremendous asset to the Waynesboro community, and she will make another community a great place to live when she finally moves on.
The least that Lucente could have done when contacted by the News Virginian to talk about her imminent departure would have been to have publicly thanked her for her service to the city. By going 180 degrees in the other direction, Lucente has sent a clear message to those working in city government, from the top administrators to those working on the front lines, exactly how much he values them.
We can rest assured that Williamson’s departure is not going to be the last under the new Lucente regime. Good luck to us finding people with any feelings of self-worth to fill the openings.
Related posts:
- Another top city official resigns Story by Chris Graham freepress2@ntelos.net Waynesboro is losing its third top city-government employee in the last four months. Economic-development director Meghan Williamson submitted her resignation...
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- New Day Dawning Fear and Loathing in Waynesboro column by Chris Graham freepress2@ntelos.net “We’re going to undo everything you’ve done the past five years. You don’t want to...
This new council seems to me to hell bent on destroying what was the start of reasonably cooperative group of council members dedicated to finally addressing the decades old problems that afflict ALL of the citizenry? Their actions appear ill thought out and senseless to me. Is there any recall option available?
“Meghan has no immediate plans for a new job. Instead, she hopes to enjoy some downtime traveling cross-country and through Europe. She believes, however, that she will remain close to Waynesboro, having family in Botetourt county. ”
These words (qouted in the article you are referring to) appear to be the words of Meghan. Why are you beating up Frank? Could he have made a more “flowery” statement regarding her departure? Sure, but is it really that big of a deal that he didn’t? And, in reality, do we know the full context of what was said by any one of those quoted? Do we know what they were told about her departure? Do you have evidence that Frank instigated her departure (rather than surmising such and perpetuating that idea)? Or did we get a soundbite of the entire quote?… which is typically the case in the media.
Why is she leaving then? Seems lots of folks leave.
Frank just wants to be sure downtown is allowed to die. Why not let Lianne Crookshanks have that job too?
Donna
I don’t want to intimate that I am speaking for Meghan in any capacity. That said, there were issues related to the political situation in City Hall that I perceive based on conversations with her that were among her reasons for her departure.
If the city has an HR department, I’m sure Lucente already has been told he has very likely opened the city to a lawsuit with his stupid, third grade BS. There are state and federal laws governing what an employer can say about a departing employee, and unless travelling was the reason given in her resignation letter AND she gave written permission to share that with the press, Lucente not only can be sued, but should be sued.
Frank Lucente is an idiot who needs to realize that the good old days where a good old boy could just trash a young woman’s professional for being young and a woman are over. So much for his plans to resegregate WHS!
Don
Michelle – you’re off-base with your comment above that I am surmising that Frank instigated Meghan’s departure and am perpetuating that idea. Nor am I “beating up Frank,” as much as you want to make this out to be the case.
He was well out of line with his comments about her departure. That much is obvious. How anyone could defend him on this is beyond me.
I think Lucente’s comments are simply way too casual, dismissive and irresponsible for a city leader. Based on what I hear coming out of City Hall, it wouldn’t surprise me that an appropriately ambitious person might seek greener pastures.
I’m glad Meghan was part of something even so simple as getting Klines downtown. From the little bit I know (I qualify as low information here) she’ll be an asset wherever she winds up.
Making her out to be some irresponsible kid who just wants to backpack across Europe or something really does an injustice to the work that she’s done. It’s just unprofessional and disrespectful.
how was Frank remotely “off base” if the reporter, who apparently received information directly from Meghan, came up with the exact same answer as to her departure?
i was asking if you were guessing, which, you said you were.. in your response to this same article. you said, “That said, there were issues related to the political situation in City Hall that I perceive based on conversations with her that were among her reasons for her departure.” That YOU perceive…. I asked if you were surmising.. and you have said that you were. no big deal, but let’s be honest about it.
i don’t get what the big deal is… Frank said nothing more than Meghan said herself… publically.
I am not defending Frank for the sake of defending Frank. It is just seeming to me that there is a lot of “beating up” of Frank for the sake of “beating him up”. I don’t get it.
By all means, if Frank does something stupid, call him out on it. But how is acknowledging a valid reason that was given to him, a stupid thing? (And I can’t possibly imagine that it was illegal! Especially, again, given the fact that she said the exact same thing he did in the exact same article!)
people leave jobs for many reasons…. perhaps she told you one thing and Frank something else. both things could be the truth. if there is something underlying… that Meghan is willing to be public about… then by all means, report it. let us decide.
i’m sorry… i misquoted you.
to clarify…you said Frank was “out of line”. you said I was “off base”.
Are you saying that you think it’s appropriate for someone to speak of a departing employee the way Frank Lucente did of Meghan Williamson? It is now out there for the world to see that the vice mayor of Waynesboro has said publicly that the soon-to-be-former economic-development director is quitting her job because she wants to travel a bit. Not true, and I can only imagine how this kind of thing could hamper her when she’s sitting in front of an interview team for her next job.
To clarify, and this seems so silly to have to do, but I think it is rather clear that Meghan has not said that she is leaving so that she can go and travel a bit. She does now plan to do some traveling, but that isn’t the reason she’s leaving. The desire to do some traveling is not the cause; it’s the effect.
I can’t for the life of me figure out how pointing these rather obvious things out is “beating up” on Frank Lucente. The job of the media is, to quote the famous line, comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. I would add this – it’s not to sit in the lap of the powerful and ask for their blessing.
first, unless i’m mistaken, Frank is not the vice mayor. (hey, it could happen… i don’t pretend to know it all)
second, MEGHAN said that she is not going to work right now, but rather wants to hike the Appalachian trail and tour Europe. It’s in the article. Her characterization.
If Meghan wanted to clarify her REASONS for leaving, then it is for her to do. I think you misunderstood what Frank was saying. In my opinion, he said nothing any different than SHE said.
the “rather obvious” things you are referring to, apparently are not public facts, Chris. Make it obvious to the rest of us if you know something that we don’t know. it isn’t supposation for you to say that she left BECAUSE Walker left. Or for you to say that she left BECAUSE there is a new majority. Those might very well be factors in her decision, but publically, she said she is going to travel. SHE put it out there, he put it out there… as he was ASKED to make a comment and I simply don’t see anything wrong with it. (What do you think about her leaving? is a different question than What do you think her reasons are for leaving? perhaps that’s where we the semantics of our disagreement lies.)
to say that Frank was wrong in his comment… is sort of beating him up. Several council members made statements regarding her leaving. Frank’s is the only one you point out and you do it saying (in the very first words of your article) that he owes her an apology.
For what? Regurgiting HER words?
Regarding your final sentence. I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job. It’s your paper… I make a choice to read it or not. You make a choice to post my comments or not. Frankly, as others have kindly pointed out, I have found you to be less than an objective reporter when it comes to Frank Lucente. Having said that, I was happily surprised to read today’s article.
Best wishes.
On the one hand, you admonish me for taking comments from Mr. Lucente out of context, ask me to presume that he could have said other things that werent’ reported, and then assume that the same reporter writing the same story that you suggest could have winnowed Lucente’s comments down to these printed every single word of what Ms. Williamson said.
Talk about laying out double standards.
To correct an impression that you left our readers regarding sentiments on my reporting, you and one other person commenting in the AFP forums in the past two months has expressed the thought that I have been less than objective in my reporting on the Lucente regime. That other person is his son-in-law, Alex Stevens. I don’t know that we’re talking about him holding any degree of objectivity in the matter, so we’re down to one. And just so you don’t try to claim otherwise, I haven’t been weeding out negative comments to keep my record clean, in that sense.
Last thing – I think you understand well the concept of cause and effect. You threw your hat into the city-council ring yourself a few years ago, and as someone who backed you during that effort, I came to think highly of your reasoning abilities. Meghan is saying that she is going to do some traveling now. She’s not saying that her desire to travel is what caused her to move on. We can go around and around and around on this, but you’re never going to change that basic fact.
It’s OK to concede that Frank was in the wrong here. I’m not saying he’s a bad person. I don’t think he grows horns and sprouts a tail at night. He’s guitly of a few missteps recently, but that doesn’t damn him to hellfire and brimstone for eternity. Neither am I condemned to the same for being the one person in the local media who has decided to do what any self-respecting media organization is supposed to do, and that is ask hard questions, demand answers and speak truth to power when it is necessary to do so.
“Meghan is saying that she is going to do some traveling now. She’s not saying that her desire to travel is what caused her to move on. We can go around and around and around on this, but you’re never going to change that basic fact. ”
My point, exactly. Frank didn’t say it was her REASON for leaving either.
Chris, just for a clarification of facts, the media put my hat in the ring for City Council. i simply accepted their offer to sit in on the forum.
So what did he say, then? Oh, wait, we’ve gone around and around and around on that, and we’ve already discussed at length what he said.
And I forgot to clarify earlier, but Frank is the vice mayor. A small point. But he is.
Ironically, as far as this discussion goes, anyway, I was among the media pushing to get you to put your name up for city council. And the seat you were up for … the one that eventually went to Frank Lucente. Small world we live in.
And I appreciate your support, Chris.
Have a blessed evening.
For the benefit of Michelle, wouldn’t the equivalent for an older employee be something along the lines of:
“It’s a loss, but I think he’s middle-aged, and wants to spend some time with his family. Frank’s getting on in years, so it’s probably not such a bad idea.”
It’s patronizing and unprofessional.
It sounds like you think “young” is an insult.. or perhaps you think acknowledging someone’s reason as a “good idea” is an insult. I don’t. I don’t think he intended to insult her personally and I don’t think he did insult her.
he didn’t go out of his way to complement her either.. and perhaps that’s the real reason you guys are upset, but so what if he didn’t? The lack of a newspaper article quoting a complement made by Frank Lucente will not make or break her future employment opportunities, I assure you. I wouldn’t have thought would imply some underlying motive in Frank’s not offering gratitude to her service, but are you?
(btw – my thoughts on this topic are based solely on my interpretation as I have not spoken to Frank personally on this issue… and I don’t intend to)
ya know, i work in the professional, corporate world. as an employer, i would much rather hire a young person who took time off to travel than i would to hire a young person who quit without another opportunity just because they didn’t like their boss or couldn’t get along. The reason Meghan gave publically for her departure is a perfectly valid reason to leave… even if there were other reasons in addition.
however, all that being said, my main point WAS and IS that Frank said nothing different to the press than Meghan said herself and therfore, no harm, no foul.
Mountain out of a molehill, here.
“Mountain out of a molehill here.” Indeed. You’ve posted nine comments saying the exact same thing over and over and over and over. Thanks. We get it. You don’t see anything wrong with what Lucente had to say. You’re alone in this forum in that respect.
Funny how you made it a point in this thread to take a couple of potshots at me about how I’m supposedly “beating up” Frank Lucente and am “less than objective” when it comes to covering Lucente. I say funny, because you’ve been beating me up and less than objective about what I have to say these days. At least for me in regards to Lucente and his new political majority it’s about substantive issues. It seems to me that your distaste is more personal in nature, and I think that’s unfortunate.
I’m sorry you feel that way, Chris.
You and I don’t agree on some of the ongoing political issues in Waynesboro. We support different ideals. That isn’t personal. Do I believe that your ultimate intentions are for the City of Waynesboro to thrive? Yes, I do. Can we meet there and simply agree to disagree on the other issues?
You state that your differences with Lucente are about substantive issues, and my perception is different. I don’t think Frank’s comments regarding Meghan’s departure is “substantive” in the least. But it’s my opinion. It’s okay, there’s no challenge in having all of your readers agree with everything you say!
I appreciate that you have a passion for being in the media, Chris. I can’t imagine that it would be easy for me to be an objective reporter… well, I recognize that it would be impossible for someone of my personality. That being said, I always considered that being an objective reporter was a goal of yours, and I took you to task for reporting the facts as someone scorned. I wasn’t trying to “beat you up” and I have been open to everything you have said. I have no loyalty to anyone on Council so I can be as objective as my mind and heart will allow me to be.
As I said before, I CHOOSE to read your “paper” or “blog” and I appreciate that you offer an opportunity for reader input. In doing so, you take a chance that a reader will disagree. Although I am not in agreement with you in all things, I hope that you will find that I have been respectful in my disagreement.
If there is an unrelated topic that you would like to discuss, I welcome you to call me or come by my house. I believe you have that information and you are always welcome. In fact, I am full of good story ideas.
As to being objective or not, I guess I’ve reached a point where the silence that our notions of objectivity in the media enforces upon us in this business was too much for me anymore. I pledged on Feb. 1 when I announced my candidacy for city council that I would do everything in my power to move Waynesboro forward, and since I meant it, and meant it to the core of my being, I couldn’t simply slink back to the role of umpire after the election.
I ran for office knowing full well what I was getting into. I don’t think our city is headed in the right direction with our new leadership. I recognize and respect that the voters have spoken, but that does not require me to be silent about what I believe we need to do as a city. In fact, I find it a quaint notion that because I chose to enter the journalism business I’m supposed to pretend that I don’t care one way or the other how things are going and end up turning out.
I appreciate you taking the time to post your thoughts in our forum. Mr. Stevens, who I mentioned above, seems to have taken his ball and gone elsewhere, meaning we are in serious need of an alternative perspective. That said, I hope you realize that I don’t raise the issues that I do lightly, and so I want you to know that you can expect me to defend the postions that I take on the issues most strenuously.
Last word on the Lucente comment – what he said about Ms. Williamson was out of line. Intentional or not, he owes her an apology. And he needs to send that same message to employees of the city. Otherwise they are left with the message that their work is not valued. No employer should leave their employees feeling that way.
I appreciate your thoughts regarding objectivity. I would have a difficult time going back also, and so I very much understand and appreciate your honesty.
I can also very much appreciate your passion regarding this specific topic. It wasn’t that long ago that I felt the same way about a much needed apology. It had to do with the way the school board calculated and announced a valedictorian. In fact, I was adamantly outspoken that a lesson in humility should be taught to our community’s children. I never did hear the apology that I felt was needed. I seriously doubt you will hear the apology you believe is needed. We walk on common ground in many ways, Chris.
Have a blessed evening.
I remember that issue very well. That one should have been a better learning moment than it was for our community. I agree.
Thanks for engaging. Have a great evening, and keep giving me heck when necessary …
Chris do you think you are a professional journalist? Before you answer that you may want to read below… (Taken from the SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS)
Journalists should:
– be free of obligation to any interest other than the publics right to know.
Wayne Theater Alliance, aren’t you living and operating your business in a building that is owned by them and have you not supported many of the issues in your articles??
Journalists should:
– Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
Once again WTA, you and your wife are active and your wife use to work for them. Your run for city council comes to mind here too as you’ve certainly come off as bitter about your loss. Not only bitter, but you’ve turned every article into a slam fest if it’s not your view.
— Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
(Now reread this last one again….. ok don’t you think you may have broken not only a few but just about every one of them.)
Chris, are you looking for another big scoop like the resignation of Walker- that you probably received from the Majority Council at that time? You continually slam the current city council majority – they were elected in a fair vote and are doing what they promised to do in their campaigns. This does seem like “biased” reporting to me.
The News Virginian article clearly states she is leaving to do some traveling (do you think she lied to them), not that she was forced out by the “big bad three” that you object to (because they don’t see why public tax money should go to the WTA). Before you write anymore biased articles maybe you should go check this site out it may help you….
http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
For the record, this is just my two cents. I anxiously await your snide comment (as you often do when comments hit too close to home).
Fred, you have me pegged. I engage in “biased” reporting. Which is to say, I don’t pretend that because somebody says something to be true, then it must be true. I dig, I learn, I come to realizations, I share those realizations in the form of opinions, and then I put it out there for people to read.
I don’t want to tell the SPJ folks that the world is passing them by, but there are a lot of people like me doing what is called citizen journalism who don’t think playing the fake-news game makes sense anymore. Just speaking for myself, I can’t go on pretending like I don’t have an opinion on what’s going on, and I don’t know that it’s fair to ask me to, since you’re still allowed to, and can share your opinions freely.
I do have a suggestion for you, and it’s meant to be friendly. If you think you can do what I do better than I do, have at it. Quit your job, spend your day collecting the news, talking to people, attending government meetings, phoning sources – oh, and don’t forget, you have to put away some time, too, to run the business, so you can pay the bills. You do all that, and get the attention of a few thousand sets of eyeballs every day, and you can write whatever you want.
I bet you end up with a different opinion of the SPJ than you do now.