Today, Crestview and Laurel Hill residents are heading to the polls and determining their cities' future leaders.
I have no clue who's going to win, but I am confident of one thing: reporter Brian Hughes will be on the ball, tweeting returns throughout the evening at the Supervisor of Elections office. You can see follow him on Twitter or follow the #NWFvotes hashtag for comprehensive Northwest Florida election coverage, backed by the dedicated team at the Northwest Florida Daily News.
You know, since September, Brian has relentlessly covered Crestview's and Laurel Hill's races. As soon as candidates prequalified with the Supervisor of Elections, he interviewed them. His proactive coverage included asking Crestview mayoral and Laurel Hill city council candidates about the issues our readers cared about most. (We asked readers beforehand.) And he attended all known candidate forums, namely those presented by resident Mae Reatha Coleman and the North Okaloosa Republican Club.
He was on the ball in more ways than one, I'm proud to say — namely, with reporting the election fairly.
A MAYOR'S JOB
Crestview's election grew heated. In fact, I've never seen anything like it at the local level. At times, I believed that was due to assistance from another media outlet using Facebook to do a campaign strategist's job.
Meanwhile, the News Bulletin didn't delve into issues that, though interesting for gossips, really don't affect someone's fitness for office.
Don't believe me?
Crestview's chief executive officer ensures that the city's charter and laws are enforced, and has limited authority to veto a city ordinance, according to Article III, Section 10 of the city charter.
Further, he or she can investigate any city employee or city records. (Oddly, the charter says "he" and not "he or she," so that's my nod to International Women's Day, which was celebrated on Sunday.)
And the mayor reports any city employee's misconduct or neglect of duty to the council; and generally promotes the city's "peace, good order, safety and good morals," the charter states.
Finally, the mayor "shall put down riots and unlawful assemblies, and may use the police and common power of the city for such purposes," the charter states.
That's it.
The mayor is not a dictator, there are the usual checks and balances, and the man, or woman, in the office does not judge in larger child welfare issues, namely, whether grandparents can or cannot see their grandchildren.
So I'm not sure why some of these issues were so big on the campaign trail. And why good-intentioned grandparents and other residents were used to promote this agenda.
REPORTING FAIRLY
The media's primary goal of fairness doesn't take a vacation just because it's an election year.
And because candidates' claws come out during these times, those in the media must know how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
In other words, what's a legitimate concern about someone's fitness for office and what's a subjective value judgment.
I started working in local media in 2005, and never strayed from tough questions or the responsibility of holding public officials accountable. Unlike New York Magazine's description of disgraced NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, per anonymous coworkers' remarks, I do not avoid "divisive news." (Saying otherwise should have been reason enough for Lester Holt to unseat Williams years ago.)
But I've always said you have to use the right tool for the job.
During the campaign season, most of the claims that crossed my desk were items tailor made for opponents' campaign strategists and campaign advertising.
I asked tipsters if they had a smoking gun — something that proved misuse of public funds, illegal activity or other corruption.
They didn't. So it wasn't a story.
Then, I encouraged them to write a letter to the editor about the candidate, because that — not a news report — is the right tool for the job.
The CNB would need someone breaking a law or discriminating against someone or doing something else objectively unfitting for a mayoral candidate.
Otherwise, it's just a subjective value judgment.
Let candidates sling mud at each other, if they choose; that's what campaign advertising is for.
We at the CNB will just ask fair questions and report the news.
What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: Candidates sling mud — we report news