Because I’ve worked in the media for more than 30 years, I was asked by Superintendent Jackie Pons to help interview the finalists for the position and offer an opinion on their qualifications.
There were four finalists; I interviewed three of them. The fourth was an out-of-town person interviewed by telephone.
I was only trying to help.
A TV reporter asked me what benefit I expected from interviewing the candidates. I thought it a rather strange question, but the answer is neither I nor the newspaper got -- or expected -- anything from it. What possible personal benefit could there be? To what end?
The decision to fill the position – which was in the schools budget and not new job – was made by Pons and the School Board. I had nothing to do with that. That’s policy. That’s not what I did.
All I did was interview candidates for an open job as volunteer citizen member of the committee.
I gave my opinion on their qualifications as a media professional and executive. My opinion was that Gary Yordon was the best person for the job. It’s as simple as that.
Some of the posters on Tallahassee.com have suggested that by helping to interview job applicants that I somehow compromised my reporters. How so? How is that even possible?
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