| THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT CRYSTAL APPLE AWARDS IN SALEM-KEIZER Perspective from the 19th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write. I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie. And it is where you want to be on a golf course. Leave it naysayers to advance untrue allegations about what otherwise would a great event in Salem-Keizer – Crystal Apple Awards, which honor great teachers. Salem Reporter set the record straight, as if often does these days, displaying solid journalism under the leadership of Les Zaitz, a former top-level reporter for the Oregonian newspaper. Here’s the story: “Just days after layoffs at schools were announced, the community gathered at the Salem Convention Center to honor school employees. |
| “The annual Crystal Apple Awards ceremony has become a hot ticket in town. One reason is the red-carpet treatment the nominees get, complete with cheering sections, signs, and photography. |
| “A few readers questioned the cost. Given deep school budget cuts, they wondered how the Salem-Keizer School District could find money for a gala. |
| “It didn’t. The event is hosted by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce and the McLaran Leadership Foundation. Tom Hoffert, the chamber’s chief executive officer, explains. |
| “’It is managed like each of our events in partnership with our generous sponsors,’ he wrote to us in an email Friday. ‘The district does not pay a sponsorship fee or any monetary amount to either the Salem Chamber or the McLaran Foundation. The event is 100 per cent funded by the generosity of our sponsors and ticket sales.’” There! The facts. Too bad for the early negative perception. At a time when teachers need all the help they can get, naysayers deserve debit, while Salem Reporter deserves credit. |
Perspective from the 19th Hole 