I watched Friday’s Mitchell Johnson et.al press conference discussing the David Wray affair on Channel 13 yesterday. I think the thing that struck me (along with other local bloggers and commenters) is the attitude of RMA President Michael Longmire.
While taking questions, someone (I believe it was Roch Smith; correct me if I’m wrong) pressed Longmire about his comment that he would let the RMA report speak for itself. In his opinion, should the report be officially released?
Longmire said he wasn’t about to get into an argument about whether or not the city should release the report because, well, it’s already been leaked and that everybody in Greensboro has read it. But he misses the point: the city is still asking the public to have in information that it won’t release to the public. That’s asking the public to take a big leap in faith. Roch says as much over at Hoggard’s
If Longmire wants to understand Greensboro, he could ask himself if he would be content to know that available information and documentation that can speak to the facts of some government action was being withheld from his community. As an investigator, would Longmire be content to have his government say “If only you knew what we know” while refusing to release information. Wihtout access to primary documentation, would Longmire, would any engaged citizen, be content to accept a version of events when those portraying that version rebuff the public’s request for documentation?
I seriously doubt that someone of Longmire’s background and experience would tell himself to move on without examining the facts just because people in positions of authority tell him to move on.
Yes, Johnson went on about Gardner and Garrity as the reason why the city won’t release the RMA report. But the fact that he trotted Longmire out at the press conference indicates that he’s asking the same of the public, and that’s asking too much.
All this said, I personally see incompetence rather than corruption.
