Kurt Henke: Why Should We Believe Him???

Public Misled By One Sided Reporting

2/27/08 

By Marc Garman 

This Just in--VIB has just acquired a copy of an email from Vallejo City Manager, Joseph Tanner the Vallejo Times Herald regarding today's front page article  Union Blames City Manager.

This article begins with  the words :

An agreement to head off Vallejo's bankruptcy was about to be cemented when the city manager stepped in and nixed it, the president of Vallejo's powerful fire union told the Vallejo City Council and hundreds of worried residents Tuesday.

Here's the back story:

At approximately 10:30 PM city manager Joe Tanner was informed via email that the T-H (Times Herald) was going to run a story focusing on the comments made by Kurt Henke, President IAFF 1186 Firefighters Union. Henke made these comments just a few moments earlier during Tuesday's city council meeting.

Henke claimed that Tanner had derailed negotiations with Vallejo's public safety unions. This in clear violation of agreed upon confidentiality during labor talks.  City Council was still in session at this time.  ELIMINATING ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR TANNER TO RESPOND.

The Times Herald ran the story without making any genuine attempt to get both sides of the story or check their facts.  Furthermore, Mayor Osby Davis made it clear at the meeting that Tanner had not "nixed" the negotiations.

It seems the T-H took Kurt Henke's word and ignored Osby Davis. I guess we know who really runs this town (and its Mickey Mouse "newspaper").  Kurt Henke not Osby Davis.

The email below underscores the bias and lack of journalistic integrity we believe to be such a problem with Vallejo's only newspaper.

Click the link and scroll down to see the email from City Manager Tanner to The Times Herald. 

Some parts have been redacted for confidentiality. 

The link to the Draft Financial Emergency Plan is:

http://vallejo.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=7378de4dc50207f3849c8ed579ec625c.pdf

This shows the proposed cuts facing the city. 

Links to info about Chapter 9 Bankruptcy:

Click the link HERE for an informative introduction on the US Courts web site

  A simpler overview HERE

   An Open Letter to the Mayor

2/24/08 

Mayor Davis,

During your campaign you ran on the slogan:  "We need to change the way we do business in Vallejo."

So far, you seem to be deeply enmeshed in a marathon round of business as usual.

Inside deals, closed negotiations, an obvious abhorrence for public process and little interest in open and transparent government.

Now, at the last minute you have added some public outreach on the topic of bankruptcy with Tuesday's meeting.