Front Page on the Virginian-Pilot is where the headline screamed “Virginia Beach pays firm $9,000 for mayor’s speech.”
10 paragraphs later, the newspaper added this tidbit:
“The Beach has used consultants before to help with the State of the City presentation, Hancock said. Last year, Otto was paid $8,210 to work on it.”
Funny how that makes this year’s speechwork front page news.
But to me this seems like more sour grapes, both from our lady of perpetual re-election and from the church of the painful losses.
“the Beach’s in-house writer, Drew Lankford, had to work on other projects, Hancock said.”
Virginia Beach’s Media and Communications Group has 10 employees, and Lankford is one of them. Where practically every staff member has 4 or 5 assignments, Lankford has one – “Mayor’s Office.”
I’m not buying the “had to work on other projects” deal for a second. His sole responsibility is the Mayor’s office, and the Mayor State of the City one of the biggest, if not the biggest, speeches of the year, and he’s too busy to work on it?
Lankford was hired during Meyera Oberndorf’s tenure, having previously worked for noted Meyera supporter Joel Rubin. Will Sessoms beats Meyera, and 5 speeches in less than 3 months are outsourced to a private firm, and it’s a coincidence? C’mon.
Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance chief John Moss was quick to be quoted in the story. I don’t understand why the newspaper couldn’t find Scott Taylor for a quote so everyone who lost to Sessoms could have their fingerprints on this story.
The funny part is that Moss advocates big government in his quote, showing that his position may be less about ideology and more about Sessoms.
“Spending money on a speech, when you have staff that can do the work, sends the wrong message, said John Moss, chairman of the Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance.”
Is Moss actually saying he favors government staff over the private sector?
Maybe Moss and the VBTA should push for more outsourcing to private professionals and less salary/benefits/retirement government employees. After all, the Pilot reports Lankford’s salary is $60,475.
That would be consistent, at least.
Right now, it just looks like the circles around Sessoms’ defeated opponents are still campaigning.
