How Reliable is Time Magazines Hit-Piece On Mike Brown's Resume?
Time Magazine, The Edmond Sun | 9 Sep 2005 | PhilipFreneau
An September 9, 2005 article by Patty Miller and Lisa Shearer of the Edmond Sun, a newspaper in Mike Brown's old home-town, contained the following:
Claudia Deakins, Edmond's director of marketing and public relations, was quoted in the Time article as saying that Brown was not a manager but more like an intern. Brown was assistant to the city manager in Edmond from 1977-80.
However, this morning, Deakins disputes Time's quotes attributed to her.
"I spoke with two reporters from Time Magazine Thursday. I answered questions about the City of Edmond, the organizational structure and role of the city manager and his staff. My comments were in the context of the organization as it functions today. I explained that my employment with the city of Edmond began in 1997, several years after Michael D. Brown's employment by the city and that I could not speak to the specifics of the organizational structure as it was during that time. I also explained that I could not I speak to the details of Mr. Brown's role within the organization.
"The only people who can speak with authority with regard to Mr. Brown's position in the organization are those who were at the City of Edmond during that time and worked with Mr. Brown, such as the city manager or members of the city council."
"I regret any misunderstanding that may have occurred as a result of my comments."
But Time was specific:
". . . according to Claudia Deakins, head of public relations for the city of Edmond, Brown was an "assistant to the city manager" from 1977 to 1980, not a manager himself, and had no authority over other employees."
Now this from the Edmond Sun...
A press release issued by the White House in 2001 when Brown was nominated to FEMA deputy director states that Brown worked "overseeing the emergency services divisions" at Edmond. While media reports question the veracity of that statement, a former Edmond mayor and City Councilman does recall Brown helping the city in emergency management.
"I recall having Mike Brown as a student in three or four of my classes while I was teaching at UCO (University of Central Oklahoma)," said Carl Reherman, former member of the City Council (from 1978-89) and now mayor of Chandler.
"I remember that he spent time in City Hall working with Dallas Graham who was then the City Manager and is now deceased," he added.
"I also recall that he worked on the remodeling of the basement of the old post office when City Hall moved to their new location," Reherman said.
"He also worked with Emergency Training exercise and was part of the EOC group. I remember that because of my interest in that."
But Time Magazine reported:
Brown did do a good job at his humble position, however, according to his boss. "Yes. Mike Brown worked for me. He was my administrative assistant. He was a student at Central State University," recalls former city manager Bill Dashner. "Mike used to handle a lot of details. Every now and again I'd ask him to write me a speech. He was very loyal. He was always on time. He always had on a suit and a starched white shirt."
In response, Nicol Andrews, deputy strategic director in FEMA's office of public affairs, insists that while Brown began as an intern, he became an "assistant city manager" with a distinguished record of service. "According to Mike Brown," she says, "a large portion [of the points raised by TIME] is very inaccurate."
This calls into question the accuracy of Time's report. If Time misreports the statement by a former Edmund city employee (Ms. Deakins), and reports only a part of Brown's work with the City of Edmund -- the part when he was a student -- in an obvious attempt to present him as little more than an office boy, it would be prudent to question the accuracy of the entire report. |
