The filing period for Elk Grove City Council candidates closed at 5 p.m. today and the only surprises were one challenger dropping out and another, unexpected candidate, jumping into the election fray.
In District 1, the race comes down to two candidates - Incumbent Jim Cooper and challenger LaWanna Montgomery. Jose Romero - profiled in Friday's Citizen - has announced he is dropping out of the contest to support Montgomery.
"I just read today's Citizen," Romero said in a telephone interview. "And saw Ms. Montgomery's platform...it's almost identical to mine. I don't want to split the vote against Mr. Cooper, so I am dropping out."
In District 3, three candidates are seeking office: Incumbent Mike Leary; challenger Steve Detrick; and challenger Greg Higley.
In District 5, things became a little more interesting when a fourth candidate entered the race today - Robert Felts. Felts joins challengers Katherine Maestas; Khanh "K.T." Tran, and Incumbent Sophia Scherman.
Look for full coverage - and that massive campaign finance story - in our print edition and online at www.egcitizen.com.
JF
Friday, August 8, 2008
Cooper files papers; Felts to run in District 5
I am about to have lunch with Capital Elector Editor & Founder Jason Daniel and just received word from City Clerk Susan Blackston that Jim Cooper has filed official candidacy paperwork with the city today. Also, the District 5 race got a new entrant when Robert Felts filed candidate paperwork this morning.
More to come as the day rolls along.
JF
More to come as the day rolls along.
JF
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Higley profile to run Aug. 13
I was hoping to get the Greg Higley profile into Friday's Citizen, but, it didn't happen. Look for it in the Aug. 13 edition.
JF
JF
UPDATE: Finance story still in works...
I am hoping to get the campaign finance story into Friday's Citizen. If not, it will run on the Web site Friday and in our print edition for Aug. 13.
JF
JF
Friday Citizen to be printed tomorrow....
So much for that blogging experiment!
As noon approached, we here on staff at the Citizen turned to lunch hour. It's a good hour...I like it. If you've ambled upon our offices at 8970 Elk Grove Blvd. between noon and 1 p.m., you're likely to find us in the midst of a tasty lunch.
Our staff - like all workers everywhere - needs their afternoon calories. We - usually Keith Gebers, June, Mary Lewis, Jon tucked into the brick-walled sports office but within earshot, Keri our photo editor; myself still corresponding with Dustin; and anyone else who'd like to join - eat lunch and take our time.
After lunch, we kicked back into gear with getting the Friday edition of the Citizen out and done. Dustin upped his call frequency and we began to finalize pages.
At 2 p.m., our Publisher, David Herburger, had called a staff meeting. We, like all newspapers everywhere, try to have staff meetings regularly. "Regularly" is a loosely defined word in the newspaper business. Sometimes it means once a month, other times once a week, and sometimes it means daily. If you have an editor who is on top of everything (at a daily newspaper), you may have two meetings a day or more.
We had not had a staff meeting in a while, at least six weeks. With a lot of turnover on the staff and wildly varying work schedules, it became hard to coordinate everyone on the same day and time for a meeting. Summer is a busy time around the Citizen, when we have not only our two weekly editions, but also a special home and garden section; the Fourth of July special insert; and our tab on the Strauss Festival.
Cameron Macdonald and I had a brief misunderstanding after the meeting I am glad we caught.
I wrote an article on Jose Romero, a candidate for city council in District 1. As Cameron edited the story I wrote about Romero....Cameron noticed some things and advised me to change two or three sections in the article; I said, 'OK,' and thought Cameron changed them. I asked him if he was done, and he said, 'Yes,' and I transmitted the story to Galt where it would be placed on our page for printing Thursday.
But, we had a problem, Houston.
It - what was sent to Galt - was a story with Cameron's notes still written in bold (no changes). Fortunately, Cameron mentioned he'd written notes on the story when I'd thought he'd changed the text. We called Dustin and had him pull the story (which had Cameron's notes visible in bold) and replaced it with the version without notations included. Whew....
We worked on the paper until about 4:50 p.m., when Dustin idicated he was almost finished. Tomorrow, Mary Lewis will proof-read the paper before it is printed and sent to subscribers.
On most days, we at the Citizen try to keep as busy as possible covering everything pertinent to Elk Grove. When I say "pertinent," I mean everything. Everything life throws our way - it is pertinent to the rest of our readership and the greater society.
Our goal at the Citizen is to bring our readers and the citizens of Elk Grove the pertinent and important news to them in an accurate, factual, truthful, unbiased, well written and researched manner. We on the Citizen staff try to gauge the cultural, political, and popular pulse of Elk Grove and manage our coverage based on our resources. We will also be keeping an eye on the wide variety of other people, things, and issues in our town which don't usually merit attention from the traditional media.
We welcome you on this journey and ask you to take part by sending us story ideas, personal experiences, news video and audio and anything else you find interesting.
Thanks,
JF
As noon approached, we here on staff at the Citizen turned to lunch hour. It's a good hour...I like it. If you've ambled upon our offices at 8970 Elk Grove Blvd. between noon and 1 p.m., you're likely to find us in the midst of a tasty lunch.
Our staff - like all workers everywhere - needs their afternoon calories. We - usually Keith Gebers, June, Mary Lewis, Jon tucked into the brick-walled sports office but within earshot, Keri our photo editor; myself still corresponding with Dustin; and anyone else who'd like to join - eat lunch and take our time.
After lunch, we kicked back into gear with getting the Friday edition of the Citizen out and done. Dustin upped his call frequency and we began to finalize pages.
At 2 p.m., our Publisher, David Herburger, had called a staff meeting. We, like all newspapers everywhere, try to have staff meetings regularly. "Regularly" is a loosely defined word in the newspaper business. Sometimes it means once a month, other times once a week, and sometimes it means daily. If you have an editor who is on top of everything (at a daily newspaper), you may have two meetings a day or more.
We had not had a staff meeting in a while, at least six weeks. With a lot of turnover on the staff and wildly varying work schedules, it became hard to coordinate everyone on the same day and time for a meeting. Summer is a busy time around the Citizen, when we have not only our two weekly editions, but also a special home and garden section; the Fourth of July special insert; and our tab on the Strauss Festival.
Cameron Macdonald and I had a brief misunderstanding after the meeting I am glad we caught.
I wrote an article on Jose Romero, a candidate for city council in District 1. As Cameron edited the story I wrote about Romero....Cameron noticed some things and advised me to change two or three sections in the article; I said, 'OK,' and thought Cameron changed them. I asked him if he was done, and he said, 'Yes,' and I transmitted the story to Galt where it would be placed on our page for printing Thursday.
But, we had a problem, Houston.
It - what was sent to Galt - was a story with Cameron's notes still written in bold (no changes). Fortunately, Cameron mentioned he'd written notes on the story when I'd thought he'd changed the text. We called Dustin and had him pull the story (which had Cameron's notes visible in bold) and replaced it with the version without notations included. Whew....
We worked on the paper until about 4:50 p.m., when Dustin idicated he was almost finished. Tomorrow, Mary Lewis will proof-read the paper before it is printed and sent to subscribers.
On most days, we at the Citizen try to keep as busy as possible covering everything pertinent to Elk Grove. When I say "pertinent," I mean everything. Everything life throws our way - it is pertinent to the rest of our readership and the greater society.
Our goal at the Citizen is to bring our readers and the citizens of Elk Grove the pertinent and important news to them in an accurate, factual, truthful, unbiased, well written and researched manner. We on the Citizen staff try to gauge the cultural, political, and popular pulse of Elk Grove and manage our coverage based on our resources. We will also be keeping an eye on the wide variety of other people, things, and issues in our town which don't usually merit attention from the traditional media.
We welcome you on this journey and ask you to take part by sending us story ideas, personal experiences, news video and audio and anything else you find interesting.
Thanks,
JF
Part of the job....
A customer just came in with questions about her subscription. Our very trusty front-desk all-star, June, was away from her desk, so it falls onto me to welcome customers and try to help them.
This nice lady had just subscribed, but not yet received a paper in the mail. I told her to take a free copy & if she didn't get her Friday paper, to be sure to call (916) 685-3945 and we'll get it taken care of.
On a production sidenote: our photographer's computer had some memory issues - i.e. too much stuff on it - and photographer Keri Wood is having a tougher time than usual uploading her photos from National Night Out.
Oddly, I haven't heard much from our Galt-based graphic designer, Dustin. Normally, he calls every half hour on production days seeking pages or documents for Friday's paper.
JF
This nice lady had just subscribed, but not yet received a paper in the mail. I told her to take a free copy & if she didn't get her Friday paper, to be sure to call (916) 685-3945 and we'll get it taken care of.
On a production sidenote: our photographer's computer had some memory issues - i.e. too much stuff on it - and photographer Keri Wood is having a tougher time than usual uploading her photos from National Night Out.
Oddly, I haven't heard much from our Galt-based graphic designer, Dustin. Normally, he calls every half hour on production days seeking pages or documents for Friday's paper.
JF
At the office, working on the newspaper....
I am here, after an uneventful drive to work along Interstate 80 and Hwy 99. I managed to find some good tunes on my old radio - Billy Idol, some 60s stuff, and Led Zepplin.
We're working in the Friday edition of the Citizen and plodding through the morning with the help of coffee and greeen tea. Roy Herburger, the CEO and owner, dropped off cinnamon rolls for the staff.
In the office are sports editor Jon Gudel, me, Linda Le Park - our lifestyles reporter; photographer Keri Wood; business editor and columnist Keith Gebers; and reporter Cameron Macdonald.
Wood and Macdonald are working on last night's National Night Out coverage - Cameron will have the story and Keri the photographs. We also have an election update on three candidates - LaWanna Montgomery, Jose Romero, and Greg Higley.
JF
We're working in the Friday edition of the Citizen and plodding through the morning with the help of coffee and greeen tea. Roy Herburger, the CEO and owner, dropped off cinnamon rolls for the staff.
In the office are sports editor Jon Gudel, me, Linda Le Park - our lifestyles reporter; photographer Keri Wood; business editor and columnist Keith Gebers; and reporter Cameron Macdonald.
Wood and Macdonald are working on last night's National Night Out coverage - Cameron will have the story and Keri the photographs. We also have an election update on three candidates - LaWanna Montgomery, Jose Romero, and Greg Higley.
JF
Soon, I begin my commute...
I live in Woodland and work in Elk Grove, which means quite a bit of driving. I will be finishing off breakfast soon, grabbing my coffee & lunch, and headed onto the freeways for the journey to work.
I normally listen to a mix of NPR news, classical music, or KDVS (when the tunes aren't too unusual). I also enjoy classic rock and even - gasp - silence. I also try to theorize what the day's top stories are and how we'll approach the news from a design standpoint and how to play it on our Web site. See you soon...
JF
I normally listen to a mix of NPR news, classical music, or KDVS (when the tunes aren't too unusual). I also enjoy classic rock and even - gasp - silence. I also try to theorize what the day's top stories are and how we'll approach the news from a design standpoint and how to play it on our Web site. See you soon...
JF
Early morning interviews....
I got up early and made some telephone calls for the capaign finance story. I believe I woke up District 3 Candidate Greg Higley. He was nice enough to do an interview over the telephone. He is 50, has lived in Elk Grove since 1997, and says if elected, he would work to reduce the crime levels, eliminate homelessness in the city, and restructure the city's taxes.
"The tax structure in the city is out of control," Higley said.
I also was able to reach District 3 Candidate Steve Detrick while he was driving to work, and yes, he said he was obeying the new hands-free cell phone law.
Detrick said he has about 10 major donors lined up for his run to unseat incumbent Mike Leary. He plans to use his campaign money to get a lot of signs, and to print fliers to be mailed and handed out in person during his precinct walks. He said telephone voicemails to thousands of registered voters would be a "major" aspect of his campaign spending.
Look for the article in Friday's Citizen
JF.
"The tax structure in the city is out of control," Higley said.
I also was able to reach District 3 Candidate Steve Detrick while he was driving to work, and yes, he said he was obeying the new hands-free cell phone law.
Detrick said he has about 10 major donors lined up for his run to unseat incumbent Mike Leary. He plans to use his campaign money to get a lot of signs, and to print fliers to be mailed and handed out in person during his precinct walks. He said telephone voicemails to thousands of registered voters would be a "major" aspect of his campaign spending.
Look for the article in Friday's Citizen
JF.
An experiment in newspaper blogging...
Today I am going experiment and will be live blogging the production of the Friday edition of the Elk Grove Citizen. It's an idea I thought of to showcase how the newspaper is produced each week and give readers a peak inside the operation.
Our production days are Monday and Wednesday for the Wednesday and Friday newspapers and our goal is to have the newspaper completed by 6 p.m. each production day. The newspaper is proof-read on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and printed immediately after corrections are made. (Mary Lewis, our trusted proof-reader, fixes all).
Today, I will do my best to post regularly, but remember, I am working, too.
As the day progresses, reporters and photographers will be working on various projects; I will read and edit articles and columns submitted by our staff. We will choose photographs and design the layout of each page. I also have to transmit these documents to our printing facility in Galt. Included are not only newspaper duties, but tasks such as answering the telephone and helping any customer who may come into the office.
Hope you enjoy.
JF
Our production days are Monday and Wednesday for the Wednesday and Friday newspapers and our goal is to have the newspaper completed by 6 p.m. each production day. The newspaper is proof-read on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and printed immediately after corrections are made. (Mary Lewis, our trusted proof-reader, fixes all).
Today, I will do my best to post regularly, but remember, I am working, too.
As the day progresses, reporters and photographers will be working on various projects; I will read and edit articles and columns submitted by our staff. We will choose photographs and design the layout of each page. I also have to transmit these documents to our printing facility in Galt. Included are not only newspaper duties, but tasks such as answering the telephone and helping any customer who may come into the office.
Hope you enjoy.
JF
Cooper, Montgomery, Romero talk about campaign finances...
While breaking down the numbers filed in campaign finance reports turned in by candidates for Elk Grove City Council, I had a chance to interview the three District 1 candidates.
I spoke with Jose Romero, LaWanna Montgomery, and Jim Cooper for the article to be published in Friday's Citizen. Each had some unique things to say about campaign finance and Cooper's comments will likely surprise many veteran city council followers. And, which of the three plans to spend only $25 on the entire council race?
Read about it in Friday's Citizen
JF
I spoke with Jose Romero, LaWanna Montgomery, and Jim Cooper for the article to be published in Friday's Citizen. Each had some unique things to say about campaign finance and Cooper's comments will likely surprise many veteran city council followers. And, which of the three plans to spend only $25 on the entire council race?
Read about it in Friday's Citizen
JF
Monday, August 4, 2008
Campaign donations story in the works...
We at the Citizen have received campaign finance statements filed by numerous candidates for Elk Grove City Council from City Clerk Susan Blackston and are working on a story for Friday's print edition; and for publication on our Web site, www.egcitizen.com
Sunday, August 3, 2008
McElroy enters Cosumnes CSD race
Citizen Reporter Cameron Macdonald received word from Cosumnes CSD incumbent Board Member Doug McElroy Saturday announcing his intention to run for re-election to the CCSD board of directors.
McElroy's entrance to the race adds to a seemingly competitive race for three seats on the board over the next few months. Also running are incumbent Gil Albiani; Guy Rutter of Galt; Michelle Orrock; Jimmie Johnson; Davies Ononiwu; Sandi Russell; and Rod Brewer. Gerald Derr pulled out of the race to throw his endorsement behind Rudder.
Jeff Forward
Editor
McElroy's entrance to the race adds to a seemingly competitive race for three seats on the board over the next few months. Also running are incumbent Gil Albiani; Guy Rutter of Galt; Michelle Orrock; Jimmie Johnson; Davies Ononiwu; Sandi Russell; and Rod Brewer. Gerald Derr pulled out of the race to throw his endorsement behind Rudder.
Jeff Forward
Editor
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