What if, instead of stonewalling any discipline of Dr. Sam “Good Times” Morgan for allegedly slapping his wife, the City and Dr. Morgan had come up with another tack?
What if Dr. Sam “Good Times” Morgan had issued the following statement:
My wife and I are going through some difficult times, and we are trying to resolve our differences. We ask for your understanding during this process, and ask that you please respect our privacy as we deal with this situation.
Instead, we get Mayor Dee Margo falling back on his standard excuse: “What do you want me to do? I’m just a weak mayor.”
I’m not suggesting anything revolutionary. The approach I’m suggesting is Crisis Management 101. That the City did not adopt this approach is indicative of their opinion that they’re above reproach. That they don’t care what the people think. It’s unbridled, ham-handed, arrogance.
How do you account for that arrogance? Narcissistic personality disorder? Rigged elections? Do our elected officials get a lifetime, private party, annuity?
The City’s lack of a conciliatory approach is another illustration of the arrogance with which the City treats its citizens.
Can you comment more on the concept of Crisis Management for an elected official in the context of a legal process?
Politics is show business for ugly people.
From a purely political perspective, Dr. Morgan should have controlled the narrative from the beginning. He should have admitted responsibility (at least a little bit), and asked for the public’s understanding and forgiveness, and for the media to respect his family’s privacy while they worked through this difficult time.
Our city runs on bullshit and spin.
I’m not saying it’s right. But it’s the right political tactic for a career politician. Personally, I think Dr. Morgan should step down while he works out his issues. Maybe while he’s at the Betty Ford, he’ll grow a set and be able to stand up to the Mayor and City Manager. (Ha!)
But his political career is over.