As published in Toledo Business Journal - March 1, 2014
Part 2: Killing ideas and initiative from the private sector
In the February 1st edition of Toledo Business Journal (TBJ), Part 1 of this series was published. The editorial examined the approach taken by The Blade and its publisher and editor-in-chief, John Robinson Block, to a proposal from Dock David Treece and members of his family concerning Toledo Express Airport.
The February 1st TBJ editorial examined the significant effort by The Blade and Block to discourage officials and others from any consideration of the proposal involving privatization of Toledo Express Airport. This editorial included information on personal attacks on the name and reputation of members of the Treece family who put forward this development proposal. It closed with several questions, one of which was: “What are the reasons behind the efforts by Block and The Blade concerning the Treece proposal for Toledo Express Airport?”
This Part 2 editorial will provide readers with insight into an important part of the answer to this question. It will examine a key motivation that has been behind Block’s actions for many years.
Block has a long history of using The Blade in attempts to gain power and control over political leaders and leadership organizations in the community.
Community leaders have traveled to Pittsburgh where Block resides, after moving away from Toledo, in order to obtain approval from The Blade publisher for their actions and proposed projects in the area. These officials have observed over the years that failing to go to Pittsburgh and/or failure to obtain such approval for selected projects in Toledo can result in damaging attacks from The Blade. The attacks from the daily newspaper that have included both editorials and articles are often aimed at harming the name and reputation of the community leader being targeted.
Why did members of the Treece family not travel to Pittsburgh and why did they not obtain clear approval from Block and The Blade before they released their proposal aimed at surfacing a possible alternative for advancing development of the airport?
And what impact would privatization of Toledo Express Airport have on Block’s ability to control this area in which he has put so much of his and The Blade’s energy and effort and resources over the years?
Power and control
The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority (Port Authority) provides just one example of Block’s actions and motivations.
Block has gone to extraordinary efforts to have individuals, who he believed would take his direction, placed on the board of directors of the Port Authority. He spent years and valuable resources of The Blade in order to engineer this result.
Why did Block spend so much time and energy with these appointments to the Port Authority board that were made by past Lucas County Commissioners and past mayors of the City of Toledo?
What extraordinary efforts did he employ in order to control appointments to this board?
Past editorials in Toledo Business Journal documented Block and The Blade’s actions concerning this issue (Personal Vendetta Exposed Series at www.toledobiz.com).
In an editorial titled, Leadership Damaged in the Personal Vendetta Series, information was provided that exposed threats made to community leaders in efforts to force them to take actions against their will concerning appointments to the Port Authority board. It also provides information on Jerry Chabler, a political operative, who was placed on the Port Authority board as a result of efforts by Block. Chabler was then put at the head of the Port Authority’s Airport Committee which has been a key area of Block’s focus for control.
Chabler and Block’s actions attempting to force officials to appoint former mayor Carty Finkbeiner to the Port Authority board were exposed in this editorial.
“Allegations have now surfaced that ‘schemes’ and ‘dirty tricks’ were used by Chabler involving the appointment of former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner to the Port Authority board. Finkbeiner submitted his nomination to the Lucas County Commissioners for the Port board position formerly held by George Ballas. We have learned that Chabler spoke to key community leaders concerning Finkbeiner’s appointment. Allegations have been made that Chabler threatened a number of these individuals with attacks by the Toledo Blade if they did not cooperate in support of Finkbeiner. These allegations further state that Chabler claimed he was speaking for Toledo Blade publisher and editor-in-chief John Robinson Block.
An article published in Toledo Free Press, titled Same as it ever was, provides further information concerning appointments to the Port Authority board involving both Chabler and Finkbeiner:
“In the hours before the Chabler vote, a source told Toledo Free Press that some council people had received intimidating or threatening calls from Chabler or on his behalf.
“There would be precedent for such tactics.
“When Block was pushing for Finkbeiner to be on the port board … The Blade reported then-Lucas County Commissioner Maggie Thurber complained of ‘external pressures exerted on this board’ to appoint him. One of the threats, according to the story, was “speculated retribution from The Blade if Ms. Thurber did not vote for Mr. Finkbeiner.”
The extraordinary allegations involving threats and intimidation by Chabler and Block in attempts to force officials to make appointments to the board of directors of the Port Authority help to understand the recent actions taken against the Treece proposal.
The proposal involving privatization of Toledo Express Airport would cause significant damage to Block’s efforts to influence and control this area.
Regional Growth Partnership
The Port Authority and Toledo Express Airport are certainly not the only example of these actions by Block and his newspaper.
Block and The Blade spent significant time and effort targeting the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) in a campaign by the newspaper. A series of personal attacks on the organization and its leadership was unleashed during this effort.
In an editorial published in Toledo Business Journal, titled Why is The Blade attempting to tarnish the reputation of the Regional Growth Partnership?, these issues were addressed. (Personal Vendetta Exposed Series at www.toledobiz.com)
The TBJ editorial stated: “The recent attacks by The Blade against the RGP and Jakeway are not about objective journalism; it appears that these attacks are more about power and control. Damage will result to the Regional Growth Partnership and the community will suffer long-term harm unless area citizens learn the truth.”
The TBJ editorial addressing the personal attacks on the RGP and its leadership again exposed Block’s motivation for power and control over a community organization.
The board of directors of the RGP did decide to take the organization private after trying for years to deal with this issue and the damage it caused. Actions by Block and The Blade drove the RGP leadership to this decision.
Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars that had been provided from public sector sources for regional economic development funding were turned down by the RGP in the privatization move. This new private structure was successful in restricting The Blade’s ability to damage the organization and its job creation efforts for the area.
There was significant cost and impact to economic development in the region as the RGP used its scarce resources to deal with this issue from the daily newspaper and its publisher.
How many new, high-paying jobs could have been put in place in the region over the past years with the resources the RGP should have been able to employ for economic development?
Journalistic ethics
Are there other issues behind The Blade attack on the privatization proposal for Toledo Express Airport made by the Treeces?
In a column published by The Blade on December 8, 2013, the newspaper included information that it used in an attempt to discredit the capabilities of the Treeces. The column indicated the Treeces did not understand how an ethical newspaper such as The Blade operated. It went on to state that if the Treeces lacked this “understanding and sophistication,” they must be lacking in other areas. These other areas would certainly include the ability to manage an airport.
In the column, David Kushma, editor, The Blade stated: “At The Blade, news coverage and editorial opinion are, always have been, and always will be utterly separate functions; one does not influence the other. That’s so basic a principle that you’d think anyone with a minimal understanding of public information would grasp it …”
In Part 1 of this series, information was shared about past actions of Block and The Blade. The Part 1 TBJ editorial stated: “In the past, Toledo Business Journal investigated other actions undertaken by Block and his newspaper (Personal Vendetta Exposed Series at www.toledobiz.com). Each time, these investigations exposed the real story behind Block and The Blade’s actions.
“In each case examined, the information that The Blade provided to its readers did not include Block’s true motivations and certainly did not share that he was using the newspaper to conduct personal vendettas against community leaders who did not follow the direction he gave.”
Kushma raised the issue of the proper ethics of a newspaper. “That’s so basic a principle that you’d think anyone with a minimal understanding of public information would grasp it …”
Based on this statement from Kushma, is The Blade editor indicating that John Robinson Block does not have even a minimal understanding of public information or even a minimal understanding of the proper ethics of a daily newspaper?
Does he believe that the Treeces do not understand the past practices of The Blade including its use of both articles and editorials to conduct personal vendettas against community leaders who did not follow Block’s direction?
Is there any chance that the Treeces do not understand the efforts that The Blade will undertake to smear the personal name and reputation of community leaders who do not follow the direction given by Block?
Is it the Treeces or is it Kushma that lacks the “understanding and sophistication” of how The Blade and its publisher and editor-in-chief, John Robinson Block, have actually operated?