This week in the Chronic, Wells Dunbar tackled the machinations behind City Council Member Jennifer Kim‘s career-injuring attempt to skirt airport security and the Austin American-Statesman‘s strange obsession with the story (on Tuesday alone: Kelso’s column, an adjacent “news” story, and a tsking editorial). While many may wonder why this nonissue is getting such major play, notes Dunbar:
“The lingering question is how Kim’s security query got leaked. … In initial reports, the Statesman cites ‘a memo from the city manager’s office used to summarize council members’ concerns and questions.’ That sounds like it came straight from one of Toby Futrell‘s fabled ‘one-on-ones’ with her council members. Political motives for dissing Kim aside, how would the rest of the council feel if something that arose in their sessions with Futrell was leaked?
“Especially with this being the second time something damaging was leaked to harm Kim (the first being her memo proposing probation for the city auditor last year), I suspect there is much more on the way. Not on the ostensible story itself – ‘OMG, Jennifer Kim’s a spoiled ballerina!’ – but the story behind the story.”
And that’s just a sample of Chronic’s regularly updated online entries. Read, comment, and interact with the Chronicle News staff at austinchronicle.com/chronic.
This article appears in February 2 • 2007.