FeedNon-denial denials and outright lies
January 30, 2004 in Local
Yesterday, the Journal Star’s Jennifer Davis reported that City Council member Chuck Grayeb is annoyed at being left out of secret meetings with
Peoria Civic Center board members in which the use of hotel, restaurant and amusement taxes would be used to “save” two downtown businesses.
Today, Mayor David Ransburg denies the story … sort of. He says that there’s no money committed yet, and that’s its just some brainstorming and that a proposal could be presented at a later time.
That’s a non-denial denial, a tactic made famous by the Nixon White House to dispute facts about the Watergate scandal that they couldn’t really deny.
But, Phil Luciano reported today that just one day before the story hit, he asked Ransburg if there were any non-public meetings discussing using the HRA tax for these businesses. Ransburg gave Luciano a flat out “no.”
So, either Luciano’s is the most incompetent reporter on Earth — an allegation even I am not prepared to make — or Ransburg is a liar — which I am prepared to state.
Ransburg promised to bring a businesslike approach to city government.
We just didn’t know that business was Enron.
