A SECOND COMPLAINT AGAINST LOCAL ELECTIONS SUPERVISOR JANE TUCKER
BRADLEY BY LSB LISTENER CANDIDATE KEN FREELAND 10-17-06
ON FRIDAY 10-13-06 LOCAL ELECTIONS SUPERVISOR JANE TUCKER BRADLEY
CALLED ME BY PHONE TO ASK WHETHER I COULD CHANGE MY ASSIGNED ON-AIR
FORUM APPEARANCE WITH ANOTHER CANDIDATE WHO HAD A SCHEDULING CONFLICT.
AFTER EXPLAINING THAT I COULD NOT, I ASKED HER WHY I HAD NOT RECEIVED
THE REQUESTED TIMETABLE OF CANDIDATE ON-AIR STATEMENTS (AS HAD BEEN
PROVIDED TO CANDIDATES IN PREVIOUS LSB ELECTIONS). SHE STATED THAT THE
AIRING OF THE STATEMENTS HAD BEEN A DEBACLE, THAT SHE COULD NOT MONITOR
THEIR AIRING FULLY, AND THAT SHE WAS REORGANIZING THE CANDIDATE
STATEMENTS INTO GROUPS OF THREE, TO BE AIRED PERIODICALLY, AND THAT
CANDIDATES WOULD BE RECEIVING A TIMETABLE. (NO SUCH TIMETABLE HAS BEEN
RECEIVED AS OF THIS WRITING, AND THE AIRING OF THE STATEMENTS APPEARS
STILL ERRATIC.)
I ALSO ASKED MS. BRADLEY ABOUT THE RUMOR THAT SHE PLANNED TO USE LSB
MEMBER MELINDA ILEY-DOHN TO ANSWER PHONES DURING THE ON-AIR CANDIDATE
FORUMS. SHE STATED THAT SHE WAS NOT GOING TO USE MS. ILEY-DOHN, AND
THAT INSTEAD SHE PLANNED ON USING (PROGRAM DIRECTOR) ERNESTO AGUILAR
AND STAFF MEMBER BYRON JACKSON. I IMMEDIATELY PROTESTED THE USE OF PD
AGUILAR IN THIS CAPACITY, EXPLAINED MY REASONS TO MS. BRADLEY, AND WAS
GIVEN ASSURANCE THAT NEITHER MR. AGUILAR NOR MS. ILEY-DOHN WOULD BE
USED IN THIS CAPACITY SUNDAY NIGHT, WHEN I WAS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR. SHE
STATED THAT SHE WOULD FIND A NEUTRAL MEMBER OF THE NEWS DEPARTMENT TO
ANSWER THE PHONES AND TAKE QUESTIONS FROM LISTENERS. I REMINDED HER OF
THE NEED TO ASSURE NEUTRALITY AT ALL LEVELS.
WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE STATION ON SUNDAY EVENING PRIOR TO THE BROADCAST,
I WAS INFORMED THAT MR. AGUILAR AND MS. ILEY-DOHN WERE GOING TO BE
TAKING THE CALLS FROM LISTENERS. I REMINDED MS. BRADLEY OF HER PROMISE.
SHE BEGAN MAKING EXCUSES FOR USING THEM NOTWITHSTANDING HER PROMISE. I
INFORMED HER THAT I WOULD PROTEST BOTH THIS DECISION AND HER BREAKING
HER AGREEMENT. AT SOME POINT, IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT CANDIDATE WESLEY
BETHUNE'S SIGNIFICANT OTHER, SALLY, WHO HAD ACCOMPANIED HIM, TAKE THE
CALLS INSTEAD. ALL CANDIDATES PRESENT AGREED TO THIS SOLUTION, BUT THEN
MS. BRADLEY RENEGED ON THIS AGREEMENT AS WELL, BY INSISTING THAT SALLY
TAKE CALLS “WITH MELINDA.” I REPEATED MY OBJECTION TO MS. ILEY-DOHN
ACTING IN THIS CAPACITY AT ALL. (MS. ILEY-DOHN'S ANTOGONISM TOWARDS ME
IS WELL DOCUMENTED: I HAD FILED CODED OF CONDUCT COMPLAINTS AGAINST HER
ON THE LSB FOR BOTH PHYSICAL AND VERBAL AGGRESSIVE ACTIONS AGAINST ME.)
I REMINDED MS. BRADLEY THAT IT WAS HER JOB TO ASSURE THAT ONLY NEUTRAL
PARTIES ACTED AS CONDUITS BETWEEN THE LISTENERS AND THE CANDIDATES.
MS. BRADLEY BEGAN RAISING HER VOICE, AND DEMANDING TO KNOW WHETHER I
WAS WILLING TO SHARE THE AIR TIME WITH THE OTHER TWO CANDIDATES. I
ASKED HER WHY SHE WAS SINGLING ME OUT FOR THIS QUESTION, AND SHE
RESPONDED THAT I WAS PREVENTING HER FROM PREPARING THE CANDIDATES FOR
THE FORUM. I RESPONDED THAT I WAS PREVENTING HER FROM DOING NOTHING,
THAT I WAS ONLY STATING THE UNACCEPTABILITY OF HER CHOICE OF PHONE
ANSWERER (MELINDA ILEY-DOHN) AND OF THE VIOLATION OF HER PRIOR
AGREEMENT WITH ME THAT THIS REPRESENTED. AT SOME POINT IN THIS
DISCOURSE, SHE GOT PHYSICALLY CLOSE TO ME AND BEGAN YELLING AT ME TO
SHUT UP. UNNERVED BY THIS SUDDEN ESCALATION, I GOT EVEN CLOSER TO HER
AND YELLED BACK AT HER THAT SHE HAD NO RIGHT TO YELL AT ME.
AT THIS POINT, SHE STATED THAT I WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN
THE FORUM, AND THAT SHE WAS CALLING THE POLICE, OR WAS HAVING ERNESTO
AGUILAR CALL THEM, AND STATED THAT I MUST LEAVE THE PREMISES
IMMEDIATELY. I FOLLOWED HER INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING NOT PARTICIPATING,
AND LEFT THE PREMISES SHORTLY THEREAFTER. I WAS INFORMED AFTER THE FACT
BY ONE OF THE PARTICIPATING CANDIDATES THAT THE PHONES WERE IN FACT
ANSWERED, AND LISTENERS' QUESTIONS TRANSCRIBED, BY PD AGUILAR.
I HAVE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE FROM YOU, AS NATIONAL ELECTIONS SUPERVISOR,
TO MY EARLIER COMPLAINT OF BEING DENIED A FULL WEEK OF HAVING MY
CANDIDATE STATEMENT PUBLISHED ON THE KPFT WEBSITE CANDIDATE PAGE,
DURING PART OF WHICH TIME I WAS NOT EVEN LISTED AS A CANDIDATE, AND
DURING THE REST OF TIME WHEN IT WAS CLAIMED (FALSELY) ON THE WEBSITE
THAT MY STATEMENT WAS “UNAVAILABLE.” I AM NOW BEING DEPRIVED OF THE
OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN ON-AIR FORUMS, AN OPPORTUNITY BEING
AFFORDED TO ALL OTHER CANDIDATES. THERE REMAINS NO WAY TO ASCERTAIN THE
PARITY WITH WHICH ON-AIR STATEMENTS OF CANDIDATES ARE BEING AIRED.
I HAVE REQUESTED, AND CONTINUE TO REQUEST, THE TERMINATION OF
PACIFICA'S CONTRACT WITH TUCKER BRADLEY, WHO HAS SHOWN HERSELF TO BE
NOT ONLY NOT NEUTRAL, BUT EFFECTIVELY PARTISAN, IN ALL OF HER MAJOR
DECISIONS. THESE DECISIONS HAVE CONSISTENTLY BENEFITTED PRO-MANAGEMENT
CANDIDATES, AND DISADVANTAGED THE MOST VOCIFEROUS MANAGEMENT CRITICS.
IN ADDITION, THE SANCTIONING OF KPFT MANAGEMENT IS URGENTLY NEEDED, TO
PREVENT THEIR FURTHER MEDDLING IN THE ELECTIONS PROCESS. IT SEEMS
UNTHINKABLE TO ME THAT THE RESULTS OF AN ELECTION SO CLEARLY CORRUPTED
BY THE FAVORITISM SHOWN BY THE LOCAL ELECTIONS SUPERVISOR AT KPFT,
COULD WITHSTAND LEGAL CHALLENGE. I SUPPOSE WE WILL ALL FIND OUT WHETHER
THAT IS TRUE SOON ENOUGH.
I SUGGEST THAT AT THIS SECOND CRISIS, ANY FAILURE BY YOU, LES RADKEY,
AS PACIFICA'S NATIONAL ELECTIONS SUPERVISOR, TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY
RELIEF TO RESTORE INTEGRITY TO KPFT'S ELECTIONS, WOULD APPEAR TO BETRAY
AN AGENDA WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE OF
YOUR DUTIES. ONCE AGAIN, YOU ARE ASKED TO TERMINATE THE CONTRACT OF
TUCKER BRADLEY, AND TO REMEDY THE EGREGIOUS LOSSES MY LSB CAMPAIGN HAS
SUFFERED UNDER HER DISCRIMINATORY SUPERVISION.
The alleged campaign violation will then be investigated fully and
appropriate steps taken by our
Election Coordinator. In order to insure accountability of this report
process, no anonymous
reports will be considered valid. This form must be completed in its
entirety. Please submit
completed report via internet as appropriate or you may hand deliver to
Tucker Bradley
419 Lovett Blvd.
Houston TX 77006
Name of person filing report: Ken Freeland
Mailing address: 8728 Kimwood Dr., Houston, Tx 77080
phone no: 832-512-4751 email address: kenfree@swbell. net
Date alleged violation occurred: Sunday, 15 October, 2006 Time: 5:55 pm
Violation Committed by: LES Tucker Bradley
Briefly explain: Tucker Bradley has once again denied equal use of
station resources, in this case, participation in the candidate on-air
forums, to a single candidate, Ken Freeland, while permitting it to all
other candidates. This is a second violation of provision #2 of
Pacifica's Fair Campaign Provisions:
2. All candidates for election as a Listener-Sponsor Delegate shall be
given equal opportunity for equal air time, which air time shall
include time for a statement by the candidate and a question and answer
period with call in listeners.
These facts are unequivocal, and an immediate remedy must be supplied
to restore fairness and integrity to the KPFT LSB elections process.
Peace,
Ken Freeland
Listener-Candidate, KPFT LSB 2006