Giambra dispute with TV station sign of total desperation
DAN MEYER Political Columnist
It's probably not even worth commenting on, given he now has less than six months to go on the job, but the fact that he made such a big deal out of it, finds that there actually is plenty to be said about Erie County Executive Joel Giambra's recent decision to not invite reporters from WGRZ-TV to his press conferences.

This desperate attempt to control the media while making his actions a topic of discussion is just the latest chapter in Giambra's book of blunders when it comes to his bullying ways and bizarre tactics as the county's top elected official.

Giambra and his spokesperson apparently weren't thinking very logically when they decided to do battle with Channel 2, especially given WGRZ's latest efforts as the local TV news station that is "on your side."

To try and limit a particular media outlet from covering news coming out of the big office on the 16th floor of the Rath Building was a public relations disaster just waiting to happen. But Giambra's enormous ego and speak-first-think-later approach to this situation has only resulted in more criticism of his administration.

Let's remember who we are dealing with here. Giambra's approval rating is so small it's virtually nonexistent. He remains a politician who commands very little respect throughout this region. From legislators to department heads to county employees to elected officials in local towns and villages, Giambra's name is often met with a snicker, chuckle or out-and-out belly laugh.

Why all of the ha-has and hee-hees whenever King Joel's name is mentioned? It's because the main thing he was elected to do is serve as the leader of our community, but he has failed miserably time and time again. Get past the infamous budget crisis of a couple of years ago. Giambra was actually well practiced a few years before that on how to pass the blame and point fingers at everyone else. His performances at the very press conferences he's trying to keep Channel 2 reporters away from have been nothing short of pathetic, with failed attempts at threatening elected leaders at the state level and other threadbare thoughts often spewing from his mouth. Remember the blame game over Medicaid? His constant search to find a "new revenue stream?" His failed attempts to bully town supervisors and village mayors into buying into his flawed countywide shared law enforcement agency that would be based in the still less-than-state-of-the-art emergency services facility?

Most of what Giambra says is disingenuous and reeks of disgraceful posturing.

Which brings us back to the battle between Giambra and Channel 2. We are disappointed that Bob Koshinski, Giambra's spokesman, went along with this whole charade, especially given Koshinski's past experience as both an on-air personality and station manager in the local television and radio industry.

Koshinski's response to Channel 2's questioning about Giambra's claims that the TV station "hijacked" two

recent news conferences was laughable. This was worse than Giambra's failed attempt in 2005 to limit Channel 2 to just one reporter and one photojournalist for each news conference.

Don't get me wrong. As much as I applaud the work of some of WGRZ's on-air talent to "ask the tough questions," there's no doubt the constant reminders of how their red-coat brigade is always looking out for us as taxpayers and that they are indeed "on your side" is more than a bit annoying. Their constant reminders last week of Giambra's attempted exclusion of their reporters from his press conferences bordered on overkill, especially when it got to the point where the TV station no longer was reporting the story but was actually becoming part of the story.

Back to Giambra. I just want to kindly remind him and his staff of three things: that there is such a thing as freedom of the press, that reporters always have and will continue to ask questions they feel need to be asked, and that no one in Erie County really cares about his personal agenda.

Jim Keane? Paul Clark? Chris Collins? Jimmy Griffin? At this point we don't care who takes the helm from Giambra when his term expires. A warm body in a cheap suit and penny loafers will do just fine.

Anyone else out there eagerly counting down the days to Jan. 1, 2008? I thought so.

(Daniel Meyer is a columnist for WIN, the Weekly Independent Newspapers of Western New York.)