Friday, May 11, 2007

Fired For Talking With The Media?







Update from Post-Gazette:
"Whistleblower fired"








You may recall Jason Phillips, who I interviewed for the Councilman Jeff Koch t-shirt/phone call story. He says he's been fired by Judge Debra Todd's campaign for speaking with Channel 4 Action News. We reported on Phillips' allegation that a staffer of Councilman Koch made a Koch campaign call to him from the councilman's government office. Pittsburgh's charter says city workers "are prohibited from engaging in political activity during working hours and at all times in city offices".

I just got the call from Phillips this afternoon. He says he's in Ohio right now, dealing with a family member's injury. Phillips says the Todd campaign fired him by cell phone... and that it was for speaking with us. He says he was told that "ward leaders were unhappy" that he had done the interview.

I called Judge Todd's campaign manager, Alison Rudolph Hall. She confirms that Phillips is "no longer on staff" "for various reasons". When pressed, she refused to confirm or deny it was for speaking out about Koch staffer Eileen Conroy.

2 comments:

Rob Carr said...

I was going to vote for Debra Todd, but no more. By firing Phillips (or allowing him to be fired) she demonstrated that she doesn't have the judgment I would look for in a state Supreme Court justice.

I'll have to look back over the choices. If I can't find anyone I like, I will not vote in that race.

Under no circumstance would Todd get my vote. I hope everyone feels that way about her.

Anonymous said...

C. Darnell Jones II is fantastic. A Judge and Penn Law Professor for decades he received the highest recommendation from the PA Bar, and the endorsement from the Philly Inky and the PG. The man is fantastic.