Rusty's Blog

This is one of a series of posts about jobs I’ve had during my time on this planet. You can read more posts by clicking the “jobs i’ve had” tag, and read a lengthier intro to the series in the first post.

“Hi, this is Russell Tanton. I’m a staff writer for the DeKalb Neighbor.”

“Oh, the one they throw on my lawn?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

Neighbor Newspapers is a chain of a couple of dozen suburban weekly papers published by Times-Journal, Inc., a company run by a kind-hearted, wise, personable, racially tolerant man named Otis Brumby.

I first interviewed with the Marietta Daily Journal, the flagship daily for Times-Journal. The editor didn’t think I was ready for that job based on my college newspaper experience, and he was right. He was about to send me out the door when he noticed I’d laid out my clips portfolio in Quark. He asked me about it and we kept talking, and he decided I should interview with the guys who managed the weekly papers.

I nailed that, then interviewed with an old money guy who was editor of the Northside Neighbor. He was a perfect fit there since the Northside Neighbor spent a lot of time covering old money. That might not sound flattering, but he was cool. He gave the okay to hire me to write for Northside.

While I wasn’t looking forward to writing stories about debutante balls, I was comfortable with the idea of working for him and was excited to have a foot in the door to the journalism industry.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you live in DeKalb County as I do, there’s at least one important race to vote in today: the Democratic run-off for CEO. Your choices are Stan Watson and Burrell Ellis, and it’s a no-brainer who you should vote for.

Watson has been a no-show for several debates, choosing to attend fundraisers instead. He has campaigned illegally in front of polling stations. And he has not denounced the distribution of a race-baiting anti-Ellis flier.

I am concerned that Ellis is a little too cozy with Sembler, a company which builds suburban-style developments in places that would be better-served by true mixed-use developments. His election would make the construction of a controversial shopping development on Briarcliff and North Druid Hills roads a near-certainty. But by all other measures it appears he would do a good job. There’s nothing illegal or unethical about taking campaign contributions from Sembler, which is more than I can say about Watson’s activities.

There’s also a snoozer of a U.S. Senate run-off between Democrats Jim Martin and Vernon Jones. It doesn’t really matter who you vote for. To lose, incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss would need to be caught killing a baby, pulling out its entrails and wearing them as a headband—while a young male intern was blowing him. Sadly, I think the second part would be more shocking to people around here.