Trying to put county scandal in perspective amidst transition

George Watson, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 07/05/2008 08:13:58 PM PDT

I didn't intend to come out with a blistering column last week as my metamorphosis from reporter of 17 years to editor continues.
Nope, I had planned to introduce myself to readers with a pleasant column about who I was and what I intended to do through this venue provided by the paper.

Sometimes, though, particularly in journalism, circumstances can overrule even the best of plans. And it just seemed necessary to try and bring some perspective to the breaking story of a top San Bernardino County official getting arrested on suspicion of destroying evidence and altering documents sought by the grand jury.

So, here is what I had planned to say.

For three years, I have written hundreds of stories for The Sun. Hopefully, you have read a few.

If you missed 'em, here's a quick synopsis: I've told you about fires and floods and death and hope, politicians gone bad, parents spending their morning preparing to bury their eldest son whose body has just arrived from Iraq. And I have told you about the beauty of a San Gorgonio peak when it's covered with 12 feet of snow but no one was paying attention to what might happen when it melted. Or how county Fire Marshal Peter Brierty is a "harbinger from hell," to quote myself, because he had the knowledge and the courage and the post to make people understand how dangerously overgrown the local forest had become.

But I have a new role now. I'm city editor of what some believed was a wandering ship in a drowning industry. I certainly disagree. A lot.
Sure, the industry is struggling. We learned last week that the L.A. Times' newsroom will endure another sharp cut, adding to the list of skilled professionals across the country who are out of a job. I believe the total loss of journalists for the year is somewhere above 5,000. It's hit us hard, too, as many good friends and talented journalists have had to leave our newsroom.

Thankfully, we still have a room of hungry, eager professionals who are ready to guide the newspaper through the storm. We don't know exactly what it will look like when we emerge from it, but I'm sure it will evolve far further onto the Internet. Regardless, I am proud to work with my colleagues.

Through this column, which for the time being will run when the news calls for it, I hope to offer some commentary and raise some awareness to the story behind the story. This will be far easier if I can hear from readers, so please feel free to send me a note at george.watson@inlandnewspapers.com with a tip or a thought.

I understand now that Adam Aleman, the county assistant assessor who faces six felony charges, would not call Bill Postmus his best friend, as I did in my first column. How do I know?

From Adam, himself. I have tried reaching out to Adam on several occasions to let him tell his story, or just offer a response to the charges he faces that could land him in prison for up to 18 years. He has never returned a call from his county-issued mobile phone, which he still has use of. Prior to his arrest, that had never been the case, as I had found Adam to always be cordial and responsive.

But Friday night, a little less than an hour before the end of the Fourth of July, I received a text message from Adam. He wished me a happy Fourth, and then wrote the following, "(By the way), Bill Postmus is not my best friend he is a friend. Kelly Kuntz my fiancee is and will always be my best friend."

Point taken. Kuntz is a Redlands woman who worked on Rudy Giuliani's abbreviated campaign for president. She is also set to marry the 25-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga who is in the fight for his life.

Who knows what prompted the text? I thanked him and wrote back that I would correct the record at the first possible moment.