John McDonagh
is the publisher of the Vancouver Business Journal
Thirty-one years ago I met a young sign company executive whose business was in the sales territory I had been assigned for The Columbian my second week out of college. Through various Hazel Dell Business Association functions we came to know each other a bit more, even more when my family purchased a home next to his grandmother’s.
We would see each other occasionally over the next six years until by chance we bought a home by his, where we would be neighbors for just over 20 years.
With this background you might understand why, when my friend of the last three decades approached me to advise the marketing arm of his political campaign, I agreed on the spot.
A number of things have changed for me over those same years – not the least of which is my ownership of the Vancouver Business Journal, a position that creates challenges for me from time to time. This is one of those times.
For sometime prior to our ownership, the Vancouver Business Journal had avoided any type of endorsement in political campaigns. Initially, we thought offering the opinion pages exclusively to our readers to showcase their opinions might work. Many of you let us know that you were looking for leadership from the journal – a voice that would sort through the issues and candidates and point to those making the most sense for business. We took your suggestions to heart and regularly use this page to detail our opinion regarding the best choice for businesses at election time.
In the Clark County Commissioner’s race last fall, we did just that. Like many publications our process culminating in an endorsement is one of collaboration among several of us. The balance created by the perspectives of those on our editorial board creates the strongest possible position statement and last year led us to endorse Steve Stuart for his successful bid as County Commissioner.
This year I find I’ve put myself and our process in an awkward position. After all it is me who has known Bruce Hagensen for 31 years and was his neighbor for 20 years. I am the friend who volunteered to assist in his marketing campaign and would be expected by most to endorse his candidacy on this page. In my friendship with Bruce, I act as an individual, not the owner/publisher of the Vancouver Business Journal and not as a member of its editorial board.
So, how does it work if the decision about candidate endorsements is collaborative and dependent on the various perspectives of the members? The answer is it doesn’t work. For that reason I have excused myself from the candidate interviews and the decision about who we should endorse for this position, and both candidates were aware of this prior to the meeting with us.
During the candidate meetings I was reviewing the list of questions I need to ask myself when friends and causes desire my time and attention. First on the list is, "Will it put me or the Vancouver Business Journal in an awkward position relative to our ability to maintain a fair and objective approach to coverage?"
