California Editor Claims Political Column Cost Him His Job

By: Joe Strupp The editor of a small Northern California daily claims he was removed from his job after a column he wrote upset two local candidates for office.

Les Mahler, editor of the Benicia Herald, claims he was suspended on Tuesday after he wrote an e-mail about a meeting with the paper's advertising manager and candidates running for mayor and city council, according to the nearby Times Herald of Vallejo, Ca.

The Times Herald reported Thursday that Mahler, who had been editor for just 10 months, said he was suspended for the e-mail that detailed a meeting with Herald advertising manager Pam Poppe, city council candidate Scott Strawbridge, and mayoral candidate Bill Whitney.

"Mahler said the issue began last Thursday when his column quoted an anonymous letter critical of Strawbridge's campaign ads, which the letter said did not address issues." the paper reported. "Strawbridge said he was 'shocked" when he saw the column because he believed it was against the paper's policy to quote unsigned letters."

In the "widely circulated e-mail," Mahler wrote that Strawbridge and Whitney went to the Herald's office Friday "looking for my head" and seeking an apology, the Times Herald reported.

"Whitney said Mahler misrepresented the circumstances surrounding the meeting in his e-mail, and that he was invited to the meeting, but did not remember by whom," the paper added. "Whitney called the meeting a 'confidential clearing of the air,' and declined to comment on what was discussed.

Last Sunday, the Herald printed a retraction of Mahler's column, saying the editor violated policy by publishing an unsigned letter and attacking a candidate's position."

On Tuesday, Strawbridge reportedly paid to have the retraction reprinted as a half-page ad.

"I couldn't find the retraction, and I thought I'd been harmed by what he said," Strawbridge told the Times Herald, which also reported that Mahler has cancer and was scheduled to go on disability leave this month.

Mahler said the Herald was "infringing on his freedom of speech," and that he was justified in using parts of the letter in his column.

Mahler could not be reached for comment Friday by E&P. Benicia Herald officials did not return calls seeking comment.

Mahler claimed to the Times Herald that the Benicia Herald "was afraid of losing advertising revenue, and that Strawbridge - who has spent more than $7,000 on advertisements in the Herald since July, according to campaign reports - threatened to stop placing ads."

Strawbridge said that while he disliked being "attacked for running ads," he never planned to stop advertising in the Herald as it was essential to getting his message out. "I have to communicate," Strawbridge said.