Actually folks I’m not going to defend Mathews, the heel de jour in New Orleans. I will say I’ve been looking at this whole Times Picayune make over “professionally”, that is as a practicing CPA and yes even the Newhouse accountants have been raked over the coals since the announcement of big changes at the T-P in late May.
I do not have time to write the post this subject deserves, at least today, but I would like to point out a couple of things I’ve seen in the news coverage that interested me.
First is Ashton Phelps falling on his sword rather than make the changes Steve Newhouse required. This is the way things are done in the business world when you lose faith in the plan. The Phelps’ family has been part of the cultural landscape in the city for a long time and to the extent street talk had the papers editorials being written at the Boston Club, if you want to understand the cesspool that is the City of New Orleans you must understand the Boston Club, the third oldest social club in the entire country. To the extent I’ve been able to divine the job of a newspaper publisher is to kiss ass and make nice with the rich, powerful and famous, places like the Boston Club would be a natural for people like Phelps and Clancy DuBos. Speaking of DuBos has anyone else noticed he has been bashing Mathews on a fairly regular basis? Not quite Slabbed style but close.
There are several theories about why DuBos harbors such a distaste for Ricky Mathews. Continue reading “Blood in the water Monday: Since someone has to defend Ricky Mathews…..”