Bob Gabordi, the newish Executive Editor of Gannett’s Asheville, NC Citizen-Times, is making a difference and breaking new ground. He is out and about speaking to Republican groups in Hendersonville and Asheville. Both Mr Gabordi and the GOP seem happy with the results.

At the Saturday November 10th  meeting of the Buncombe County Republican Men’s Club, Bob Gabordi spoke and was spoken to. He heard from State Representative Trudi Walend (R-Brevard), GOP county  chairman Charles Thomas, talk show host Bill Fishburne, former State Senator Jess Ledbetter, newly elected Asheville councilman Dr Joe Dunn and political veteran Marie Jendrak.

Mr Gabordi does his homework. He knows earlier complaints that  his paper has endorsed liberal and Democratic causes while scanting Republican conservative and moderate values. He is seriously troubled by widespread charges of unfairness and promises more changes.

To even the scales  Mr Gabordi has reached out to a miffed U.S. Representative Charles Taylor (R-Brevard). In this connection, said Gabordi, the mediation of Taylor’s liaison officer, former Citizen-Times conservative political columnist Will Haynie, is  proving indispensable.

Gabordi also noted that he has added a new position for reporting on science and technology and will soon have a fresh face handling health. He presides over 2:30 p.m. staff reviews of  each day’s issue. To Bill Fishburne’s query,  “Can we come?” Bob Gabordi said, “Sure.”

Black Mountain GOP leader Hal Butts afterwards gave Mr Gabordi high marks for his modesty and straight talk. The new executive editor has done remarkable things in his few months on the job and now reaches out in a natural, friendly, confidence inspiring way to previously alienated sectors of the community--which includes many if not most Republicans.

Will Mr Gabordi stay the course? Trade in underperforming writers for better ones, especially for literate reporters who have grown up in the Carolina mountains? (WLOS TV’s weatherman and outdoors specialist Bob Caldwell springs to mind.) Mr Gabordi and his staff also need to get out to undersung local activists like Democrat Faye Beasley of Swannanoa, who care about the unemployed, about county and state  workers, and who feel the impact of broken promises and unfair dealings by elected officials and bureaucrats

Here is a question time did not let me ask:  “Given your stated policy of trying to bring Western North Carolina communities together and proactively to search out for good uplifting news, will the CItizen-Times give any time and emphasis to investigative reporting of the dark and troubling corners of our communities?”

I have in mind the concerns which surface in local talk radio and in smaller journals. For instance, businessmen  complain of  excessive power and unsupervised arbitrariness of inspectors at every stage of any new construction project. Others openly charge police coverups of  misbehavior of named staff members. Some allege special government and chamber of commerce favors to very large, entrenched property owners. But nary a word of this do we read in the Citizen-Times. I do not advocate lies or tabloid journalism. I do call for Bob Woodward and Watergate- coverup-style investigative reporting.

That apparent absence of investigative reporting (admittedly early on, in the otherwise refreshing Gabordi administration) of the Asheville Citizen-Times is the only major worry I currently have about Mr Gabordi’s newspaper. I share the surprised pleasure of all who spoke during the Republican Men’s Club meeting. Who could not be pleased with changes to date, announced new policies and hinted personnel changes?

It is still honeymoon time for the new executive editor and his reading public. So far, he gets top marks. We are all in his debt.

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for INDEPENDENT TORCH