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− | + | [[Image:JeffBergosh.jpg|right|140px|Jeff Bergosh]] | |
− | + | '''Jeff Bergosh''' is the [[Escambia County School Board]] representative for [[Escambia County District 1|District 1]]. He was elected in [[2006]], filling the seat vacated by his brother [[Gary Bergosh]], who was elected to a judgeship. He came under fire in 2007 for posting comments on the [[pnj.com]] messageboards using a pseudonym. Bergosh's posts were mostly centered on defending the quality of education in the Escambia County public schools. Some of the posts were critical of opponents, and in one post out of 135 total Bergosh named himself in the third person. | |
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− | '''Jeff Bergosh''' is | ||
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Bergosh and his wife Sally have three children: Tori, Nicholas and Brandon. | Bergosh and his wife Sally have three children: Tori, Nicholas and Brandon. | ||
==Education & career== | ==Education & career== | ||
− | Bergosh | + | Bergosh received an associates of arts degree from Grossmont College in 1990 and a B.A. from San Diego State University in 1994. Before entering politics, Bergosh had a ten-year career as a facilities management specialist, including about 1 1/2 years at [[Naval Air Station Pensacola]].<ref name="lookingout">"District 1 candidates looking out for students." ''Pensacola News Journal'', August 18, 2006.</ref> |
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− | + | When his brother decided not to seek reelection, Bergosh said he was asked by [[Escambia County Superintendent|Superintendent]] [[Jim Paul]] to seek the office.<ref name="lookingout"/> He was elected on [[September 5]], [[2006]] with 5,110 votes — about twice as many as his closest rival, [[Todd Leonard]].<ref>"Escambia County School Board." ''Pensacola News Journal'', September 6, 2006.</ref> | |
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− | + | =="Godzilla" scandal== | |
− | + | On [[October 4]], [[2007]], the ''[[Pensacola News Journal]]'' published an article by reporter [[Sara Rabb]] that revealed Bergosh had been posting comments on [[pnj.com]] under the pseudonym "[[Wikipedia:Godzilla|Godzilla]]." Confronted by Rabb, Bergosh denied being Godzilla. Facing the fact that the PNJ had utilized their own internal IT information to learn the true identity of Godzilla, an "off the record" admission was given to Rabb. Against Bergosh's wishes, Rabb and the PNJ ran with the story and were criticized heavily for doing so. .<ref name="whois">"Who is schools' 'Godzilla?'" ''Pensacola News Journal'', October 4, 2007.</ref> He finally confirmed the online identity during an [[October 8]] "[[IN Your Head Radio]]" interview on [[AM 1620]].<ref>[http://ricksblog.biz/?p=2490 Bergosh=Godzilla]</ref> | |
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− | + | Bergosh was criticized for a number of the comments he made as Godzilla. Among his posts were claims that schools in the predominantly black [[Escambia County District 3|District 3]] were a "drag" on the rest of the system, and he suggested that governments should "do away with compulsory education beyond grade 8. … Build more prisons and get ready for the influx, but let's keep school a positive environment for students who WANT to come to school!!"<ref name="whois"/> He was critical of teachers' unions for "roadblocking districts every step of the way" and even praised himself in the third person during a debate over merit pay for teachers: "I know we can count on Board member Bergosh to be there and vote to keep the bonus money here in Pensacola. I know he is not going to genuflect, bow down and kiss the union ring, and give the union what they want."<ref name="whois"/> When the School Board voted 4-1 against the existing merit pay plan, Godzilla said he could hear their "spines breaking in unison."<ref name="outing">[http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/outing_godzilla.php Outing Godzilla: An Internet crack in the Chinese wall.] ''Columbia Journalism Review'', October 16, 2007.</ref> | |
− | Bergosh | ||
[[Image:BergoshPNJCartoon.jpg|thumb|right|[[Andy Marlette]]'s cartoon & winning caption]] | [[Image:BergoshPNJCartoon.jpg|thumb|right|[[Andy Marlette]]'s cartoon & winning caption]] | ||
[[Image:BergoshSchneiderCartoon.jpg|thumb|right|Bergosh's cartoon response]] | [[Image:BergoshSchneiderCartoon.jpg|thumb|right|Bergosh's cartoon response]] | ||
− | + | Bergosh accused the ''News Journal'' of "outing" his identity on what he had believed was a safe outlet for anonymous opinion: "When the ''Pensacola News Journal'' created an anonymous forum, encouraging the use of pseudonyms, as to let people take down their guards and speaking in a frank manner regarding political ideas and thoughts, I jumped at the opportunity."<ref name="statement">[http://ricksblog.biz/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/jeff-bergosh.pdf Statement by Bergosh regarding Godzilla]</ref> The publication pointed out that their website's terms of use reserved "the right to identify you as the author of any of your postings or submissions by name, email address or screen name, as we deem appropriate."<ref>[http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=TERMS pnj.com Terms of Use]</ref> Bergosh asserted that he "never divulged any 'in-house' secrets or committed ANY crime" and that the left-leaning newspaper had engaged in "[[Wikipedia:yellow journalism|yellow journalism]]" as retribution for his conservative opinions, prompting him to "fight for my right to freedom of speech."<ref name="statement"/> | |
Hostilities continued when the ''News Journal'' held a contest asking readers to submit captions for a cartoon of Bergosh wearing a Godzilla costume. (The winning caption said, "All the School Board costumes were taken!"<ref>[http://pnj.com/graphics/opinion/cartoon_101407_winner.jpg Final cartoon]</ref>) Bergosh countered by offering alternate captions critical of the newspaper's online policy (for example, "Deception <u>is</u> at the core of '<u>anonymous</u>' blogs!!"<ref>[http://jeffbergosh.net/cartoons.html Bergosh's parody cartoons]</ref>) and drawing a caricature of editor [[Dick Schneider]]: | Hostilities continued when the ''News Journal'' held a contest asking readers to submit captions for a cartoon of Bergosh wearing a Godzilla costume. (The winning caption said, "All the School Board costumes were taken!"<ref>[http://pnj.com/graphics/opinion/cartoon_101407_winner.jpg Final cartoon]</ref>) Bergosh countered by offering alternate captions critical of the newspaper's online policy (for example, "Deception <u>is</u> at the core of '<u>anonymous</u>' blogs!!"<ref>[http://jeffbergosh.net/cartoons.html Bergosh's parody cartoons]</ref>) and drawing a caricature of editor [[Dick Schneider]]: | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
− | {{reflist | + | {{reflist}} |
− | [[Category:Escambia County School Board members | + | [[Category:Escambia County School Board members|Bergosh, Jeff]] |