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Parkinson declines to debate on KVEC

September 22, 2010

After considering the invitation for two weeks, Sheriff’s candidate Ian Parkinson has decided not to debate opponent Joe Cortez on KVEC radio.

KVEC news director King Harris had been attempting to bring the two candidates together for a forum on the San Luis Obispo news/talk station. Cortez, a former Pismo Beach police chief, accepted immediately.

Parkinson, currently a captain with San Luis Police Department, eventually demurred. In an email to KVEC, Parkinson talked about his “tight schedule,” referred to two other debates that would be televised, and said:

“Once these debates are completed I will have done approximately 24 debates/forums as a candidate for Sheriff.  As I have told the others, I feel that the 24 debates/forums have provided the voters with excellent opportunities to determine which candidate they would vote for as our next Sheriff.  In addition to these two scheduled debates, I have chosen to direct most of the balance of my time in the campaign to other campaign activities such as meeting with voters one-on-one. I find these meetings to be most productive for myself and the voter.”

Cortez and Parkinson are scheduled to appear in mid-October on KSBY. They will also participate in a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters on Sept. 29.

“I think Capt. Parkinson is taking a page from the Sam Blakeslee playbook,” said KVEC talk show host Dave Congalton. “He’s trying to protect his lead and avoid giving any unnecessary  opportunity to his opponent. That’s smart, politically. And he probably didn’t want a repeat of what happened last time he was on KVEC.”

In a KVEC interview last May, responding to a question from a caller, Parkinson vehemently denied having had any tax liens placed on his property. News stories later revealed that Parkinson had six liens filed over ten years.


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Parkinson is trying to master a new martial arts hold which he expects will help him in his campaign. It’s called a “fact-compliance” hold. It’s taking longer to master than he expected.


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Cortez and Parkinson are both supposed to be in Morro Bay next Thursday, Sept. 30 at 9 a.m. at the Embarcadero Grill (across the street from the giant chessboard park). I’m not sure if it’s being taped but a forum we had this morning with MB mayor candidates was taped and will be broadcast on Charter Cable Ch. 20 in MB.

The Business & Community Forums are free and open to the public there’s free coffee, and if you come bring donuts to share. Oct. 7 will have a MB city council candidates’ forum which will be taped and broadcast for sure.

I invite everyone to come to the Biz-Com Forums happen every Thursday at 9 a.m.


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Good information. I think our public also needs to be educated on the difference between a forum and a debate. A forum would be canned questions with an answer that can be scripted not only by the candidate but by someone other than the candidate and the candidate memorizes. A debate would be spontaneous and the candidates have time to respond to their opponents answer. This takes critical thinking skills, confidence, and the knowledge and background that comes with training and most of all experience. Not just having a good coach.


There is only 1 true debate currenlty scheduled to my knowledge. If there are more please let us know. Apparently Parkinson will only attend if it is question and answer which would be a forum. Or he won’t attend at all. Wouldn’t it be funny if Parkinson didn’t show up but sent someone from his committee in his place.


Why hasn’t the Trib stepped up and sponsored a debate, oh I forgot, their guy won’t attend a true debate.


If you can’t take the heat of a debate against your opponent, how will you be able to stand up to the board of supervisors….oh I forgot, they have endorsed him so he will just have to go along with them. How will you stand up to the DSA and make the tought decisions…oh I forgot, they are backing him also and with the promises Parkinson is making, he will just go along with them.


Hopefully the general public will be able to see that with the establishment and deep pockets that is backing Parkinson, there will be no real change or tough decisions made to turn our Sheriffs dept around.


We will also be the laughing stock of Law Enforcement in California as if Parkinson is elected, SLO county will have the least educated and least qualified Sheriff in the State. Come on people, don’t let this happen.


Vote to Elect Cortez Sheriff so we can gain some control to the chaos of our Law Enforcement in the County and Elect someone who has made those tough decisions. Elect Cortez as he is not part of the good old boys around here, he is not part of the establishment. We do not need more of the same. We need someone with fresh eyes and the education that has led to the experiences he has had in leading Law Enforcement organizations. Elect Cortez our next Sheriff so we can gain some pride back not only in our Sheriff’s Department, but in our county.


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[…] October 7 at 5 p.m. — Sheriff’s candidate forum (Cortez is […]


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If I were running for a local political office and had credibility issues or there was something in my past where I had not conducted myself ethically, the two people that I would be afraid of is Karen Velie and Dave Congalton. I would be afraid that CCN might have been tipped off about a few things and had investigated it. What if Karen told Dave about it before she wrote the article and I went on KVEC and they brought it up??

Do you really think that Karen is going to let somebody “scoop” her on aninvestigation and story?? Of course she might have wrote the story the same day that you were going on the show (if there is a story) you never know and that’s the difference between you and Cortez. Joe doesn’t have to worry about those things.


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Cortez doesn’t have to worry because Karen, (or anyone else), is not investigating, calling in tips or spreading rumors about him…


This all just seems a bit one sided to me, to be a balanced assessment of the two candidates, that’s all.


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“Cortez doesn’t have to worry because Karen, (or anyone else), is not investigating, calling in tips”


Why do you suppose that no one is calling in tips about Cortez? Parkinson camp only wishes that they had something to get on the horn to Velie with. LMAO


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No kidding. The sorts of people guiding Parkinson would have cut Cortez’s jugular by now if they would have been given the chance.


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Crusader, you are projecting…


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In response to the bloggers request below, I will reaffirm my support of Joe Cortez in his efforts to become Sheriff.


My support of Cortez is based on several factors, including personal knowledge concerning integrity and ethical flaws surrounding the other candidate, Ian Parkinson.


People who know me know that I don’t shrink from pointing out dishonesty and unethical behavior involving our government. As a public official I didn’t shrink from blowing the whistle on Kelly Gearhart’s behavior, nor did I condone the unethical behaviors concerning the acquisition of FEMA funds by certain Atascadero city officials.


Months ago, when the Sheriffs race first started, I felt that the public had the right to know that candidate Parkinson had cheated on a promotional test by having his brother (an attorney) intimately involved in preparing responses to essay questions used in evaluating the candidates for Sergeant. Although Parkinson has tried to spin the issue as a matter of “proof reading”, the evidence (including court testimony) makes it abundantly clear that Parkinson skirted the rules.


Parkinson also ascended to the rank of Captain in clear opposition to the former Chief’s directive that San Luis Obispo employees who wanted to promote to rank of Lieutenant and Captain must attain a Bachelor Degree. Although this directive was made in 1989, Parkinson has not acquired a BA or an AA, a prerequisite held by the vast majority of California Sheriffs. It is truly ironic that Parkinson’s own website contains the following language; ”Parkinson believes that education is paramount to the development of strong leadership from within law enforcement ranks.”


Recently reported on the Cal Coast news site is the fact that Parkinson also failed to pay his property taxes, thus resulting in numerous tax liens, which the candidate conveniently blamed on his wife. I would suggest that publically blaming your spouse may be politically expedient, but it is despicable behavior and not a characteristic that I think is appropriate for someone seeking to be Sheriff.


One of the overriding issues in my support of Joe Cortez is his adherence to organizational integrity and discipline. During the period Joe Cortez was a Chief of Police, his departments were not successfully sued. This fact exemplifies effective leadership skills and indicates that his views on ethical behavior trickled down through the chain of command to the line level employees. To those of us who are responsible taxpayers, this point alone speaks volumes.


So the bottom line is this:


If you want effective and honest leadership at the Sheriff’s Office, vote for Joe Cortez.


Mike Brennler


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“…Parkinson also ascended to the rank of Captain in clear opposition to the former Chief’s directive that San Luis Obispo employees who wanted to promote to rank of Lieutenant and Captain must attain a Bachelor Degree. Although this directive was made in 1989…”


Was this part of the actual documented job requirement for the position of lieutenant and/or captain in the SLOPD since 1989? If it was/is, how did Parkinson get around it? And why did he get around it, rather than spend some time in a classroom?


I don’t think a smile and a shoeshine is going to cut in in this election, Mr. Parkinson…


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Thank you for your input.


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Seriously people?


You think Parkinson needs to go on KVEC, on Dave’s show? How many debates did Obama do on Fox News in 2008?


In fact this article shows the anti-Ian bias from Karen. Dave is in lock-step with her…


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An elected official EARNES the respect of his constituents. This is Parkinson’s opportunity to shine and demonstrate why he is the best candidate. Nothing more, nothing less. The article is rather flat with facts. The colorful comments can be read through these blogs by many people who want to make the right decision and help clean up a department destroyed by the current administration. I am sure Parkinson would take point position in a swat team assault of teerorist hide-out but finds this public debate too spooky to even consider. We are looking for character not a character.


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I would hope for a debate on Dave’s show, but with SM Bill as moderator.


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The debate was arranged and to be moderated by King Harris, not Congalton. You need to get a clear grip on the facts Ian before you again misrepresent the facts


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Well I stand corrected…


but why will a radio debate show more about the candidates than the two TV debates?


Seems like a straw man argument to me. (The argument that although Ian is participating in two televised debates, the fact that he turned down the KVEC debate is proof he is hiding something… Wha???)


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“but why will a radio debate show more about the candidates than the two TV debates? Answer; because the radio show will have live, call-in questions for the candidates from listeners that will require “on your feet” thinking to give a coherent response. You can’t fake it when someone asks you a question and is wanting an immediate answer; hem and haw all you want, but you either answer the questions honestly showing your integrity or you duck and weave and show your true character. Ian Parkinson is afraid of being asked tough questions that require a truthful answer, IMO.


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If one wants to work for the City of San Luis Obispo as a professional they had better have at least a 4 year degree — even as an untried new hire. If they want to advance up the ladder they had better complete some graduate work and earn an advanced degree a long the way.


Yet Mr. Parkinson worked his way up the ladder (police officer –>sergeant–>lieutenant–>captain) with no degree at all? How is it that the job specifications for managerial positions within the SLOPD did not require a degree(s)? That seems awfully odd. When were the job specs last updated? Did they ever include an educational requirement?


I also have to wonder why Mr. Parkinson never took advantage of earning a degree at Cal Poly? Police officers have very flexible schedules and I am sure he could have made the necessary arrangements. Could it be that Mr. Parkinson felt it was not important to spend time in a classroom? Maybe it’s because Mr. Parkinson never met Cal Poly’s entrance requirements? This subject deserves some digging…


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I saw this coming after Parkinson didn’t win it all in June. Parkinson has attended 24 forums; there were no debates. He held his own in the forums, as he was programed on what to say. Now the word debate comes forward and Parkinson is on the island all by himself. No brother, no attorney campaign manager, to program his responses. Just him vs Cortez. Parkinson knows the outcome. It’s easy to say you’ve worked all your adult life to be sheriff (doesn’t mention being the SLO County Sheriff), but when the resume doesn’t have a degree, Command College and throw in that little course the FBI gives to managers, one may feel very uncomfortable debating the person who really has worked to become the next sheriff of SLO County. My vote goes to Cortez.


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Now Parkinson lacks the guts to debate Joe Cortez on KVEC? More and more Parkinson looks like an empty suit. I will be voting for Cortez.


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