Sen. Collins staffer is bullshit-angry with me

Wow!

I got spanked hard today by a spokesperson in U.S. Senator Susan Collins’ Washinton, D.C. office.

Let’s just say that Phoebe Keller is no longer a big fan of Randy Seaver or his rag-a-muffin digital publication, the Biddeford Gazette.

Within less than five minutes after posting my exclusive story regarding Collins and the $3.5 million in federal funding that she helped secure for the University of New England, Keller picked up the phone and gave me a piece of her mind.

SEE OFFENDING STORY HERE | Was Senator Collins misled by UNE?

Specifically, Keller was clearly bullshit that I included the following sentence in my story:

Phoebe Keller, a spokesperson for Senator Collins, told the Gazette today that the senator’s office would be unable to provide any “on-the-record” comments regarding this story.

Keller thought my specific use of her words “on the record” were inflammatory and intended to paint a negative connation of Maine’s senior senator.

Two things, in my defense:

Firstly, Keller’s off-the-cuff, poorly-thought-out comment only underscores the main point of the story: Collins’ office has been much less than cooperative in providing public information about the above-referenced federal grant.

Secondly, (and here’s a valuable tip for all PR folks) when talking to a reporter – especially via email – you should be very, very careful about the words you use.

This is the exact language from the email I received from Keller today at 12:02 p.m.  | “We won’t be able to get you an on-record comment but on background would just note that Sen. King also submitted the CDS request and UNE is supportive, would encourage you to contact their president if you haven’t yet. Please let me know if we can be helpful on this moving forward.”

When talking to a reporter – especially via email – you should be very, very careful about the words you use.

I get why Keller is bullshit angry with me.

It’s quite likely that she is going to get her ass chapped later today by a senior staff member in Collin’s office, if not Collins herself.

It’s really not a good look for a U.S. Senator – even the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee — to repeatedly decline comment about a publicly funded grant.

Ms. Keller’s rage continued.

“I have been doing this for a decade,” she reminded me, saying she has never been treated so poorly by a reporter, especially a small-fry hack like yours truly.

Since Ms. Keller felt it necessary to compare dick sizes, I responded:

“Well, I have been doing this for three decades,” noting that her frothy rebuke was one of the more notable exchanges in my 30-year career as a reporter.

Keller left me with this rather dire warning: “It will be difficult for me to provide you with any background information in the future.”

What a blow! How will the Gazette move forward?

The late Neil Sedaka once sang that “breaking up is hard to do.”

Well now I know that it’s true.

Don’t expect to read any more juicy details from Collins in the Biddeford Gazette, a publication that is hyper-focused on the city of Biddeford.

I invited Ms. Keller to share her concerns in a letter to the editor. I won’t hold my breath waiting for that email.

UPDATE: Within 15 minutes of posting this story, I was again contacted by Phoebe Keller, politely asking if she could provide an update to the news story I published earlier today.

“Sen. Collins and Sen. King secured $3.5 million for the University of New England to construct a coastal research deployment facility to be located somewhere in Biddeford,’ Keller wrote.  ”The senators do not determine the specific location of the project, which is set by the grantee in coordination with all relevant local and state authorities.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR | Randy Seaver is a nearly insufferable malcontent living in Biddeford, Maine. He is a veteran journalist and a jazz aficionado. He is also the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette, a non-profit digital media outlet that focuses on the city of Biddeford. Send your praise, angry comments or veiled threats to randy@randyseaver.com

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