Comments about ‘W.V. mayor's lack of remorse is big problem’

Lee,
I appreciate your point of view, but disagree that I lack remorse. I feel very bad about what I did and have continuously apologized for using a false identity to write news stories. I have also tried to explain what I was thinking at the time and why I did what I did. But that does not mean I do not regret doing it or am not remorseful. And by the way, I never created a false Facebook account. That was erroneously mentioned in one of the early news reports and has continued to circulate falsely.

@ Lee: Most of Mike Winder's spin on this debacle was glib and flip. On quoting himself, he quipped, "I was an easy source!"

I don't find that funny at all. It's kind of sick, actually, as if he expected people to just dismiss his extreme and scheming dishonesty as some juvenile prank.

And then he followed it by lamely comparing himself to Ben Franklin as a justification. The spin just never stops, even if it's under his own name!

Many West Valley residents are quiet and kind people, so that probably explains why they aren't storming city hall demanding Winder's resignation. But they'll remember this incident and opt for a leader they can really trust next time around.

@Mike Winder (if that really is you posting and not your sister or someone), don't underestimate public disgust with your actions. West Valley citizens I've talked to and who know you in one capacity or another are embarrassed by your unique way of putting West Valley on the map. WVC has real quality of life issues that you have whitewashed in an attempt to bolster your own political aspirations. The city deserves a mayor who is more concerned about substance and integrity than spin and image.

I cannot agree with Benson enough. Lee, you nailed it. Mr. Winder's actions were deplorable on every level, but all I have read from him is flippant minimization of what he did. Even the comment above sounds more like political posturing than true contrition.

Mr Winder, you have severely violated the public trust in a way that makes you no longer qualified or worthy to hold a public office for which a higher standard of behavior must be expected.

If you are truly remorseful, resign your office. You are no longer fit to serve in that sacred public office.

Lee, you can count me as one who is outraged. The ends do not justify the means. Mayor Winder lied. He committed fraud. He or his supporters may truck out the old chestnut, "No one was really harmed. What's the big deal?" IMO, there are not degrees of dishonesty; a person is either honest or not. Mayor Winder has proven that he is not. I have seen his name bandied about as a possible candidate for Salt Lake County mayor. I personally cannot vote in that election. But far from being elected to another office of trust Winder should seriously consider resigning from the one he has.

professional smoke and mirrors, a classic means to achieve unusual results.

better applied to foreign affairs among those of the same ethical demeanor.

counties without borders, either fixed or imaginary, will never reach fully the healthy level of a true and open democracy.

Mr Benson, are you the kettle or the pot? I am sure there are many skeletons in the DNews closet. In fairness, why not write about one of them next. The young man has been drug around enough. I agree that he was wrong in what he did. But frankly the media coverage outside of downtown Salt Lake is terrible unless it involes a gun or a ball.

Enough trashing. Move on.

Don't forget the civil lawsuit wherein he is being sued for defamation. Isn't that how this whole Burwash thing came to light? That situation is possibly the most insidious. He allegedly used the Burwash cover to put the West Valley supported Utopia in good light with respect to a terminated Utopia employee.

Mr. Benson, your vitriol seems a bit over the top. Mayor Winder has apologized several times in multiple forums. His city council has censured him. Could some of your apparent anger come from the fact that the Deseret News has come under a bit under attack?

Lee, It is a big deal if a journalist does this. It is NOT a big deal if anyone else does this. Just because Mike Winder is a Mayor, does not elevate this to the level of offense that journalists would suffer if they did so. It is the fault of the Des News for not vetting their citizen journalist. How do you know he does not have remorse? I never read his articles but I heard they were worth reading. Perhaps if the Des News had written about the things Burwash felt should be published about his city, he wouldn't have felt it necessary to write the articles himself. The fault in all of this lies with the newspaper to begin with. Remorse is not necessary.

Isn't this a case of the pot calling the kettle black? Journalism does not exist in America anymore. Even Benson's article is an opinion piece and is his attempt at swaying the public's views. How dare the mayor do what "journalists" do....spin the news!

Is it wrong?
Absolutely its wrong, but the crime here is not false reporting. The crime is assuming that a mere mortal should ever think he is qualified to address the people via the press.

Mr. Benson, it appears that "thou doest protest too much."

Mayor Winder wanted publicity and that is what he is getting. The problem is that it is bad publicity and the entire city must share that with the mayor.

I am not surprised that West Valley council failed to do a real reprimand on Winder for his 'indiscretion'. This council can be easily led and influenced and they were once again. They would not go against one of their own even if they knew it was right.

New people are elected that hopefully will be independent thinkers with strong principles and they seem to fall in line only to again support some new idea that resembles creating a world-class image but ends up costing the taxpayers dearly.

Is it any wonder that West Valley has such a low turnout at election time? Most people don't see their vote as meaning anything much like their opinions in public hearings.

It appears that Benson had it right.

Maybe the Deseret News should just report the news. If there were reporters going to more public meetings, there would be coverage. It seems that your paper solicits citizens to write about events you don't cover. Hurray for Mike Winder. I would be happy to submit stories from any city. I would try to check for accuracy and rewrite it in my words. But I would be happy to perform a public service which is what I feel Mr Winder attempted to do.

The reality of it is that most news media put a biased twist on their stories. So it only makes sense that Mike Winder is just as human.

A day late and a dollar short. I respect you Lee for many reasons but you are giving fodder to Mayor Winders original justification that you beat to death the same old stories and stay within a very narrow scope of reporting by dragging him through it one more time. What he did was wrong but... when do you stop treating one wrong as an equal with another. And did you contact Winder in doing your story? And again justify what he claimed. One wrong does not justify another but the public does not get heard or the same coverage that the media people do.
By the way I have stopped using my alias as often as I can. Many on here who are condeming him ought to also.

Mr. Benson is right on target. He said it well.

Unfortunately, Mayor Winder is not an honest man. He has proven that he cannot be trusted. This is not an issue of how much pain Mayor Winder should suffer for the wrongs he commited. It is rather, a concern that a person who is dishonest, and cannot be trusted, should not ever hold a public office. Mayor Winder should step down from office.

Thank you Lee for writing this article. My sentiments exactly. I could not add anything else except for wait until he runs (I hope he does not) for Mayor of Salt Lake County. I think that there is a lot of low lying displeasure and anger at what he did throughout the county. He will pay for it. As some of the judges in criminal cases say "You are sorry that you got caught." Mike said himself that he stopped when he realized that the DN does not accept that type of journalism. That's all? I am outraged and can't wait to get to the polls if he runs. I have a ton of people behind me being a community actvist, that believe in being true and honest. They are not fooled, Mr Winder, you are. If I was the tennis player in CA or his family, I would be outraged and press any charges that are available. By the way, Mr. Winder,if you write any more articles or books, you better be deceiving again because I will not read them nor will I sit back and let others without letting the know. Do us a favor, get lost!

"He said he thought the good things about WVC were being overshadowed by all the stories about crime.
So he went out and committed another one."

Exactly what CRIME did he commit? Or is it OK for this journalist to accuse someone of committing a crime because he believes what Winder did was wrong?

Just a bit of an overreaction by Lee. There is nothing criminal about it. If it was good enough for Ben Franklin, it's good enough for Mayor Winder.

I can only say this, D-News went with Deseret Connect and "citizen" journalism to probably save a buck. Well, it opens the door for anyone to be a "journalist." This perhaps is a good thing but also a double edge sword as well.

Who in their right mind would want to impersonate a journalist? That would be like wanting to impersonate a used car salesman. Whatever Mr. Winder has done, being considered part of the news media, even for such a short time, is probably the biggest punishment to his character of all.

How many of us blogers write under a pen name? I guess we are all dishonest too.