‘Condo’--Part II: A Question of Fairness

“Mr. Harris, if this is all you have to write about,” writes Virginia DeBroux of Chatsworth, “perhaps you should go look for other work.”

Her neighbor, Beverly J. Weiss, adds: “I am not given to writing letters to newspapers, however, your column of Thursday, Jan. 18, 1996, raised my hackles, got my goat, put a burr under my saddle. In other words, made me furious.”

And another neighbor, Doris E. Shettlroe, got to the point: “Shame on you!”

Yes, shame on me. Shame, shame, shame. I’ve been a bad, bad columnist, though I swear I never touched Beverly Weiss’ goat or her saddle. Yet another neighbor of theirs, Greg Hughes, accuses me of being “flippant,” if you can imagine. And a fifth neighbor, Charles B. Downer, says that I owe Mr. John Fochtman, the president of the Rockpointe Homeowners Assn., a public apology.

He’s right. I do owe Mr. Fochtman an apology. So here goes:

I’m sorry, Mr. Fochtman.

I am sorry I misspelled your name.

Now, I’m not going to pretend that the absent t was the only mistake in my column concerning the possibilities of the massive 739-unit Rockpointe condominium complex serving as the inspiration for a major motion picture. It wasn’t. So before this remorseful mood passes, allow me to apologize also to Susan (not Sandra) Kamin, the disgruntled Rockpointe resident who first suggested I write about her colorful condo complex. (The day I wrote about Rockpointe I also happened to interview a woman named Sandra. My typing fingers must have gotten confused.)

Suffice to say that some Rockpointe residents weren’t happy with my treatment of their complex or their elected leader. They don’t seem to appreciate my suggestion that Kamin’s nagging suspicions over how Rockpointe’s $27-million earthquake settlement was spent could serve as the premise for a major motion picture. “Condo” would be a sexy suspense thriller.

Truth is, it wasn’t just Kamin’s questions that had me thinking about big-screen possibilities. It was also the telephone chat with John Fochtman. And it was Fochtman’s Nixonian stonewalling that left me thinking that “Condo” should be directed by Oliver Stone.

Fochtman’s defenders suggest that I was unfair. Well, let’s consider the question of fairness.

Was it unfair of me to ask: “How much was the insurance settlement?”

Or was it unfair of Fochtman to answer: “I’m not going to tell you. The final settlement is a matter of public record if you want to do the research.” (Silly me. I thought speaking to Rockpointe’s president was a way of doing research.)

Was it unfair of me to then respond: “If it’s public record, why won’t you just tell me?”

Or was it unfair of Fochtman to answer: “Because I choose not to.”

And later, after Fochtman volunteered that an audit would “account for every nickel and every dime of these funds,” was it unfair of me to ask for the name of the company performing the audit?

Or was it unfair of Fochtman to say, “That’s none of your business, period.” So there. I humbly submit my questions were perfectly reasonable, and I further submit that anyone who thinks Mr. Fochtman’s answers are perfectly reasonable is, at least temporarily, a Bozo.

True, the Rockpointe Homeowners Assn. is a private group, but it’s still true that its elected representative willfully withheld public information. His 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech certainly allowed him to do so. Unlike a public employee, he was under no legal obligation to divulge the information I sought. I wonder how Rockpointe residents would feel if another of their elected representatives--say, a city council member or state legislator--withheld public information?

Fochtman was certainly free to choose not to answer my questions. And I was free to write about it. Seems fair.

Still, I do regret neglecting to ask for the correct spelling of Fochtman. Then again, I have no reason to think he would have divulged such private information.

Not all Rockpointe dwellers were outraged with my column. Guy H. Raner offered a more measured response:

“First, I enjoyed your column. . . . And you hit the nail on the head when you suggested John Fochtman as the heavy in the movie. Like most of us, I suppose, John presents many faces to the public, but none of them can be described as jolly and joking. He acts and looks the part of a heavy. And since the big quake . . . his glum expressions have regularly become more glum.

“But please allow me to give the man some credit. He had reason to be sour most of the time; he was elected president . . . only a few weeks before the great quake. Even during the best of times, that is a bad position to be in. . . . It is like being on the city council of a small city, except you get no salary for a job so loaded with legal oversight and responsibilities, which include establishing the budget, hiring and overseeing around 30 employees. . . . “

And so on, the point being that it’s a massive migraine of a job and most Rockpointers are grateful that Fochtman is doing it. Charles Downer declared: “John Fochtman may not be best known for his public relations skills. But he is a proven, selfless, honest leader.” So, they ask me, why not cut the poor guy some slack?

All told, I heard from about 10 Fochtman defenders and three critics. And my hopes for “Condo,” the movie, were buoyed by an anonymous, cryptic fax:

“Loved the article on Rockpointe. It is probably more dramatic in reality than you know. . . . Fired employees that know where the bodies are buried. . . . The story could be a long miniseries.”

An ex-employee, perhaps? Whatever. Dead bodies are essential to a thriller. And a “Deep Throat” doesn’t hurt. Who could it be? What if, as a final plot twist, that gruff old condo prez was revealed to be a hero after all!

Let me just leave those excitable Rockpointe residents with a little advice for when “Condo” arrives at a theater near you.

Keep telling yourself: “It’s only a movie. It’s only a movie. It’s only a movie. . .”

Scott Harris’ column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Readers may write to Harris at the Times Valley Edition, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Please include a phone number.

I wonder how Rockpointe residents would feel if another of their elected representatives--say, a city council member--withheld public information?