opinion :: Editorial
WrIte us
Stephen M. Mindich, Publisher & Chairman Everett Finkelstein, Chief Operating Officer Carly Carioli, Editor in Chief Peter Kadzis, Editor at Large
EDITORIAL
managing EDiTORs Shaula Clark,
Jacqueline Houton
aRTs EDiTOR Jon Garelick FiLm EDiTOR Peter Keough music EDiTOR Michael Marotta sTaFF EDiTORs Thomas McBee, SI Rosenbaum sTaFF WRiTERs David S. Bernstein, Chris Faraone EvEnTs EDiTOR Alexandra Cavallo LisTings cOORDinaTOR Michael C. Walsh EDiTORiaL assisTanT Liz Pelly cOnTRiBuTing EDiTORs Carolyn Clay [theater], Lloyd
Schwartz [classical] , Louisa Kasdon [food] cOnTRiBuTing WRiTERs Matt Bors, Daniel Brockman, Lauryn Joseph, Scott Kearnan, Dan Kennedy, Mitch Krpata, MC Slim JB, Tom Meek, Brett Michel, Robert Nadeau, Luke O’Neil, James Parker, Gerald Peary, Ariel Shearer, Marcia B. Siegel, Harvey Silverglate, Karl Stevens, David Thorpe, Eugenia Williamson
NEW MEDIA
sEniOR WEB pRODucER Maddy Myers WEB pRODucER Cassandra Landry sOciaL mEDia pRODucER Ariel Shearer
MARkETINg/pROMOTIONs
DiREcTOR OF maRkETing anD pROmOTiOns
Brian Appel
inTERacTivE maRkETing managER
Lindsey Mathison
pROmOTiOns cOORDinaTOR Nicholas Gemelli
CREATIvE gROup
DiREcTOR OF cREaTivE OpERaTiOns Travis Ritch cREaTivE DiREcTOR Kristen Goodfriend aRT DiREcTOR Kevin Banks phOTO EDiTOR Janice Checchio aDvERTising aRT managER Angelina Berardi sEniOR DEsignER Janet Smith Taylor EDiTORiaL DEsignER Christina Briggs WEB DEsignER Braden Chang FREELancE DEsignER Daniel Callahan
ADvERTIsINg sALEs
sEniOR vicE pREsiDEnT A. William Risteen vicE pREsiDEnT OF saLEs anD BusinEss DEvELOpmEnT
David Garland
DiREcTOR OF BEvERagE saLEs Sean Weymouth sEniOR accOunT ExEcuTivEs OF inTEgRaTED mEDia saLEs Margo Dowlearn Flint, Howard Temkin aDvERTising OpERaTiOns managER Kevin Lawrence inTEgRaTED mEDia saLEs cOORDinaTOR
Adam Oppenheimer
gEnERaL saLEs managER Brian Russell DiREcTOR OF Dining saLEs Luba Gorelik TRaFFic cOORDinaTORs Colleen McCarthy,
Jonathan Caruso
cLassiFiED saLEs managER Matt King RETaiL accOunT ExEcuTivEs Nathaniel Andrews,
Sara Berthiaume, Serpil Dinler, Christopher Gibbs, Daniel Tugender, Chelsea Whitton
CIRCuLATION
ciRcuLaTiOn DiREcTOR James Dorgan ciRcuLaTiOn managER Michael Johnson
OpERATIONs
iT DiREcTOR Bill Ovoian FaciLiTiEs managER John Nunziato
FINANCE
DiREcTOR OF FinancE Scotty Cole cORpORaTE cREDiT managER Michael Tosi sTaFF accOunTanTs Brian Ambrozavitch ,
Peter Lehar
FinanciaL anaLysT Lisy Huerta-Bonilla TRaDE BusinEss DEvELOpmEnT managER
Rachael Mindich
HuMAN REsOuRCEs
REcEpTiOnisT/aDminisTRaTivE assisTanT
Lindy Raso
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8 10.05.12 :: THE PHOENIX.cOm
Silber, remembered Phoenix publisher stephen Mindich, who received his BA and MA from Boston University and was later named “a Double Distinguished Alumnus,” met BU President John Silber shortly after Silber arrived in Boston. Below is a sketch by Mindich of his relationship with Silber, who died last week at the age of 86.
“I disagree with nearly everything your father publishes about me in that newspaper of his, but none the less, I hold him in high regard because he has more integrity than any other publisher in Boston.” So, to my delight, spoke John Silber to my then highschool-senior son Brad at a 1986 cocktail party held as a prelude to an Israel Bond dinner at which I was to be the honoree. Silber, a big supporter of Israel, had directed that Boston University invest vigorously in Israeli bonds. As a surprise, he came to the party to congratulate me. After that meeting, Silber took a personal interest in Brad’s college choices — none of which were BU. Silber invited Brad to spend an hour with him and convinced Brad that BU should be his college of choice. It was a decision that pleased each of us — for different reasons. Over time, I got to know Silber through a number of not-always-agreeable encounters. And while I — and the Phoenix — were extremely critical of his many aggressively reactionary measures, especially toward student and faculty progressives, I developed a personal liking for the man and a deep respect for his demandingly high standards. Under Silber’s leadership, BU became academically distinguished, financially stable, and promoted a philosophy of personal responsibility and achievement. It was, ironically, that notion of personal responsibility that came into play between us just days before Silber officially announced his bid to become governor of Massachusetts. Silber invited me to breakfast with him at his home.
Email :: lEttErs@ph x.com mail:: lEtt Ers; 126 Brookl in avE, Boston E ma 02215
No political aides, it was just the two of us. I was there, Silber explained in his intensely direct way, because he wanted my support. I belived that I could easily dodge the request by telling him what it turned out (not surprisingly) he already knew — that I made no political contributions. Silber was quickly dismissive: “I don’t want your money, Stephen; I want your support in the Phoenix.” With nowhere to go, I said to Silber, using the same bold, unflinching manner as he, “John, with all due respect, I don’t think you would make a good governor.” Seeing no other reaction than his eyes widening, I continued, “A governor must be a consensus builder, and despite all your brilliance, building consensus is not one of your strengths.” The meeting ended shortly. Silber thanked me for coming and asked that I keep an open mind. I said would. But as I left I wondered: if Silber were to win the primary against Attorney General Frank Bellotti — whom the Phoenix did endorse — would Silber’s uncontrollable temper eventually get the better of him? And so it came to pass. In an interview the week before the election, John Silber exploded at Natalie Jacobson, then Boston’s most beloved and gentle anchorwoman, because she innocently asked him to cite his greatest strength and weakness. Flying off the handle, Silber snapped, “You find a weakness. I don’t have to go around telling you what’s wrong with me.” In that instant, it was over. Silber, who before his explosion lead by a large margin, lost to Bill Weld, whom the Phoenix had endorsed. In the years that followed, I mused about what it might have been if the governorship had been appointed. Silber would certainly have pissed of the legislature, his cabinet, and much of the electorate. But could Silber replicate on Beacon Hill the great things he achieved from his virtually anointed position as BU’s monarch? Impossible to say. But there is no doubt that BU and Boston are better for Silber’s efforts — and so am I and my son. P
While I — and the Phoenix — were extremely critical of Silber’s reactionary measures, I developed a deep respect for his demandingly high standards.
IlluSTRATIoN By RogER joNES
vol. lXXvIII :: no. 37