Editing Jeff Bergosh

{{Infobox Biography
| subject_name   =Jeff Bergosh
| image_name     =JeffBergosh.jpg
| image_size     =200px
| image_caption  =
| date_of_birth  =
| place_of_birth =
| date_of_death  =
| place_of_death =
| occupation     =[[Escambia County School Board|School Board]] Member<br/>Escambia County [[Escambia County School Board District 1|District 1]]
| religion       =
| spouse         =Sally Bergosh
| parents        =
| children       =Tori, Nicholas, Brandon
}}
'''Jeff Bergosh''' is currently the Escambia County Commissioner for District 1.  He has served on the Escambia Board of County Commissioners since his election to this board in November of 2016, where he defeated his Democratic opponent in that election by a margin of 69% to 31%. He served as Vice-Chairman of the Board during his first year on the board, and as Chairman of the Board from 2018-2019.  During his time on the Board of County Commissioners, he has focused on Economic Development and Job creation as well as managing growth in his community in a more intelligent fashion.  He created the first Escambia Youth Commission in 2019, and he has made it a priority to engage the public via monthly coffee meetings as well as frequent town hall meetings.  Bergosh is currently a candidate for the Escambia Board of County Commissioner District 1 seat for the 2020 election, where he has two opponents in his race.  Prior to his time on the Board of County Commissioners, he was the [[Escambia County School Board]] representative for [[Escambia County School Board District 1|District 1]]. He was elected in [[2006]], filling the seat vacated by his brother [[Gary Bergosh]], who won a [[Circuit Court]] judgeship in the same election.  He was re-elected to the School Board in 2010, defeating two opponents (Luke Keller and Hosea Pittman) in the primary election where Bergosh captured 66% of the vote.  Bergosh was elected unopposed in 2014 to the school board.

He came under fire in [[2007]] for posting controversial comments on the [[pnj.com]] message boards under the [[Wikipedia:Pseudonym|pseudonym]] '''Godzilla'''. His identity was revealed against his wishes in a ''[[Pensacola News Journal|News Journal]]'' story, which cited the website's registration database as proof, sparking discussions of both political and journalistic ethics.

Bergosh and his wife Sally have three children: Tori, Nicholas and Brandon.

==Education & career==
Bergosh is a 1986 graduate of [[Pensacola High School]]. After high school, he moved out west to attend college, earning an Associates of Arts degree from Grossmont College  (El Cajon, California) in 1990 and a B.A. from San Diego State University in 1994.  Bergosh has earned a Master of Science in Administration from the University of West Florida.  Before entering politics, Bergosh had a ten-year career as a retail business operator and facilities management specialist, including about 1 1/2 years working at [[Naval Air Station Pensacola]].<ref name="lookingout">"District 1 candidates looking out for students." ''Pensacola News Journal'', August 18, 2006.</ref> When his brother decided not to seek reelection, Bergosh said he was asked by [[Escambia County Superintendent|Superintendent]] [[Jim Paul]] to seek the office.<ref name="lookingout"/> He was elected on [[September 5]], [[2006]] with 5,110 votes — about twice as many as his closest rival, [[Todd Leonard]].<ref>"Escambia County School Board." ''Pensacola News Journal'', September 6, 2006.</ref>

=="Godzilla" controversy==
On [[October 4]], [[2007]], the ''[[Pensacola News Journal]]'' published an article by reporter [[Sara Rabb]] that revealed Bergosh had been posting comments on the [[pnj.com]] forums under the pseudonym "[[Wikipedia:Godzilla|Godzilla]]." Rabb purportedly noticed that "Godzilla's" posts were similar to the views expressed by Bergosh at School Board meetings, and she was able to confirm with the website's administrator that Bergosh's personal email address had indeed been used to register the account.  Rabb requested an interview with Bergosh on [[October 2]], [[2007]], to discuss teacher salaries and merit pay.  At the interview, Rabb confronted Bergosh with her findings and indicated that the ''News Journal'' wanted to run a story on the pseudonym.  Bergosh admitted he was Godzilla during the interview, but then issued an official statement "unequivocally denying" the alter-ego.<ref name="whois">"Who is schools' 'Godzilla?'" ''Pensacola News Journal'', October 4, 2007.</ref> He has claimed this initial admission was made to Rabb "[[Wikipedia:Journalism sourcing#Using confidential information|off the record]]."<ref>[http://www.inweekly.net/article.asp?artID=5842 Bergosh Is Godzilla], ''Independent News'', October 11, 2007.</ref> Bergosh officially confirmed the online identity during an [[October 8]] "[[IN Your Head Radio]]" interview on [[AM 1620]].<ref>[http://ricksblog.biz/?p=2490 Bergosh=Godzilla]</ref>

Bergosh was criticized in subsequent ''News Journal'' editorials for a number of the comments he made as Godzilla, which included:
*a claim that schools in the lower-income [[Escambia County District 3|District 3]] were a statistical "drag" on the district's performance. 
*a suggestion that governments should "do away with compulsory education beyond grade 8. … Build more prisons and get ready for the influx, but let's keep school a positive environment for students who WANT to come to school!!"<ref name="whois"/>
*criticism of teachers' unions for "roadblocking districts every step of the way" in a debate over teacher merit pay. In the same debate, Bergosh (as Godzilla) complimented himself in the [[Wikipedia:Third-person narrative|third person]]: "I know we can count on Board member Bergosh to be there and vote to keep the bonus money here in Pensacola. I know he is not going to genuflect, bow down and kiss the union ring, and give the union what they want."<ref name="whois"/> When the School Board voted 4-1 against the existing merit pay plan, Godzilla said he could hear their "spines breaking in unison."<ref name="outing">[http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/outing_godzilla.php Outing Godzilla: An Internet crack in the Chinese wall.] ''Columbia Journalism Review'', October 16, 2007.</ref>

===Reaction & aftermath===
Bergosh accused the ''News Journal'' of "outing" his identity on what he had believed was a safe outlet for anonymous opinion: "When the ''Pensacola News Journal'' created an anonymous forum, encouraging the use of pseudonyms, as to let people take down their guards and speaking in a frank manner regarding political ideas and thoughts, I jumped at the opportunity."<ref name="statement">[http://ricksblog.biz/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/jeff-bergosh.pdf Statement by Bergosh regarding Godzilla]</ref> The publication pointed out that their website's current terms of use reserved "the right to identify you as the author of any of your postings or submissions by name, email address or screen name, as we deem appropriate,"<ref>[http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=TERMS  pnj.com Terms of Use]</ref> although this policy may have been altered since Bergosh initially registered.{{fact}} Bergosh asserted that he "never divulged any 'in-house' secrets or committed ANY crime" and that the left-leaning newspaper had engaged in "[[Wikipedia:yellow journalism|yellow journalism]]" as retribution for his conservative opinions, prompting him to "fight for my right to freedom of speech."<ref name="statement"/>

[[Image:BergoshPNJCartoon.jpg|thumb|right|[[Andy Marlette]]'s cartoon & winning caption]]
[[Image:BergoshSchneiderCartoon.jpg|thumb|right|Bergosh's cartoon response]]
The ''News Journal'''s decision to share details of their website registration database with the editorial staff was criticized by many members of the [[pnj.com]] forums and by other publications. According to the [[UWF]] ''[[Voyager]]'', "A bias was inherent in that story — the bias to sell more newspapers."<ref>[http://media.www.thevoyager.net/media/storage/paper977/news/2007/10/11/Opinion/Newspapers.Should.Report.Not.Exploit-3035316.shtml "Newspapers should report, not exploit."] ''The Voyager'', October 11, 2007.</ref> The online editor for the ''[[Northwest Florida Daily News]]'' decried the exposé as "bush league."<ref>[http://www.nwfdailynews.com/blog/post/theOnlineEditor/746/Comments-and-Anonymity Comments and Anonymity], October 9, 2007.</ref>

Hostilities continued when the ''News Journal'' held a contest asking readers to submit captions for a cartoon of Bergosh wearing a Godzilla costume. (The winning caption said, "All the School Board costumes were taken!"<ref>[http://pnj.com/graphics/opinion/cartoon_101407_winner.jpg Final cartoon]</ref>) Bergosh countered by offering alternate captions critical of the newspaper's online policy (for example, "Deception <u>is</u> at the core of '<u>anonymous</u>' blogs!!"<ref>[http://jeffbergosh.net/cartoons.html Bergosh's parody cartoons]</ref>) and drawing a caricature of editor [[Dick Schneider]]:
<blockquote>These PNJ guys have had me on the front page twice, 4 editorials, and the “cartoon” has been up for 2 weeks!! These guys have given me more coverage this last month than Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or their #1 hero, Al Gore, inventor of the internet and recent Nobel Peace Prize winner!!  What a strange October this has been!! … So I put together my own little “cartoon contest”— knowing I have nowhere near the resources, time, nor the “need” to create news at the level of the PNJ.  But, this is still rather humorous, in my opinion.  I asked around town, at the [[Waterfront Rescue Mission]], at [[UWF]], At Happy Hour, and at my [[Mensa]] club meeting-- and came up with quite a few ideas for the caption, with the one in the final cartoon being deemed “the winner.”<ref name="website">[http://jeffbergosh.net/ JeffBergosh.net]</ref></blockquote>
His cartoon depicted Schneider outside a "House of Voodoo" sticking pins into a Godzilla doll and yelling, "MOMMY!! Your <u>dumb</u> idea is <u>not</u> WORKING!!"

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Escambia County School Board members|Bergosh, Jeff]] [[Category:Pensacola High School graduates|Bergosh, Jeff]]