Kate Stewart's Abuse of Power: A Year of Press Exclusion Ends, But the Damage to Democracy Lingers
"You won!"
That's how a political scientist reacted upon learning that new Montgomery County Council President Natali Fani-González had invited The Montgonion to attend her first press conference. For the past year, under former President Kate Stewart, we had been deliberately excluded from council media events through a clear abuse of power rooted in personal vendetta. The ban’s reversal exposes how Stewart wielded her authority to silence critical voices, prioritizing her ego over democratic principles and press freedoms.
That’s a win, for sure.
The press event exclusion started as a personal attack. Stewart made it clear that my pointed social media critiques were the trigger, leading her to deny access and withdraw an interview invitation. No public official should have the unchecked power to bar media based on dislike for their coverage, yet Stewart did exactly that, abusing her position to enforce viewpoint discrimination.
When I pushed back, expecting county staff and legal counsel to uphold impartiality, Stewart's administration doubled down. Council attorney Christine Wellons cited arbitrary and dubious criteria for our exclusion. Even after The Montgonion made unwarranted adjustments to comply, the rejections persisted, with Wellons resorting to far-fetched analogies that defied logic. She even compared my ownership of The Montgonion and Headlight Restoration Montgomery to Jeff Bezo’s ownership of The Washington Post and Amazon. This wasn't policy enforcement; it was Stewart's abuse of power manifesting through her team's far-fetched and contrived justifications.
I escalated by challenging the Council's Media Policies themselves, pointing out their reliance on obsolete guidelines that explicitly warn against infringing on First Amendment rights. Yet Stewart's office stonewalled: Requests for details on the policies' creation and rationale were ignored, even after a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request. That denial remains under Ombudsman review, but the pattern is clear. Stewart abused her authority to evade accountability.
Complaints to the Office of Inspector General were shuffled to the County Executive's administration, which mirrors Stewart's restrictive stance and has stonewalled responses. These avenues led nowhere. The County Executive’s office is completely non-responsive to the OIG referral. And OIG is equally silent about their non-responsiveness.
Blocked bureaucratically, I launched a relentless public campaign: editorials, social media blasts, satirical takedowns, videos, and memes exposing Stewart's hypocrisy. The intent was to spotlight how her abuse of power undermined press freedoms, allowing officials to cherry-pick favorable coverage.
The Montgonion’s social media blitz included a Kate Stewart-based parody of the Sex Pistol’s song God Save the Queen and album artwork. Click image to view video.
Private discussions with council members over the summer confirmed the worst: While sympathetic, they admitted Stewart's decisions were untouchable, her presidential power absolute in this realm. This unchecked authority enabled her year-long campaign against The Montgonion.
Councilmember Natali Fani-González stood out in those talks, pledging that under her leadership, such exclusions wouldn't stand. She delivered: Her office's invitation to her inaugural media event swiftly dismantled Stewart's barriers.
Fani-González's principled action not only rights a wrong but lays bare Stewart's exclusions as an abuse of power that was personal, punitive, and detached from any legitimate policy. Stewart's tenure as president will be remembered for this stain on transparency.
In the end, Stewart's abuse of power didn't just target The Montgonion; it eroded trust in Montgomery County's government for all residents. When leaders like her suppress scrutiny to shield themselves, democracy suffers. We commend President Fani-González for charting a better course and urge ongoing reforms to prevent such abuses in the future.
The Montgonion remains committed to holding power accountable through reporting, analysis, and satire, regardless of who finds it uncomfortable.
