Fred Roggin Calls Out City Officials for Dodging Questions and Controlling the Narrative

Fred Roggin isn’t one to accept vague statements as answers, and during his latest segment, he made that crystal clear. After reaching out to a city official for information, he was met with a common response: “Give me your email, we’ll send you a statement.” But to Roggin, statements are nothing more than carefully worded spin.

“When we get statements, I normally pick them apart,” he explained. “Because if you won’t talk to us, either on or off the record, what are you hiding?”

After insisting on a real conversation, Roggin was told he’d get an answer the next day. But with the show airing that night, he needed it sooner. The response he finally received at 10:46 a.m.? A statement.

The moment that stood out the most was the city official’s reasoning: “We don’t wait for the media all day.” To Roggin, this summed up the lack of urgency and accountability in local government. Without a strong watchdog presence, he argued, officials can operate unchecked, making decisions without transparency.

Community members have taken notice, with social media lighting up in response to Roggin’s reporting. Viewers voiced their frustration with a system that allows issues to be swept under the rug until they explode into full-blown scandals.

Panelists Jill Marie Plaza and Brad Ward joined the discussion, emphasizing that accountability is a shared responsibility. “We kind of did this to ourselves by putting people in office who weren’t handling our money right,” Plaza admitted. “By not doing our homework when elections roll around, by ignoring problems and thinking, ‘Oh, that’s not real.’”

Ward added that evading responsibility is human nature, but leadership requires stepping up when mistakes are made. “When the buck stops with you, it stops with you,” he said.

The conversation highlighted a crucial issue: without public pressure and media scrutiny, those in power have little incentive to change. Roggin’s message was clear—officials work for the people, and it’s up to the people to hold them accountable.

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