I had the privilege of producing for him for a short time, at WJNO in West Palm Beach, around 1989. He was and remains a gentleman, and he always treated his callers with dignity, maintaining a moderate position on the issues of the day, always open to differing opinions.
He earned my respect, as well as countless other listeners from West Palm Breach to Hartford, CT, to Jacksonville, and more cities I don't even know about.
His gentlemanly manner and authoritative voice make him a perfect spokesperson for the JTA.
Except, unless something has changed recently, he is not the JTA spokesperson now. He is in some sort of special projects position - bus shelter ads and such. And probably does some political stuff, because he does have good connections.
Mike is absolutely a gentleman, and no doubt was a fine host on radio. Fate landed him at JTA, in a position as a spokesperson for a subject which eluded him. Mike is brilliant, and found another way to funnel his talents into a job at JTA, which no doubt was good for longevity. While he was spokesperson, he made some really funny statements, based on the facts that JTA supplied him with and a general background in anything but mass transit. I always felt like they were feeding him to the lions and as the Alpha Male Lion of the resident Pride, I've had my share of guilt for devouring messenger. Hopefully Mike holds no grudges and he is able to laugh at some of the great lines we both probably took away from our encounters in various public forums. Mike never deserved the scorn, it should have fallen dead on the shoulders of JTA as an agency of the State of Florida.
Unless he tells me otherwise, I'll consider Mike a friend.
Well said, Ock.