Is Chronicle discriminating against town of Woodside? Is Chronicle discriminating against town of Woodside? (February 18, 2004)

By Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writer

Woodside officials were incensed when they heard that a subscription to the San Francisco Chronicle costs twice as much in Woodside as it does anywhere else. Mayor Paul Goeld said at the February 10 Town Council meeting that he followed up on neighbors' questions and complaints with an e-mail questioning the higher rates to Jerry Hill, the Chronicle's vice president of circulation.

Mr. Goeld categorized the response he got as, "he couldn't give a crap."

Although Councilwoman Deborah Gordon's solution brought laughter -- she said her family canceled its subscription two years ago, and despite all efforts to get it stopped, is still receiving the paper -- Councilman Joe Putnam had the last word.

"Let me handle it," he said in a down-to-business, vaguely Godfather-ish tone of voice.

Despite Mr. Putnam's clout with the paper -- he owns auto dealerships up and down the Peninsula that advertise heavily in the Chronicle -- it's out of the newspaper's hands, apparently.

The Chronicle's Mr. Hill, who objected strenuously to Mr. Goeld's assessment of his e-mail, said the Chronicle is delivered in Woodside by an independent contractor who buys the paper and sets his own rates.

"Yes, we care, but these are independents, and we can't control their prices," he said.

Mr. Hill said the Woodside distributor has a lock on the Chronicle's delivery to the area, which he's been doing for the past 25 years or so. "If we had a new contractor (for Woodside), would he be charging more? No. But he's grandfathered," he said.

The delivery contractor couldn't be reached by the Almanac's deadline.

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