Seen a Rogue on the loose? Get in touch with our Roguemeister: JOHN SCHRAG jschrag@wweek.com (503) 243-2122 FAX: (503) 243-1115 We don't usually condone taking hostages, but in this case, we applaud Lisa Hay's actions. Until April 20, Hay was editor of Portland's Seen. The glossy fashion magazine is supposed to come out monthly, but there will be no May issue. That's because Hay took all the articles home with her after she and the rest of Seen's staff got stiffed for the third month in a row. David Bentley Small, publisher of the six-month-old magazine, admits he hasn't paid writers, editors or production staff. "I got a little overleveraged," he told WW. Small's inability to meet payroll was one thing; it was quite another when his Webmaster, Franciscus (Dylan) Rosario, suggested that writers shouldn't even expect payment. That sentiment was expressed after copy editor Dawn Cowan wrote a businesslike e-mail to Small on April 30 requesting four months of back wages owed her. Rosario intercepted the e-mail and replied dismissively. "Several writers from acclaimed Northwest publications (such as The Oregonian and The Rocket) are coming on board to provide high-quality content and editorial for both our magazine and Web site," Rosario wrote. "Fortunately for us these writers and editors are willing to be published at no fee." Small says Rosario's response, which he did not authorize, was inaccurate. But the damage was done. In the past two weeks, Hay and designer Sam Lee, two of the magazine's three salaried employees, filed wage complaints with the Bureau of Labor and Industries. (According to the time sheet he submitted, Lee regularly worked 20-hour days for his $18,000 annual salary.) The two say that their paychecks started bouncing in early March and stopped arriving altogether soon after. Records from BOLI show that Lee is owed $2,400 and Hay is owed $1,800. Small, who published the tabloid Face Value in Portland in the early '90s, promises to pay his debts and publish the magazine using many of the same freelancers he has worked with in the past. "The writers I owe are the writers I'm going forward with," he says. "I don't think what I'm doing is wrong. I do think it needs to be corrected." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published May 12, 1999