Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:23:02 -0400
From: Gerald Totten
Subject: Board of Education candidate’s deception
This will go to the chatlist and to the Bulletin Board
Is this the person we want on the Board of Education? Poll workers at Chatham Downs which include Flint O’Brien and Brian Lockwood are enticing voters with a handout for Flint O’Brien which is dishonest. This is a non-partisan, school board race not a junk dog fight and is unworthy of such sleaze.
Mr. O’Brien’s alleged endorsements as stated on that handout include two of five county commissioners (who do the other three support?) one former commissioner out of how many who also have served in that role and one out of five sitting school board members (three of the other sitting board members endorse Mia Munn and the other is quoted as saying she would not support O’Brien).
He claims he has attended all school board meetings for the last two years which is a lie. He claims he has worked to keep the new middle and high schools on schedule. The operative word was worked. Just what has he done? I have participated in every meeting from the initial design phase of the new middle school up through the awarding of the last contract awarded and he has not shown his works. The same comments apply to the new high school. Not to leave out the commissioners in this discussion I also attended every workshop held by the commissioners for over a year. In a number of those workshops the middle and high school sites were discussed and I never saw O’Brien there. Just what did he do to claim “worked”?
He claims his opponent is backed by antis “who oppose the new high school” and “by a local anti-tax group who don’t want to spend any money on improving academic performance.” How can he possibly say those things when he has heard Mia Munn at every forum talk about improving graduation rates, more teacher help in the classroom and closing the gap between academic performances between diverse groups? Yes, those are lies stated on Mr. O’Brien’s literature.
He claims Norman Clark, a sitting board member who endorses Mia Munn. “opposed building the new high school on Jack Bennett Road”. Norman, like all of the sitting board members, has expressed concerns over that site simply because the terrain, soil, sewage handling and ecological parts will be quite expensive to deal with. Those dollars will have to come out of the overall budget which, in turn, will impact the school facility itself. How does concern equal opposes? A big stretch, isn’t it?
He goes on to claim Holly Duncan, another sitting board member who endorsed his opponent, Mia Munn, “voted for the original $15M Northwood expansion proposal, even though Northwood would have been half-full when completed”.
That was the only proposal at the time and Northwood needed and still needs expansion when the money crunch is lifted. The single board member who endorsed Mr. O’Brien also voted for that proposal at the time but he fails to mention that.
Mr. O’Brien has made a number of public comments at Board of Education meetings but his rambling is quite difficult to follow, After his latest comment before the board, I asked another board member what he (O’Brien) had just said and that board member didn’t know either. That is an oft heard comment at some of the forums for board candidates.
It is a shame that voters fall for such sleaze stuck in their hands in the form of a handout just as a voter goes into the voting site. Too bad more voters did not attend the various forums so they could hear all candidates and make an intelligent decision about whom they want on their Board of Education.
I don’t think it should be Flint O’Brien if he can’t distribute correct information but has to rely on deception to be elected.
Mia Munn is the best candidate for that position in ALL respects.
Gerald Totten