| Author | Message | ||
     Robert Little Citizen Username: Boblittle Post Number: 136 Registered: 4-2003 |
At yesterday's deadline, the following people had filed for the April 19 BOE election: William R. Gifford III Mila M. Jasey Mark T. Miller Brian F. O’Leary Chigozie Onyema Lawrence Petraccaro Daniela Tumin Robert Z. Welsh Andrea Wren-Hardin | ||
| LibraryLady(ncjanow) Supporter Username: Librarylady Post Number: 2252 Registered: 5-2001  |
Two of the candidates,William R. Gifford III and Chigozie Onyema are very recent graduates of CHS and are running as a ticket, to the best of my knowledge. | ||
| Albatross Citizen Username: Albatross Post Number: 540 Registered: 9-2004  |
Both are members of the Columbia Class of 2004. | ||
| mtierney Citizen Username: Mtierney Post Number: 779 Registered: 3-2001 |
With a list that long, let's make it easier for us poor voters: Which candidate will fight the notorious ban on Christmas music if elected? Which candidate will LOWER the school budget if elected? As someone currently paying $20K in real estate taxes, I have zero tolerance for talk about raising taxes. A candidate who will look at the budget and devise ways for cutting costs has my vote! I told a friend from another town recently what my taxes were and he looked very worried - thought I was joking — or nuts! He was dumbstruck! But, so am I!} | ||
| C Bataille Citizen Username: Nakaille Post Number: 1872 Registered: 5-2001 |
Realistically, while any or all candidates may promise to LOWER the school budget, I would venture to say that this is not really possible. I'm doubtful that it's possible to hold it level, even. I also think that anyone who makes such a promise will say anything to get your vote. But the world is full of such candidates and voters who want to believe in them. Ask PT Barnum. Mind you, I'd love to have lower taxes. And I do think there is lots of room for religious and other kinds of music in the curriculum and performances. But if lower taxes or Christmas caroling in school were my first priority I'd honestly move. I'm not saying that you should. I for one want a heck of a lot more thoughtfulness on budget and policy from BOE members than this sledgehammer approach that many posters seem to fantsize. Look, every year we go through this angst about money and policy and the BOE. And we elect the people we think will be able to do the best job. And every year things come up that bother people and so there are calls for ousting the current crop of overworked, unpaid, and largely unthanked volunteers. You really cannot please all the people all the time. You can try and elect an entire slate of CPAs if that's your thing. But there's a whole lot more to our children's education than Fringe's numbers would ever suggest. Please ask candidates to tell you exactly HOW they would cut the budget. And what the various permutations of such cuts might entail. We know that Mr. Horoshak has just cut the custodial budget significantly. And we know that there may be serious consequences to that down the line. But a cost-cutting BOE candidate would probably approve of that move, wouldn't they? After all, isn't outsourcing the mode du jour of capitalism these days? Maybe we should outsource his job. There's probably plenty of well-educated school administrators in India who would be happy to make half of his salary. We could just call it telecommuting. Of course, we might get Diwali songs instead of Christmas carols.  Mtierney, didn't you recently sell an investment property in town? I could be wrong but that's the impression I got from some of your postings a while back. I'm curious about the percentage of profit you made on this local property with its sky-high taxes. And how much over your asking price you got. Don't tell me. It's really not my business. But I still have a hard time listening to whine about taxes after all these years. Sorry. I just do.  Cathy | ||
| lumpyhead Citizen Username: Lumpyhead Post Number: 1158 Registered: 3-2002 |
Mtierney- WHINE AWAY. It is your right and the fact you made money or not on investments have NOTHING to do with it. You don't have to stop because others are jealous or have decided you can afford to pay them. Unreal. | ||
| susan1014 Supporter Username: Susan1014 Post Number: 409 Registered: 3-2002 |
Mtierney, Personally, I'm waiting to hear which of the candidates will control spending, improve curriculum, and work on thoughful, inclusive answers to issues such as holiday concerts, with an emphasis education and inclusivity, rather than institutionalization of Christmas as a "secular" holiday! | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 3392 Registered: 5-2001  |
I want to know which 3 Steve Latz is supporting and then I will vote for 3 different ones. | ||
| lumpyhead Citizen Username: Lumpyhead Post Number: 1159 Registered: 3-2002 |
Or who Wharf and Nan are supporting. | ||
| nan Citizen Username: Nan Post Number: 1860 Registered: 2-2001 |
Isn't that what you did last time? Oh, when will they ever learn? | ||
| Chris Prenovost Citizen Username: Chris_prenovost Post Number: 369 Registered: 7-2003 |
ffof, I like your strategy. Think I'll do the same thing. | ||
| Parkbench87 Citizen Username: Parkbench87 Post Number: 1776 Registered: 7-2001  |
I really think that Cathy hit it on the head. I am a person who has no connection or relationship with any candidate and in fact voted for some of the opposition candiates in the last election. However it seems to me that many of the people in the vote the bums out crowd are asking for something that is not possible. The personal enmity displayed by some of these posters and parents here is really sad. Now Lumpy everyone can whine as much as they want.It's no bother to me. What I'm looking for is some of the whiners to get off their backsides and run for a Board Seat. Put your whines where your mouth is and take on those you are so disgusted with. | ||
| Concerned07040 Citizen Username: Concerned07040 Post Number: 32 Registered: 7-2004 |
If we want things to change on the BOE, then voting for the 3 incumbents is NOT going to do it. Concerned07040 | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 3571 Registered: 9-2001  |
"If we want things to change on the BOE, then voting for the 3 incumbents is NOT going to do it." That's worth repeating...  | ||
| Nohero Citizen Username: Nohero Post Number: 4389 Registered: 10-1999  |
Note that one of the incumbents just got there, relatively speaking. Mr. Miller was appointed to fill an unexpired term, and will have been there less than a year by the time this election is held. | ||
| Reflective Citizen Username: Reflective Post Number: 783 Registered: 3-2003 |
And, in last year's Bd of Education election, Mr Miller lost. And hence he was appointed! So if you are against the three incumbents, you are looking to re-defeat Mr Miller! | ||
| wharfrat Citizen Username: Wharfrat Post Number: 1615 Registered: 6-2001 |
When Jerry Clifford resigned, Miller was appointed. Among the board members voting to seat him were Bennett, Crawford and Little. And this occurred when one of the candidates for Mr. Clifford's seat was Jim Nathenson, Tucker's long-time partner on the CBAC. Should we expect many of you who want to toss experienced board members to rail against these three "incumbents" if and when their re-elections commence, in two years? | ||
| sbenois Supporter Username: Sbenois Post Number: 13301 Registered: 10-2001  |
I am going to be supporting at least one of the incumbents: Miller. I have watched him pretty carefully over the last 8 months and I'm impressed. | ||
| berry festival Citizen Username: Berry_festival Post Number: 124 Registered: 9-2003 |
How about the credentials of the new candidates? Do any have experience in education? Finance? Budgets? | ||
| Lee Sherman Citizen Username: Lee_ann Post Number: 3 Registered: 2-2005 |
Kudos Cathy! You are right, how about looking at the BA? Theres doing a job right and just doing a job. Whats after outsourcing custodians and maybe the maintenance dept.? Secretaries, nurses, speech therapists, teachers aides, bus drivers? The list could go on and on. Do they want the state to take over? |
