We brought our petitions to the School Board this evening. THere were over 2,600 of them. I had spoken to Nancy Nillson and Mary Cameron before hand to see if they might be receptive to changing their minds. Nancy has drunk the Koolaide and it was obvious she thinks our new school plan is heavenly. She told me, and repeated at tonight’s school board meeting, that she had just visited the new school in Alexandria Virginia where the movie: Remember the Titans was filmed. Its a beautiful “green” building she told us where the toilets are flushed with rain water. I had told her I couldn’t imagine the cheap 32 million work planned for Ordean would be so spectatular. Tonight one of the Let Duluth Vote folks reminded me that Alexandria, Virginia is one of the wealthiest counties in the nation. No wonder they, unlike Duluth, spared no expense. Maybe we could put Gray water from the Northland Country Club into the Ordean drinking fountains.
Tom Hustad told us that we were really a nonexistent organization because 70 percent of the people he talks to thinks the Red Plan is the cat’s pyjamas and he’s never really met our kind before. He must only talk to other School Board members.
There were about 75 of us at tonight’s meeting. I warned the Board (rather blandly I must confess) that if they didn’t see the light we would hamstring them and prevent the Red Plan from going into effect.
Tom Hustad was acting chair and told us that he expected us to behave in a civil manner. Brenda our volunteer chair mentioned how after speaking in opposition to the Red Plan last Spring he had loudly muttered: “Sit down and shut up.” She complained and he later sent her a fullsome apology. I guess apologies make up for hypocrisy.
Its on to Plan B which will, as I told the Board, hamstring them until the new board is installed. I noted that Bevan and Judy, the anti-referendum candidates did not show up tonight. Not that many pro Red Plan people showed up. David Ross of the Chamber did and bestowed the Chamber’s hearty endorsement of the Red Plan.
I find this particularly interesting because it was only a year ago Mr Ross was fulminating vociferously about how the much smaller $309 million city health care liability would ruin the city. But he and the Chamber are OK with a no-referendum school building plan that will cost one-and-a-half times more than the retiree mess? Go figure.
