Deborah Anderson who is running for the 3rd District Seat has called the process that led to the Red Plan “manufactured consent.” Here’s her debunking of the oft repeated claim that the Duluth School District saught public input into facilities planning.
“Harry- Just one point: The select group of citizens who were appointed to develop the plan held meetings that were not advertised to the general public and we weren’t welcome at them. We were told to give all our ideas and concerns to Keith Dixon and he would bring them into the meetings. Well, we know how that worked.
We were told that we would have time to give feedback once the committee developed some plan options. We know how that worked, too.
This is why I keep calling the process “manufactured consent”. The citizens appointed to be on the committee were led along a certain path. It is my understanding that several of them felt steered and quit attending. This, of course, was not bad for the planners. It left only true believers until the end.
Our current board members allowed this process which was exclusive and exclusionary. The plan was carved in stone coming out of the committee and the alleged community meetings were no more than a sales seminar. They didn’t want input by that point. In fact, the whole process was designed to keep our vocal citizenry at bay.
Not only is the red plan bad, the process was corrupt from the beginning. It isn’t just the survey that was a manipulation. The whole process was a deft and calculated scheme from the start. Very professional, very fancy and very corrupt. Duluthians , we have been had. But we’ve been had by masters, under the noses of our current leaders. Does that make us feel any better?”
