So, where have I been for the past couple days? I have a post with nothing in it lined up to talk about the persecution of Art Johnston by a gold star teacher. I know what will go there I just haven’t found the time to write it yet. The person who prompted my last post cut me a lot of slack for not polishing up my posts by accepting my excuse that I was too darned busy to fuss about editing so many words. “Fair enough” my critic wrote. But, I have worked harder for the past month trying to smooth out the worst shambles in my writing. too much is at stake for me to lose credibility with new readers unaccustomed to my blithe disregard for well written posts.
I have been, Well, busy. Most night’s last week I got too little sleep after long days putting up lawnsigns. One of those night’s I got an anguished call that necessitated my listening to a friend for three hours until 1 AM. I’ve begun a string of nights with grandsons. After lawnsigning Saturday we all went to the Symphony’s Wizard of Oz performance. In a day or two I’ll starting putting up lawnsigns for three candidates instead of one. I’ve also been following the Trib’s reportage on the School Board race prompting me to spend some time writing a letter in support of Alanna Oswald. It’s been ages since I wrote something for the Trib. I even ignored their two editorial attacks on me. I also wrote a letter for the Duluth Reader in support of Loren Martell. It wasn’t in last week’s Reader but I’m hopeful it shows up this Friday. I think you will find it entertaining.
Although I am supporting Alanna without reservation I have also begun an email correspondence with her rival for the at-large School Board seat. Renee Van Nett sent me a follow up email a couple days ago to the invitation she offered me after the Chamber’s School Board forum. I wrote Renee back telling her I was impressed I was to receive it especially after David Kirby and Nora Sandstad have ignored my invitation to them to do the same. I told Renee that this doesn’t bode well for a well functioning school board should they be elected to serve with me.
I mention one other worry to Renee. At the beginning of her campaign she made a strong point of reminding folks that Native children had not been well served by Duluth’s public schools. More recently, her messaging has been all “can do.” Yes, we have problems but Duluth is a kick ass town that can do anything. This reminds me of the unmoored possitivity I keep hearing from the School Board majority. It strikes me as having more in common with the blinders put on horses to deny them peripheral vision.
I also told Renee that I was confident that she would not forget her unhappy experiences in our schools if she should win.
Renee emailed me while I was out putting up lawnsigns yesterday explaining that she had a family emergency but reasserting that she’s eager to get together. I think our meeting will come early next week. Renee’s op ed piece is in today’s Trib. Alanna’s was in the Trib yesterday. Apparently the Trib will endorse one of the two candidates tomorrow. I have little doubt which candidate it will be. They lavished praise on Renee prior to the primary as though they were delivering their General election endorsement. I was deeply offended by their summary dismissal of Alanna Oswald as a housewife with a grudge.
I suspect a number of folks have been very busy planting that perverted distortion. I’m just sorry that it took root in the editors of the Tribune who ought to be less susceptible to such bilge. Character assassination seems to go hand in hand with the District’s happy talk.
Two years ago, when I was running for election, a child who had been traumatized the previous year in the massive shuffling of students for the Red Plan committed suicide. Our Administration was anxious to make sure that bad press didn’t interfere with its push to pass an operational levy referendum. So, of course, it turned out that the child’s death had nothing to do with school.
Although the Tribune has not reported it something ugly has just happened again this year in which the control of the School Board hangs in the balance. This year its anti-Art Johnston candidates seemingly pitted against pro-Johnston candidates. (This is a gross simplification. All six school board candidates explained at the Chamber’s forum that they would not have attempted to remove Art Johnston. I’m sure this unanimity was a blow to the three departing school board members, all of whom were all sitting in the audience hearing their decision rebuked by their potential successors)….. Ah, but I digress.
About that ugly news. Last night Fox 21 carried a story from Stowe Elementary with all the hallmarks of the controversy from two years ago with a couple differences. Two years ago there was a death and the family was in such grief that they were in no state to complain. This year the issue is bullying, perhaps extreme bullying. There is an allegation of a coverup. Has it has been hushed up so as not to discredit a year’s worth of strutting around promising to bring bullying to an end? I don’t know but I don’t believe that “ignorance is bliss.”
The Mother of the target wrote a white hot letter to the School Board last night and made a persuasive case that terrible things have been papered over. I sent her an email this morning telling her that she had my attention. She’s quite likely to get even more attention before November 3rd rolls around.
I have enjoyed going door to door over the past week. Yesterday I ran into an avid reader of this blog. “You write the lincolndemocrat?” my reader asked incredulously. As my reader searched for words to describe the blog I suggested “entertaining.” This seemed an agreeable term to describe a blog that often delves into murky territory. My reader took a lawnsign.
I’ll get back to my School Board sagas eventually but I’m waiting for a rainy day. I have a lot of lawnsigns to put up and I hate to waste these dry days in October.
