After a summer of abuse heaped on Let Duluth Vote and the taxpayer plaintiffs which emboldened timid Red Plan partisans and drove the plans critics underground its nice to have one Trib published that overwhelms the Reds. Gary Glass got one last word in edgewise about the school board spending like a “drunken sailor” and Brenda Anderson had a sober column listing two year’s worth of grievances.
Even a headline as simple as this “Central, Denfeld football finale?” worked to our advantage. Unlike previous stories which took for granted the unhindered completion of the Red Plan the question mark at the end gives a sense that Dr. Dixon’s plans may not yet be a fait accompli. That’s a fancy phrase meaning done deal.
A very fine fellow, former principal Tom Treinan who last worked at Lester Park Elementary defended the Red Planers but I don’t think his arguments passed muster. His blind faith in a school board which put on blinders was genuine but unconvincing. The irony is that his old school was one of the few which did justify complete replacement. Because JCI chose to spend $20 million right away on our newest buildings work on Lester Park has been put on hold and imperiled. Good work ISD 709!
The four school board candidates challenging the incumbents all report back that the majority of people they talk to speak against the Red Plan. If they are not misreading the public that’s very bad news for the Dixonites. And what are the incumbents doing to get themselves reelected?
Nancy Nilsen is on a leave of absence from the County to campaign yet she’s missed as many candidate forums as the challengers who have been criticized by the Trib’s editorial board for their non appearances.
Laura Condon and Mary Cameron have never campaigned and have always left that onerous work to others. Ann Wasson has a million lawn signs out but most of them are in Judy Seliga Punyko’s district.
Our side is waiting for some secret weapon to blow our candidates out of the water. It may yet appear but it better blow all the voters away too. Either that or hypnotize them into thinking that what happened to their schools, their taxes and their votes was none of their business.
