The three departing at-large members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board have thrown their support to would-be replacements -- and it's getting lively.
Kaye McGarry, who has been the top votegetter for the last two elections, held a news conference today to voice her support for candidates Keith Hurley and Ken Nelson. She called the Nov. 8 election, where 14 candidates are jousting for three seats, an "opportunity and responsibility to reshape this board" and "move beyond the status quo mentality of the board leadership."
Hurley and Nelson talked about their opposition to standardized testing, taxing authority for the school board and the extra 45 minutes CMS added to the elementary school day this year. Hurley also explained afterward why he switched from unaffiliated to Republican a couple of weeks ago: He realized he was going to need more volunteers and support to win, and he considers the GOP the stronger party in Mecklenburg.
Notably missing from McGarry's endorsements was the third Republican candidate: District 6 representative Tim Morgan, who's seeking an at-large seat. Yes, school board elections are nonpartisan, but McGarry has never been shy about her party affiliation. However, she's generally on the opposite side of Morgan on votes, and she said she couldn't in good conscience endorse him.
"He's already on the board. He shouldn't be running," she said.
Morgan's campaign manager, Lawrence Shaheen, waited on the edges of McGarry's news conference to offer his take: Morgan didn't want McGarry's endorsement, because she has voted against most of the moves that have helped CMS make progress.
Morgan and Elyse Dashew have the support of the other two departing incumbents, Trent Merchant and Joe White. White also supports Ericka Ellis-Stewart.
White and Merchant both noted that they weren't holding press conferences to tout their preferrences. Added White, when told about McGarry's event: "Whoever Kay endorsed I wouldn't vote for for all the tea in China."
Also today, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators announced its endorsements: Mary McCray, Hans Plotseneder and Darrin Rankin. McCray recently retired as a CMS teacher and president of CMAE. Plotseneder teaches at West Meck High. Rankin, is an insurance agent and CMS parent.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Choosing teams in CMS board race
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35 comments:
Wondering what the objection is to the extra 45 minutes of class time?
Added White, when told about McGarry's event: "Whoever Kay endorsed I wouldn't vote for for all the tea in China."
Joe, thanks for leaving.
Do you honestly believe your opinion counts anymore than McGarry's?
Talk about not voting for endorsements, you've been one of the biggest obstacles at CMS, with comments like "just feed the kids" and "duh", so just what we need - more people like you.
It is a strange, strange world when the most vocally identifiable "conservative Republican" finds herself voting consistently with Richard McElrath, Joyce Waddell and Tom Tate. Strange bedfellows indeed.
Coach White its time and you could not even hold the mic at the press conference. Trent "throw in the towel" Merchant finally you realized you were in over your head. Poor kid go home with your little blanket and curl up! You guys are pissed , because the new set of candidates is going to make your decisions or Eric's look foolish. Trent how will you cross the street without Eric holding your hand in January????
CMAE boy wonder why they endorsed Mary McCray that was a tough one to win. She worked their and did nothing for years way to go. The weasel who runs it now works on he campaign. If it smells like a rat then grill him! Take the 600 votes you get and throw a party as thats what the endorsement will get you...........
Is Timmy Morgan not on the baord already and his seat not expired? What is the motivation to campaign for a seat when you have one. See this is the problem with CMS guy does not realize his term is not up. Call your brother Bobby and figure it out.
"(Hurley) realized he was going to need more volunteers and support to win, and he considers the GOP the stronger party in Mecklenburg"
That would be an Opportunist.
After reading this story, and considering that we are running to sent a tone and baseline for the Kids on the school board........
Examples are a Universal language and stick longer than words.
And acceptance of endorsements means someone does not wants voters to do their homework.
Please folks.
Is a wise Mecklenburg County Board of Education too much to ask? Close hundreds of classrooms then lease to the private sector? Lease out facilities included in recent bond campaigns, including Midwood updated for millions of taxpayer dollars? Now I hear CMS is updating a number of closed schools for administration offices. The closed schools were good enough for teachers and students so why is CMS spending more tax dollars updating for administrators? No better time than the present to have formative and summative testing for Board of Education members and senior administrators so we can assess annual progress in leadership, fiscal responsibility and common sense. Testing is not a necessity.
Looks like the spin doctors are already busy at work at public relations 101. Find a way to say the same thing using less offensive language. Dumb it down and then begin claiming victory. The masses are sure to follow. Next, expect polling numbers or more generic statements showing wide spread public support in the coming months.
I think it's clear that Tim Morgan is running because he's willing to give up his existing seat in order to prevent one of the open seats from going to people like Keith Hurley or Ken Nelson. He knows that these candidates and several others running are likely to vote with anti-reform block of Richard McElrath, Joyce Waddell and Tom Tate.
It takes courage to run for public office, and even more courage to run when you already have a seat. People can try to smear Tim on internet message boards, but the fact that he's running says a lot about his character.
Joe White wouldn't vote for any Kay McGarry endorsed candidates but...
...On Tuesday night, when a vote on Bright Beginnings was again delayed, school board members had turned their hopes to the tooth fairy – specifically, Mecklenburg Commissioner Vilma Leake, who last week pitched a proposal to award Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools a $10 million grant, earmarked for Bright Beginnings, outside the school district’s annual funding allotment from the county.
“I hope that she becomes the tooth fairy and finds that money for us so we can run the program, and I will do everything I can to help her,” school board member Joe White said Tuesday night.
Hey Joe? Aren't Vilma Leake and George Dunlap Democrats like you?
Hey Joe, remember way back in 2006 when Leake "leaked" Haithcock's name as a candidate for the superintendent job after you said you wanted all candidate's names to remain secret and you said nothing to her? Yet you and the Observer raked Gauvreau across the coals for saying something about Pughsley's deprature package? Leake even wanted to bring criminal charges against him, even though a year later she did the same thing...LOL
Joe, with the likes of you, Leake Dunlap and a few other of your Democrat cronies, any endorsements Kay McGarry makes couldn't do any worse...
Tom Tate Endorsed Tim.
Listen to Keith Hurley and Ken Nelson on the Swann/Meck ACTS videos. Do they have any idea what they are talking about? (Unfortunately the same can be said for almost all of the other candidates).
Interesting observation 10:19. Also interesting that this return to busing, social engineering crowd was the first and most prolificate intense crowd to start this run to election. I wonder if there is some intimidation factor here. Makes me worry that then Ken and Keith lack the fortitude to stick with their values.
I don't think it says much ( at least not in a complimentary way) about Tim Morgan's character that he is running when he already has a seat. He essentially will remain on the board, win or lose. If he wins, someone will be appointed for his district seat - so he and his cronies will control more than one seat. That takes "character'??? not so sure about Tim's character.
When a board member needs to be appointed the entire board votes on the appointment--the appointee is not determined by any one board member. All who are interested in the position may apply. They are then interviewed by the board and a vote takes place. Some have falsely claimed that Tim would be selecting his replacement if elected at large (which either shows little knowledge of how the process works or deliberate intent to smear Tim). On the Swann videos Tim responds confidently and knowledgeably to the questions. He is not bombastic as are some, nor does he give in to badgering by the Swann and Meck ACTS folks.
CMS sucks plain and simple. BOE tries to make everyione happy and that cannot happen. Social engineering has failed for the last 40 years. Kids who don't want to learn should be away from kids that do. How much simpler can it be? Kids who fail will go to jail. It is just a fact. So why try to change it when the participants don't want change? Except maybe Nobama's change which got everyone nowhere. Work an extra job and send your kids to private schools or stay home and send your kids to charter schools where your opinion counts.
9:51 p.m.: No, he hasn't. Tom Tate says he doesn't endorse candidates because his job as a sitting board member is to work with whoever is elected.
Why doesn't somebody look into ken nelson's rantings in the past in questionable places. his mioniker 'knelsud92' on a google search calls up 'stormfront' a white supremesist website, while his past rantings on article comments support white power conventions coming to town and staging an armes rebellion if Jim Demint and rand Paul didn't get elected last year. Is this really someone we want in public office locally? Seriously! Look it up. It's out there!
Anon 11:24...
I think Nelson is basically a Libertarian based on comments and as Ann posted in another article, he supports the Campaign for Liberty.
Nelson can certainly defend himself.
Regarding his "supporting white power groups" coming to Charlotte, you can be for individual liberties and the right to free assembly but be totally against what the group stands for.
Isn't that what "diversity" is all about?
People such as yourself that get indignant someone else could support the rights of "white power groups" to assemble under guarantees by the Consttution are the very ones who proclaim they are for diversity.
The only problem is, it's selective diversity.
I'm just putting it out there and think others should be asking the same questions. He sounds like a loose cannon with some of his words.
I'd also like to know why nelson would support an armed rebellion if the voters didn't pick the candidates he liked. That is simply disturbing.
Anonymous - the objection to the extra 45 minutes of class time has everything to do with the FACT that a 7 hour academic school day is NOT developmentally appropriate for children ages 5 - 12.
Why did we extend the K-5 school day but NOT the high school school day???
The objection is that the overwhelming majority of people on the BOE don't actually know anything about education. And those that do are vastly in the minority and so when they want to bring these things up IN PUBLIC they are overruled by the majority.
If 45 minutes of extra class time actually made sense, why not add 3 hours to the school day. If 45 minutes is going to improve performance, surely 3 hours would make an unbelievable positive difference!!!!!!
Some, like Mr Morgan, will say "we saved $4 Million by extending the school day!". But, a further examination (which most people NEVER do) shows us that the district is going to spend an ADDITIONAL $1.8 Million on wages for assistants - not to mention the added expense for other office staff that are hourly. So, was taking a path that is clearly NOT developmentally appropriate for our young people, for $2 million in ESTIMATED savings, really the best idea?
I think not, and I think perhaps we need to stop our blind trust, and start taking the approach of "trust but verify".
Its really easy for people who don't know anything about education to make decisions that may make sense at a bank.....the problem is, an elementary school, a middle school, a high school is NOT a bank!!!
Nice to see the Liberal tax and spend democrat Joe White has endorsed Tim Morgan. I wonder how the Republican voters feel that one of their own got endorsed by one of the biggest tax and spend liberals in Mecklenburg County history?
Tim Morgan is putting a Republican controlled seat in play because he has further political aspirations. He wants to be the Chairman of the school board and then parlay that into a run at a higher level office.
There's no courage in that.
wouldn't it be nice if Larry Shaheen actually posted his name with his comments in favor of Tim?
Nelson was a Ron Paul organizer in 2007. Unfortunately, racists thought they could steal information off Ron Paul websites and post it on theirs. Nelson has nothing to do with Stormfront nor wants to have anything to do with those fools.
Ken also defended Kojo’s right to a protest on MLK Day, and attacked CMS for holding classes on a Federal Holiday. Actually, he didn’t defend the supremacists; he didn’t think Charlotte city leaders had any right to interfere with a private business transaction. It was a private property issue. Government does not have the right to stifle speech, ESPECIALLY on private property, no matter how offensive. If government can prevent speech that you don’t like, they can just as easily prevent speech that you do like.
Ken Nelson is an unapologetic libertarian/conservative. Nelson firmly believes in the Constitution, and the American Republic. He also believes that some on the other side do not subscribe to these fundamental values. The last thing that he would want to do is rebel. However, if our Republic should fall under the control of those who should wish to destroy it, as a Patriot, Mr. Nelson would defend his life, liberty, and property, as should any American who believes in the Constitution.
I think people ought to spend a few minutes actually getting to KNOW Ken - he is a passionate, concerned, thoughtful man. I don't always agree with him on everything, but I can always have a reasonable and substantive discussion with him. And, he is willing to listen to good ideas in an effort to do what is best for our children. I think those are pretty good reasons to vote for someone.
Therefore Scot, you endorse violet behavior, as Ken Nelson did in some previous posts, if the candidates of his choice did not win? I'm sorry, but many of the hacf cocked statements I have seen him post on past Observer articles lead me to wonder if this is really someone we really want in a leadership position in our community. Look it up folks. www.disqus.com/knelsud92 . It's all there.
I meant 'violent', not 'violet'. I'm seeing lots of purple all the sudden...
Seriously. Tim, your man here ought to post his name. Post your desires Tim.
It seems to many here that you want to use an at large position on the school board to try and land the chair. Once that is done, you will then use that post as your platform for some other elected position either in the state legislature of possibly a congressional run.
You could give a hoot about the students in CMS. Your concern is to vote all the Chamber positions, screw teachers in the process and move along.
Remember your Scout Law Tim. A Scout is trustworthy is number one in the list. I think that your trustworthyness is in question here.
Tim is not giving up a seat. He is trying to upgrade for more prominence. He will have a seat either way. To say he is doing this because he has "character" is just silly.
The extended school day has nothing to do with student achievement or face time for teachers and children. It was based solely on financial considerations related to bus routing. Had the decision been about education there might be reason to suspect the Board and senior administrators had been thinking about the well-being of the students. But that had nothing to do with the decision. The changing of parents schedules, more time away from parents for kids, forcing kids into the industrial mold at an earlier age matters not when the mighty dollar speaks. This was not a Gates or Broad initiative. This was just another example of greed driving education policy. After all, somebody has to pay to update the recently closed schools so they are good enough for administrators. Why not our elementary students?
To Anon 2:31 and Anon 4:10
If I post something you can be rest assured I would put my name on it.
Also it is the height of hypocrisy to call someone out that you ASSUME is posting anonymously by posting anonymously.
Just sayin.
I think you misrepresent Ken Nelson's views by talking about him professing violence. If you took the time to get to know Ken, you would understand that his stance is he believes strongly in the Constitution and in defending it, its principles, values and ideals - and if it were EVER to come to that, that Ken would step up and defend our country and Constitution in any way required, even if that included violence. There are A LOT of people from every walk of life and every political persuasion who not only find that a patriotic stance, but who would do the very same thing if that is what was required. That doesn't make Ken or others violent people - trying to paint him or others who feel that way as violent is not appropriate.
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