BURKEonBOARD

(Sept. 20, 2008) – Time for some clearing of the air.

On Monday, Sept. 8, the Farmington school board held a couple of meetings  at which board member Tim Weyandt made comments about me that I think were not intended as compliments.

Let’s look at what he said and see if they have any merit. Then, at least you will know what he thinks so you can consider those criticisms come the general election.

Weyandt’s first comment came during a group interview of the school board by a consultant the district hired to assess its communications efforts. In the course of the interview, the consultant asked the board members to give their opinions of the public image of the district and board. Weyandt allowed that to the extent the image was negative, a “lyin’ PR hack” was to blame. He didn’t identify me by name and he might have had someone else in mind, but I don’t think so.

Am I a PR hack? Well, I do make my living doing public relations work for a health care company. In the past I’ve worked for universities, government agencies, private business, elected officials and political campaigns. Some people have low opinions of PR types, kind of like used car salesmen and lawyers, and they use pejorative terms to describe the profession. So, am I  PR hack? I don’t put that term on my resume, but if someone says “PR hack” and looks at me, I usually know to whom they are referring.

Now, the “lyin’” part I’m not so willing to cop to.

I’d really like to know what Weyandt thinks I’ve lied about. I’d be happy to debate him on any matter he thinks I’ve told lies. So, please ask Mr. Weyandt for an itemized list of my lies and ask him why he thinks they’re lies. Then, ask me what I said and where I got my information. After that, you can decide who’s the liar.

On to Mr. Weyandt’s next comment about me that Monday evening. It came during the monthly school board work session meeting which ended with a presentation by district Community Education Department director Heidi Cunningham. She went on and on about how the district’s grab of city recreation programs was really a collaborative effort between the district and the city (muffled giggles) meant to facilitate the raising of better high school varsity athletes and promote efficient delivery of recreation programs in the city. (For the time being, we’ll put aside the fact that this is the third or fourth different explanation she’s given for the expansion of Community Education’s non-education programs.)

When Cunningham finished her spiel and the board members finished their probing questions (muffled giggles), I asked a few questions about efficiencies (resulting their fees this year being 14% to 56% higher than the city’s last year) and commented on how I observed a rather distinct lack of collaboration between the district and the city parks and recreation department as represented in Cunningham’s own meeting minutes of district-parks & rec meetings. I didn’t get a chance to ask my other question about Community Ed’s role in grooming future varsity athletes.

At this point, Mr. Weyandt kind of lost it. In a loud, agitated and argumentative voice, he charged that my only motivation for asking my questions and, in fact, for being interested in school district matters at all was because my wife is an employee of the Farmington Parks and Recreation Department. Other board members had to calm him and the meeting was immediately adjourned. No mention of Weyandt’s outburst is in the official meeting minutes the board will approve on Sept. 22.

As many of you know, my wife, who has a different last name than me, is a Farmington Parks and Recreation Department recreation supervisor. You may also know that her position has been targeted for elimination by city administrator Peter Herlofsky in the draft budget submitted to the city council. Additionally, his budget calls for closing the city’s outdoor pool (administered by my wife). The youth basketball program usurped (with Herlofsky’s facilitation but not the city Parks & Rec department’s agreement) from the city by the district’s Community (non)Education department was also run my by one of my wife’s direct reports.

Some people think there’s actually a link between my wife’s impending unemployment and the district’s activities. I’m suspending judgment on that conspiracy theory for a while.

So, Mr. Weyandt presumes that my goal in running for school board is to somehow preserve my wife’s job with the city. Perhaps he forgets the school board doesn’t hire and fire at the city, unless he knows otherwise. Perhaps he forgets the new school board members won’t be seated until long after the city finishes work on its 2009 budget.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even Mr. Weyandt.

But I may be in a better position to explain why I’m running than him.

More on that soon.