BURKEonBOARD

(Nov. 14, 2008) – I suppose there’s a reason we hold elections, although that reason may be lost on our current school board. Perhaps they should avail themselves of my daughter’s ninth grade civics class.

If school boards and city councils were left to pick their own members, they would be nothing more than county clubs with a public portfolio.

As it happens, that’s exactly what’s about to occur. The Farmington school board will discuss, yet again, at its untelevised, 5 p.m. “work session” on Monday, how to fill the pending board vacancy of Terry Donnelly, the soon-to-be city councilman/ex-board member.

The Farmington Independent paper yesterday ran a story on the matter with the headline, “Board members seek dedication, teamwork skills.”

That caused me to chuckle. As if anyone would seek this job if not dedicated (or a little crazy). And teamwork skills? Whose team? Certainly not the people’s.

What those board members were saying is they want someone dedicated to their notion of how to run the district (or abdicate its running to the superintendent). The team member they seek is one who will go along with the board old guard team.

What this board wants is a co-conspirator that gives them the ability to keep on keeping on without challenge or any obligation to discuss ideas other than their own.

Shame on them.

The board should follow the example set by the city council four years ago when they appointed Steve Wilson, the next highest vote getter, to a council vacancy caused by the election of sitting council member to the legislature.

The board may not like the idea of Veronica Walter being on “their board,” much less appointing her. They can make all kinds of high sounding excuses why she is not entitled to that seat, but in an honest moment they might let slip the real reason—they fear a board that would require debate and discussion lest their hegemony (I’ve used that word twice in a week. My high school vocab teacher would be impressed.) be upset. Or worse, an occasional 3-3 vote that might keep their tax increases and superintendent’s contract renewal resolutions from passing.

We hold elections to give the voters, you and me, a say in who has sway over our lives. You may recall we had an election a ten days ago.

If we were filling a board vacancy at some time distant from an election, an appointment might be appropriate, but that pesky election ten days ago, gives us a pretty good indication of who the voters wanted to fill this vacancy. After all, it’s not like the potential for a vacancy wasn’t mentioned once or a hundred times before the election.

I entertain no false hope that the current board will do anything but what they want to do. They will cloak their self-serving action in pious words about dedication, teamwork and collaboration (ask the city how that’s working out).

But the real reason they’ll appoint Carol Kappes is because she won’t challenge them. She won’t ask hard questions. And she won’t consider any possibility that isn’t served up to her by the board old guard and the superintendent.

Watch her on the board for a year and then come tell me I was wrong.

Welcome to the Farmington County Club, Carol.