No DPS control for mayor

[firstandten]

So? Americans at- large elect a lot of good people and a lot of dundering morons. No one..other than the teabaggers with their push to take Senators away from the public ..is trying to take away the right to elect morons , why so much concern at the school board level? Want a better school board? demand more from them by not re-electing morons.

So, when it comes to voters in Detroit, what you're saying is a stopped clock is right twice a day? I mean you said that one term of KK and Archer [[i think the jury might be out on bing) was the only time they got it right in 30 years? I'd say you were being very generous with the KK 1st term. do we even count Cockrel?

You can't be saying Monica Conyers, Shelia Cockrel, Pugh, Reeves, BRC, Joel lo---er Coleman Young, Jr...etc, weren't elected solely on name recognition. I know Joel aka Colman brings a WEALTH of legislative experience to the State Legislature after spending his summers as a subway sandwich artist.

Look, I'm just saying that the argument can be made that if Detroit voters can not be trusted to vote for a school board after years of very well publicized issues and failures, they what is the logic in allowing them to vote for anything?

Let's just be honest about what this measure is all about, it's about taking away the vote from those who, in your assessment, do not do the research and settle for name recognition for too many seats of government.

I say that is a slippery slope.

I'm not saying that at all. I am not equating Detroiters to a stopped clock being right twice a day. I'm saying that for the most part as far as the mayors office they get it right. We can debate the merits of the different officeholders but in the last 30+ years I can only think of 12 were we could have made a better choice.

For the other races I am a little more critical but I understand why. For many of these races you have tons of candidates running and its tough to sort thru all that and Detroit voters sometimes take ill advised shortcuts [[name recognition) and many times it comes back to bite us.

I don't look at this as electorial issue as much as I see it as a institutional governance issue.

[Zacha341]

Well that's just grand news... someone will get their friend or family member to do a crush write in perhaps!

from Detroit News July 10: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...-no-candidates
"Nobody wants to run for two available seats on the Detroit Public Schools board.
The deadline to get on the Aug. 3 primary ballot passed May 11 without anyone filing, meaning only a write-in candidate can be elected this fall."

[Zacha341]

Grand point!

Stop electing sex offenders, illiterates, thieves., and duly adjudicated un-fit parents to the school board. That would be a start.

[firstandten]

Stop electing sex offenders, illiterates, thieves., and duly adjudicated un-fit parents to the school board. That would be a start.

Problem is the voters didn't know about that until after the fact.

But your on the right track. If we had a rule that nobody with a felony could run for office that would force us to find new blood since so many politicans are being convicted.

[DetroitDad]

Another example . When schools need to be closed, the elected school board members are put under so much pressure by the community that only a fraction of the schools that should have been closed were closed. This went on for years

So when Bobb comes in and looks like a heartless man for closing all of these school all he did was take care of what was deferred for so long.

This is the most blatant example I can think of the board not putting the students and the fiscal integrity of the district first.

It really sounds like DPS and Detroit was a foreshadowing of things to come. Aren't most of our country's current problems the result of the can being kicked down the road, on all levels [[individual, corporate, and government)?

Whenever you do that long enough, you no longer control the problems, the problems control you. The events really end up in the driver's seat.

[firstandten]

It really sounds like DPS and Detroit was a foreshadowing of things to come. Aren't most of our country's current problems the result of the can being kicked down the road, on all levels [[individual, corporate, and government)?

Whenever you do that long enough, you no longer control the problems, the problems control you. The events really end up in the driver's seat.

You hit on a great point ! Unfortunately this is where we are with our body politic.

Its safer to kick the can down the road than to address a systemic problem risk pissing people off and get voted out or recalled.

As a result you find that politicans will only deal with the surface, feel good no-brainer issues, and leave the complicated issues for another time and place.

[DetroitTeacher]

Just my two cents, but we need a board that is comprised of many different types of people who have a vested interest in education. We need parents, teachers, students, business people, and community members. We need people who can read and write, know how to engage with each other, aren't petty, and are not on a power trip. I know it won't happen but that is my utopian board. We don't need people on the board who are on the board for the sake of saying they were on a school board. We need folks who are really interested in change and who have a stake in the decisions that are made.

[hamtown mike]

DPS cannot run without a school board.

Wow. a man who legally changes his name to get more attention at the polls. A "young man" who fondles himself. and on and on and on....

DPS cannot run WITH a school board.

[hamtown mike]

...if the Detroit electorate is incapable of evaluating candidates and generally electing a school board, how are they capable of responsibly electing anyone for anything? If they cant be trusted to elect competent leaders to have a direct say in what happens in their children's lives, then why are we allowing Detroit to elect a city council or mayor? perhaps the entire city should have its leadership appointed by the State legislature or the Governor?

This is the very reason the ward/district system needs to be put in place. This would allow constituents to know who is representing them, making those council members more accountable.

Those who serve at-large live large.

[R8RBOB]

Just my two cents, but we need a board that is comprised of many different types of people who have a vested interest in education. We need parents, teachers, students, business people, and community members. We need people who can read and write, know how to engage with each other, aren't petty, and are not on a power trip. I know it won't happen but that is my utopian board. We don't need people on the board who are on the board for the sake of saying they were on a school board. We need folks who are really interested in change and who have a stake in the decisions that are made.

I was thinking the same thing this morning. For years, members of the board have used the position not to elevate and improve the school system but elevate themselves to higher office. Barbara-Rose Collins, Lonnie Bates and Kay Everett are just a few who used the school board to get to their next elected position. The school board need people who have a vested interest in improving the district. As long as selfish people get elected to pursue their own agenda we will have a school district in ruins.

[bailey]

This is the very reason the ward/district system needs to be put in place. This would allow constituents to know who is representing them, making those council members more accountable.

Those who serve at-large live large.

There is nothing stopping anyone from knowing who is representing them or making them accountable. the problem is not enough care enough to figure it out. However, this is America. We have a long tradition of catering to the lowest common denominator thus, being lazy is not a reason to remove the right to vote.

The wards were abolished because they were just as corrupt...the problem begins and ends with the electorate getting the government it elects. If we decide it is too lazy to do it right at the school board level, why allow any election at all?

[firstandten]

A couple of developments in a situation where the council looks like they are going to kick the can down the road

First Gary Brown

By 1 p.m., Pugh briefly recessed the session because tensions escalated after Brown called school board member Reverend David Murray and Otis Mathis, its former president, "the face of the school board."
That caused a commotion in the 13th floor auditorium, as some began chanting, "Gary Brown has got to go."

To Council person Brown I have only a one word reply " Bravo"

Brown and Councilman Andre Spivey later apologized. Brown said, "I could have chose my words a little more carefully."


Bravo for calling out those political hacks, you made a statement of fact as much as people might not like it. We need more of that, no need to apologize for telling the truth

Charles Pugh

Also Tuesday, Pugh released his own plan for the district's overhaul, which includes a nine-member hybrid board. Four members would be elected, three would be appointed by the mayor and two would be appointed by the council. The superintendent would be nominated by the mayor and confirmed by the council.

I have some concerns, but this a good starting point for discussion. This is the kind of leadership I want to see from my politicans, I may not agree with his entire plan but at least he's giving us some alternatives and not the same old crap. I just hope the political will is there to not kick the can down the road.


From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100721/...#ixzz0uID1Cdwi

[Ravine]

Just Say "ON"

[mam2009]

What I don't understand about those opposed to be putting the ADVISORY question on the ballot is this...How can you lack the ability of the VOTER to choose wisely on an advisory question, but trust them to choose the board members? You can't have it both ways. Either you trust the electorate or you don't. Is it because you know that more people will vote on an advisory question than vote for school board members? I heard a proponent of placing the question on the ballot say that only 4% of voters voted for school board members in the previous election. If that is true, then Detroiters in general don't SEEM to be overly concerned with choosing its board members in the first place.

[firstandten]

What I don't understand about those opposed to be putting the ADVISORY question on the ballot is this...How can you lack the ability of the VOTER to choose wisely on an advisory question, but trust them to choose the board members? You can't have it both ways. Either you trust the electorate or you don't. Is it because you know that more people will vote on an advisory question than vote for school board members? I heard a proponent of placing the question on the ballot say that only 4% of voters voted for school board members in the previous election. If that is true, then Detroiters in general don't SEEM to be overly concerned with choosing its board members in the first place.

Because you have a very vocal minority pushing not to put the advisory question on the ballot and they know they are in the minority. These are your grass roots folks who claim to represent the community. These are the same folks that like to attend school board meetings and try to brow beat board members with whatever there agenda is for that day. These folks are afraid of losing there forum , and they are afraid that if an advisory question is put on the ballot and they lose, people will see just how much of a minority fringe group they are.

Also I believe the 4% vote on the school board in the last election was due to people feeling that Bobb was in charge and they weren't going to vote for a board that had no power. For some people such as myself it was that plus I didn't want to vote for something I want to get rid of.

[bailey]

Just Say "ON"

hehe. was wondering if anyone else saw that.

[LodgeDodger]

Just Say "ON"

Now that was a classic. You can't make this stuff up!

[stromberg2]

Just Say "ON"

And I laughed and laughed!!

Stromberg2