There is no secret that Mr. Steel's wife works for TPS and is/was a union official with the teacher's union. Mr. Steel should be going out of his way to show that his decision-making would not be influenced by this, especially by this board, which has a major problem with members whose primary incomes derive from the district (3). Regrettably he has not done so and he thinks that such common sense concerns as this are a personal attack on him. This is saddening because in a time where ethics in government is important, he seems to miss the whole point of being honest and transparent. But this is/has been the mode of operation for the board, hey two members work for banks that do major bu$ne$$ with the district, no wonder they are not used to questionings like this.
There should be no concern, this issue has been known and Mr. Steel should have come clean a while ago. But sometimes it is easier to ignore the skeleton in the closet. All board members should come clean with the community, because the district needs trust before they can progress and running away from legitimate issues is not a way to earn the trust.
posted by chrismyers at 06:40 P.M. EST on Thu Dec 14, 2006 #
Why is this a problem? By having spouse-supplied benefits from an organization that Mr Steel has power over, he is only doing a fraction of the average conflict of interest (COI) in the area. He has every motivation to simply laugh off the PPS request, and Toledo's population (being so inured to pervasive minor corruption) is simply not going to care.
Note that I do believe that any public-service position puts you personally on notice for extensive self-awareness about COI. Even further, since an appearance of a COI is effectively the same as an actual COI (due to public reputation), then even the appearance of a COI should be avoided. Unfortunately, on the moral scale of inches, this is feet above where Toledo politicians conduct themselves. Around here, your public reputation has no rational basis. Look at Copeland, for instance. He's connected to the unions and his uncle was a politician. Those are 90% of the reasons why HE is now a politician. It's not about behavioral reputation. It's all about a reputation based upon STYLE.
The vast majority of Toledo just doesn't care about how many connections (obvious or not) that Mr Steel has to the TPS. I believe we dissenters are much better off investigating how his conservative faction (i.e. supporters of the status quo) is costing the taxpayers too much money to provide substandard education to an increasingly financially-poor student population.
Then again, every little bit helps. If Sykes continues to sic guards upon citizens who tape the Board meetings, then we citizens can continue sending interesting notices to them and the media. The paradigm of war has already been invoked, so there's no reason to avoid conflict.
posted by GuestZero at 04:16 A.M. EST on Fri Dec 15, 2006 #
Well this is very interesting. I agree with GZ's commentary and that it has been the status quo that many of the people of Toledo have become numb, kind of like victims of a car crash.
However, of late - I think many people are becoming aware and enough people are speaking out that it is giving other people who are on the fence about becoming vocal - the support to do so.
Mr. Steel - if his wife is a TPS employee it is highly inappropriate for you to be involved in board decisions about his wife's (and in turn his own) benefits or pay. Butt out, Steel. I would say, politely, please Mr. Steel, bow out gracefully – however. the time for a genteel sort of a fellow to have done so has passed.
Really.....what bad manners some of our board members have. The assumption that we are all just so many stupid sheep. I think those days are coming to a screeching halt.
It’s also important to remember that the board members sought out these public seats. And as such, they agreed to follow the rules for conduct. I suggest they actually get the school policy out and read it, as well as Roberts’ Rules. I guess it wouldn’t hurt for Mr. Sykes to sit down with a copy of Emily Post as well. I accept a lot of things out of people, but there isn’t any excuse for such poor manners from an elected official as Mr. Sykes exhibits. And, now this with Steel. Shape up and behave people!!!
posted by katie82640 at 02:09 P.M. EST on Fri Dec 15, 2006 #
Check out a copy of the week's Sojourner's Truth, Mr Sykes issues somewhat of an apology for his behavior. He says,"I may not have always said or done what some believe is right. I ask you to blame my head and not my heart." Ha- ha- ha- ha- ha.
Tell that to the people such as myself (and my children)that he has offended, violated and or threatened and intimidated. I have never received an apology. I guess he is beginning to position himself in place to retain his seat on the board of education. I hope the public sees through this and lets him know. "Hell NO!!!
posted by purnhrt at 04:38 P.M. EST on Fri Dec 15, 2006 #
Oh purnhrt, you are so absolutely correct.
Larry Sykes just kicked off his re-election campaign.
Better start spreading the word now before Larry gets momentum.
Oh, and Steel should, out of ethics if anything, recuse himself from this event that his wife is involved with. I'm pretty sure Steel knows better, but his ability to enjoy Toledo's laziness encourages this behaviour.
posted by BrianInFlorida at 05:33 P.M. EST on Fri Dec 15, 2006 #
If Sykes is kicking off his re-election campaign now with suitable plants in the media, then it's time to go on a letter-writing campaign ourselves to the same media outlets, with CCs to other outlets each time we comment. A good strategy to use is that ONE of the Urban Coalition, Page, Cooper, Kate and the rest find ONE of Larry's sneaky little propaganda pieces. That person will ‘own’ that particular piece and will research it, culminating in a response piece of point-by-point fact-checking and opinion. The rest of us will attach our names to it (yes, even me, even though Larry will recognize my name) and then the piece owner will submit it to the media outlet in question, as well as copies to others (City Paper, Blade, TFP, etc.). This process will be repeated each time Sykes issues another piece of his propaganda and is given his usual free voice in the media. Each “Sykes Speaks” event will be ‘owned’ by a different reformer listed above to avoid burn-out.
I don't mind so much if Toledo re-elects Larry Sykes to his silly little Board position. I can always chalk that up as the usual mental retardation in Toledo's body politic. HOWEVER ... we can't let him use the media unchallenged. Stopping Sykes (hence, his lethal faction) is now more important than any risk to my job. The TPS is at a crux and we must choose to either fix it or let the political establishment continue to let it evolve into a prison pipeline. The Blade is filled with crime reports that involve yet another young Black male toting a gun. I don't have kids myself but I have to live in Toledo with what they turn into. As some point, we should take responsibility for what they've been taught.
We MUST get organized. Who the hell's with me?
posted by GuestZero at 04:21 A.M. EST on Sat Dec 16, 2006 #
Blame his heart? You mean coming up to Kate, either in person or getting someone to tell her she can't video tape, is his heart? So his heart says citizens can't record public meetings. OK, that makes sense now; I am glad he cleared that up.
GZ I am with you.
posted by chrismyers at 09:57 A.M. EST on Sat Dec 16, 2006 #
Do you think Larry would actually run next year? Is he brave enough?
posted by Cordelia at 04:22 P.M. EST on Sat Dec 16, 2006 #
Oops, pressed the wrong button. Anyway, I am new to the area. In the time I have seen him here I have noticed he has a lot of baggage.
posted by Cordelia at 04:24 P.M. EST on Sat Dec 16, 2006 #
Cordelia
I didn't think that he had the audacity to run after all he has said and done to individuals and some of it has been covered in the media. The intimidation of the board president, the personal (without board approval) banning of individuals from speaking at board meetings, the Sykes Letters, the court case, the Fran Lawrence statement and the Anita Lopez statements are among the more public and scandalous actions he has done.
I would think he would be too ashamed and embarassed to throw his hat into the ring. People want change and he has not gotten that message yet. I guess for him to get the message is for him to be defeated soundly if he does decide to run.
posted by purnhrt at 11:11 P.M. EST on Sat Dec 16, 2006 #
GZ I'm with you also - I think it's a great idea. We could each set up an email list or a neighborhood phone tree of some sort - we cannot rely on the Blade. But it's going to be really, really important for each of us to get involved in this next campaign or Larry Sykes will just ride back in on name recognition...cannot happen.
posted by katie82640 at 07:34 P.M. EST on Mon Dec 18, 2006 #
Well, OK then. Which of us will take the Sojourner's Truth article and rebut it in the fashion I outlined? We must start now. We already have his "first shot".
We should also designate "Sykes media watchers". Each activist promises to read 1 weekly publication (or 1 day of the Blade) completely to watch for any article that gives Sykes an outlet.
I volunteer to read the Sunday Blade cover to cover. We need more volunteers, to wit:
0. Sunday Blade - GUESTZERO
1. Monday Blade
2. Tuesday Blade
3. Wednesday Blade
4. Thursday Blade
5. Friday Blade
6. Saturday Blade
7. Sojourner's Truth
8. City Paper
9. TFP
10. Toledo Journal
11. La Prensa
12. Toledo Herald
etc.
‘Many hands make light work’, or something like that. We might need to have one of you take on more than 1 day of reading the Blade, particularly if the Blade is delivered to your home. I don't subscribe to the Blade, hence I must either buy one each Sunday or read a Library copy.
posted by GuestZero at 05:26 A.M. EST on Tue Dec 19, 2006 #
GZ - I'll take the TFP and the Point Shoreland Journal.
posted by MaggieThurber at 06:51 A.M. EST on Tue Dec 19, 2006 #
I regularly read them all except the Toledo Herald. We need something like an email tree so when something pops up we can communicate quickly and see who is available to "write a response". If all of you send me your email address, I'll see that everyone, gets a list of the email addresses so we can send out alerts. Write me at steven@flagg.name. Or tell me this is a bad idea and I'll move on.
posted by sflagg at 01:58 P.M. EST on Tue Dec 19, 2006 #
There's some Board of Commerce (or BOC-esque) paper that I omitted since it wasn't likely Sykes would use it as for educational propaganda. Or, am I misled by my understanding, since the TPS is linked to industry directly through construction projects?
I'll be requesting that I be added to that alert list, Mr Flagg. Expect an email, Sir.
As for the latest (Dec 13-19) Toledo Journal, I located a copy and read the article titled "TPS Board limits itself in superintendent search". To my amazement, it was NOT a free ride for Sykes to continue his (lifelong?) propaganda campaign. The only actual words of Sykes printed were "no comment" and "second". Sykes' implied statements were equally innocuous. In fact, the article was particularly insightful and was actually critical ... such as the "[wide perception] as an unquestioning cheerleader for TPS who asks few, if any, questions about how TPS administratos run the system".
I'm shocked. Who is this Stiegel guy writing for the Journal, anyway?
Of public note, the Journal article reported on the strong possibility that Fisher would be removed as TPS BOE President in 2007.
posted by GuestZero at 05:20 A.M. EST on Wed Dec 20, 2006 #
GZ - Having a more intimate knowledge of TPS than most Toledoans, I give the Journal article 9 out of 10 for accuracy and insight into the situation.
The board holds an organizational meeting on Jan. 4th. This happens every year and this is when officers are elected for the next year. They handed Ms. Fisher the presidency last year because they thought they could "take advantage" of her. Me thinks they found a much stronger person than they envisioned. While they did inundate her with one controversy after another and deflected her from items she wanted to accomplish, they did not break her spirit and in fact she gave at least as good as the TALC group served up - IMO usually better.
Barnett is the likely choice, but I'm not certain she has the courage to step up. She begged off last year! I expect she will take the same cowardly approach this year. So that leaves "conflicted" Steel or Sykes to lead. There is no way with his conflict of interest that he should lead the board, but the TALC group will probably vote him in anyway. This group of people has no desire to maintain the integrity of office and avoid any perceptions of impropriety! Why do you think they assigned Steel to be the point person on the super search? Sykes would be a disaster with his baggage in a year they will put a levy on the ballot.
The TALC coalition has control of who will lead the board – so that leaves Sykes, Barnett and Steel as the choices available. IMO Steel joined the 3 for Children Coalition because they offered to support him for president this year.
posted by sflagg at 08:32 A.M. EST on Wed Dec 20, 2006 #
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