Whaddaya know?
Aw, Mr. Uher, you're making me blush. I appreciate your kind words. Yes, I am sure there are several issues we can agree on and several we can respectfully debate. Perhaps you may even agree with PATA on some issues. There should be a way that we can further pursue getting the School Board meetings transcribed. Perhaps with the 3,000 plus hits the PATA web site got last month or within the Pickerington For Kids Committee realm (please excuse me, but I can't find your web site. I had it bookmarked when you had the pictures of the overcrowding posted but I lost the bookmark), or through some other public appeal, we can get a volunteer or two to transcribe the meetings and even get the School Board to loan us an audio copy. Since publishing of such information would be of benefit to both the voters and the Board, there might room for negotiation.
Since we have found we can be civil to each other, can I ask if you have ever put yourself in either Ms. Oakes or Dr. Rigelman's shoes? I'm speaking figuratively of course, but can you imagine what it would feel like if you belonged to an organization where everything you said was summarily discounted? Imagine that you worked for an organization that you so believed in that you would forfeit personal and family time, open your life up to public scrutiny only to be branded in a most negative way. Imagine you volunteered for Civil Service to your community only to be publicly scorned by your peers. I could go on, but I'm working on that verbose thing; I'm sure you get the picture.
I would imagine that things are tough enough for the minority of the Board without our taking the opportunity in every public forum to further denigrate, humiliate and aggravate the situation. The minority votes their conscience and in a way that, in their opinion, best represents the wishes of the taxpayers and safeguards their tax dollars. I can only assume that the majority and their supporters feel they are doing the same. But when I weigh the amount of negativity portrayed publicly, it appears that the minority gets the majority. I heard somewhere that ''those that forget the past are doomed to repeat it'' or words to that effect. Do you remember ''Bickerington''? What an embarrassment that was. We suffered as a community by that label. I hoped that we learned not to air our dirty laundry quite so publicly. Regardless of how we feel personally about each other, the image we portray in public is what we will be remembered by. I think the voters in the School District accept the fact that until the elections, everything will be regulated by a 3-2 vote. It's only 9 short months to the elections. If we are going to publicly debate issues in forums such as these, let's agree to stick to the issues. Let's agree to leave the personalities out of it until such time as active campaigning begins and the candidates get personal.
Trust me, I get as frustrated as you over issues that face the community. The school board alienation, my opinion of the antics of City Council, TRAFFIC, developers, lack of infrastructure improvements... I avow to try to not make personal attacks, just issue attacks. Hopefully, you'll forgive me if I slip up once in a while, but you have to agree that some of the City Fathers get quoted making some pretty outlandish statements once in a while, and I just can't pass up the opportunity?…?…?…..
By Soap Box Hero
Aw, Mr. Uher, you're making me blush. I appreciate your kind words. Yes, I am sure there are several issues we can agree on and several we can respectfully debate. Perhaps you may even agree with PATA on some issues. There should be a way that we can further pursue getting the School Board meetings transcribed. Perhaps with the 3,000 plus hits the PATA web site got last month or within the Pickerington For Kids Committee realm (please excuse me, but I can't find your web site. I had it bookmarked when you had the pictures of the overcrowding posted but I lost the bookmark), or through some other public appeal, we can get a volunteer or two to transcribe the meetings and even get the School Board to loan us an audio copy. Since publishing of such information would be of benefit to both the voters and the Board, there might room for negotiation.
Since we have found we can be civil to each other, can I ask if you have ever put yourself in either Ms. Oakes or Dr. Rigelman's shoes? I'm speaking figuratively of course, but can you imagine what it would feel like if you belonged to an organization where everything you said was summarily discounted? Imagine that you worked for an organization that you so believed in that you would forfeit personal and family time, open your life up to public scrutiny only to be branded in a most negative way. Imagine you volunteered for Civil Service to your community only to be publicly scorned by your peers. I could go on, but I'm working on that verbose thing; I'm sure you get the picture.
I would imagine that things are tough enough for the minority of the Board without our taking the opportunity in every public forum to further denigrate, humiliate and aggravate the situation. The minority votes their conscience and in a way that, in their opinion, best represents the wishes of the taxpayers and safeguards their tax dollars. I can only assume that the majority and their supporters feel they are doing the same. But when I weigh the amount of negativity portrayed publicly, it appears that the minority gets the majority. I heard somewhere that ''those that forget the past are doomed to repeat it'' or words to that effect. Do you remember ''Bickerington''? What an embarrassment that was. We suffered as a community by that label. I hoped that we learned not to air our dirty laundry quite so publicly. Regardless of how we feel personally about each other, the image we portray in public is what we will be remembered by. I think the voters in the School District accept the fact that until the elections, everything will be regulated by a 3-2 vote. It's only 9 short months to the elections. If we are going to publicly debate issues in forums such as these, let's agree to stick to the issues. Let's agree to leave the personalities out of it until such time as active campaigning begins and the candidates get personal.
Trust me, I get as frustrated as you over issues that face the community. The school board alienation, my opinion of the antics of City Council, TRAFFIC, developers, lack of infrastructure improvements... I avow to try to not make personal attacks, just issue attacks. Hopefully, you'll forgive me if I slip up once in a while, but you have to agree that some of the City Fathers get quoted making some pretty outlandish statements once in a while, and I just can't pass up the opportunity?…?…?…..
By Soap Box Hero
