Calling All School Board Candidates

If you look within the Supervisor of Elections website, many people have already filed to run for the 2010 election cycle. These filings includes every local office, from state senators, state representatives to local county commission seats. Candidates do this so they can “officially” open campaign accounts and start raising money.

So far, there are no Hillsborough County school board candidates. Wonder why? I suspect those in office may be having a few doubts after this tough budget year. At the same time, those holding office are tough to beat, so new candidates…..anyone with a real shot at upsetting an incumbent…are hard to find.

I just hate to see incumbents win re-election without some opposition. Campaigning for office is the best and worst of energies spent….but a great way to bring out issues and agendas, as well as bring out ideas to help improve the system.

To remind you, Faliero, Olson, and Griffin will be up for re-election. Faliero’s seat represents east county, Olson’s south county, and Griffin’s seat is county-wide. Ken Allen said he has no interest in running again against Griffin, but rumors keep swirling that Dr. Earl Lennard has hot and cold interest in the county-wide seat. That would make a fun race with the incumbent GED grad Griffin, though I wonder if Mrs. Elia would welcome her predecessor on the board. While Griffin and Valdes are considered butt pains, they are, after all, toothless tigers in search of a clue. I would think, though, that Lennard could offer true value to the board without being overwhelming.

I keep trying to talk a soon-to-be retiring principal to run for the county-wide seat. So far, no commitment, but as a technical school guy, he could certainly upstage April’s melodramatic “My heart beats for adult education” line. He’d actually know how to get things done in that area…..and every other.


Ole Patrick Is At It Again

In this past week’s La Gaceta, editor Patrick Manteiga went off again on the district, this time for hiding the names of principals up for comfirmation before the board. He thinks the public should have prior notice….just in case someone wants to protest an appointment.

This idea has the foul odor of a Griffin/Valdes agenda. They have zero hand within the district, so they’ve turned to activist parents to do their bidding; see former Alafia principal Ellyn Smith, or any cell tower opponent.

Now Manteiga, who openly managed their campaigns and then endorsed both in his bird cage liner, is doing their bidding. What a guy!

I guess I’m just a bit old fashioned and prefer the educated in education experts within our district to pick the right principals than the Manteiga/Griffin/Vades triumvirate….or the general public.

posted by admin @ 5:39 PM