Here We Go Again
If you thought that the Battle of Bristol was the biggest knock down that happened this week, think again. It couldn’t hold a candle to the Battle of Dumplin Valley, and I am not talking football here. Nope. I am talking School Board meeting. It has been years since I have witness such a sight from this group of seven and I must say that I didn’t miss the bickering and fighting. This week, three new, or should I say two new and one returning, Board Members took their seat at the round table. It wasn’t the newly minted that were having trouble playing nice this week, it was the old guard who were in rare form. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t always agree but they generally agree to disagree. Not so this week.
I have to admit that I really don’t understand what all of the commotion was about. I have seen this Board, or one very much like it, wade through building plans and the hiring of Directors of Schools and not degrade to the level that they did over a capital projects plan that was little more than a “don’t show up with more emergency requests” directive from the County Commission. Yet, the discussion became insults, going from professional to personal in a way that makes me wonder just what is really at stake here. It has been my observation that people, even politicians, do not get fighting mad unless there is much to be lost or gained. The behavior really does beg some serious questions. And, the kicker is that they did not even attempt to act on the second part of the County Commission request, which was to return funds left over from various parts of the building program to the Commission in exchange for the release of other funds and the money from a pending law suit. Alas, it was all for nothing.
Perhaps their antagonistic behavior is as simple as a change in dynamics bringing out the worst in people. Perhaps people are more like our animal friends than we would like to think. You know, when a new dog joins the pack it is an opportunity for others in the pack to assert their dominance and challenge to be lead dog. The Alpha.
Whatever the reason, it certainly wasn’t pretty. Vines has been installed as the new Chairman of the Board and I think that was a solid choice. I also think that he has his work cut out for him. Somehow, he must mend this fractured Board and he needs to do it before they have to come searching for favor with a County Commission that is wary at best. With some members of the Board looking to allocate funds to finish out the remaining $800,000 of the first phase of the White Pine School Project, gluing this Board back together has better happen sooner rather than later.
I expect vigorous debate from my elected officials. I expect that they will not always find consensus and that is what votes are for. What I do not expect is to turn a meeting into a free for all, with all the opinions flying around but not an ounce of respect to be found. That is the behavior of badly behaved children, not elected officials. Fewer Kardashian moments and a little more substance would be nice. We have some real issues in this County and some of them belong to this Board, to correct and to direct. This week’s meeting turned into a sideshow and that is simply not acceptable. I wish Vines luck. It is going to take some fancy footwork to find middle ground, wherever that is.
