The Left likes to tell you who scares them. One of the signs or symptoms of this condition is hyperbolic imaginings. Organized into a systematic hit. Like those on display from Manchester Democrats directed at Board of School Committee member Rich Girard. It’s not just THAT they are accusing him of inappropriate communications with a student (which sounds bad), it is how they are going about it.
Memorial School Teacher James Colby, whom Rich notes as a longtime, bitter critic,
“raised the specter of unethical conduct that crossed a “fine line.” A school board member, he said in a speech given during the public participation part of the agenda at our Board of School Committee meeting on November 13, 2018, had directly communicated with a student via email.”
The District is “approaching a dangerous precipice by allowing non-school district personnel the ability to… communicate directly with our minor students with no boundary or consequence.”
Oooooh!
Others suggest this is a safety issue or even that Rich Girard should be removed from the board of school committee for inappropriate direct contact with the student.
Inappropriate?
By now you’re thinking Catholic Priest scandal, or maybe Rich is a nominee for the Supreme Court. But as with all orchestrated hits by the left they “left” out important details. We’ll call them facts.
- The “student” is not a minor. They are voting constituent.
- This voter expressed a political opinion in a public space.
- The opinion was directed at the activities of the subcommittee which Mr. Girard leads.
- That everyone on the Manchester School District Staff and Students SAU37 Mail system can find and email anyone else by typing their name in the search bar.
- That there are no prohibitions, legal or otherwise, against using email in this manner.
- The communication was specific to the issue raised by the voter.
Not a minor. An actual voter. Engaged in Free Speech. To which Rich Girard (a public official leading the negotiations at issue) provided missing details related to the topic.
Oooooh!
Methinks They Doth Protest Too Much
The student/constituent has not expressed any dismay or distress at the contact to the best of our knowledge, nor have the constituents parents. The only people with a bug up their backsides are Manchester Democrats with a political ax to grind against Girard.
What is it that scares them?
I can’t answer that but the false-outrage and theatrics staged by the political left have served a purpose. We have come to understand an actual issue. The MEA may be deliberately stalling contract negotiations and Manchester Democrats are complicit.
“Because of continued misrepresentations by union officials that are stirring discontent within its membership and causing upset in some parents, as well as statements and actions taken by members of this board…”
Talking points echoed in the letter of the voter/student to which Righ responded.
“…the school board … continue to stall negotiations for the renewal of teacher contracts.”
The priority is to muddy up the chair of the Contract Negotiating Committee when in all likelihood those representing teachers are not serious about negotiating?
The Real Scandal
There is a scandal(s), but it is not that an elected official shared a public document via email with a voter. That’s no scandal at all.
Why are Manchester Democrats or their water carriers moving to obstruct open communication on issues between voters and their representatives just because the voter happens to be a student?
And why is the Manchester teacher’s Union being less than open to addressing every contract issue at every opportunity?
What do the MEA or Manchester Democrats gain by following that course or suppressing that reality?
The answer is probably political. And as the deadline looms or passes the teachers and students will suffer because of the union and it’s political cover.
Is Mayor Craig somehow involved, waiting in the wings to do what when negotiations go sideways despite the good-faith efforts of committee members?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see but it is clear to me that Rich Girard represents some kind of threat to the left or they wouldn’t waste their time with all this political theatre. A show that never ends.
Stay tuned. The curtain goes up on the next act any minute now.
