What Do Snakes Eat While Dining Out
Below is a copy of an email circulated by Jason Grant of the Strafford School Board to the other members of the Strafford School Board: BLpatrick@metrocast; cbane1@metrocast; Rebecca Doty and more public officials from other boards.
It describes, if what is in it is true, a secret illegal meeting at a restaurant at which the parties decided to send out a pro- $11.2 million dollar school renovation flier. The vote lost last week at the annual meeting and they are scheming to win the reconsidered meeting this Wednesday, the 12th.
Here goes:
----- Original Message -----
From: jason grant
To: Anne Huckins ; Anthony Fallon ; Bethany MAthews ; BLpatrick@metrocast.net ; Cathy Mellon ; cbane1@metrocast.net ; Charlie Jost ; Charlie Morrino ; Chas & Heather Leas ; Cheryl Roy ; Dan Bisson ; dennisvachon@metrocast.net ; Dick Jennish ; Don Rhodes ; George Kitz ; Hill Library ; Jim Graham ; Joe Cicirelli ; John Savioli ; Judith Whitcher ; Judy McGann ; Judy Whitcher ; Kelli Magowan ; Laurie Moreno ; Liz Evans ; Marka and Nancy Brittany and Amelia Grant ; Mary Ervin ; MaryEllen Breton ; Michael Whitcher ; Mimi and Charlie Jost ; Missy Chabot ; Paul Eaton ; Rabecca Dotty ; Tony Fallon
Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2008 10:08 AM
Hi everyone --
Thank you all for coming to our meeting on Friday night at Cassidy's.
It was heartwarming to have such a large turnout, and we greatly
appreciate your passion and support!
It's a beautiful day, and the clocks have turned forward in
anticipation of spring. It's a great day to go visit neighbors who
you haven't seen since we could see grass on the ground. We'd like to
ask you to print out the attached document (thanks to Charlie
Moreno!!) and hand-deliver it to any neighbors and friends who you
think may support the school renovation.
Jason Grant
Strafford School Board
(H) 602-269-5452(C) 603-867-8153
Jason GrantMuddy Dog Media LLC(H) 602-269-5452(C) 603-867-8153
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Here is the flier they were sending out from their secret meeting:
Six Reasons to Vote For the Strafford
School Renovation!
This plan will cost the average household $1.12 a day – less than a small cup of coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts.
1. The School Board and its professional team have crafted a meticulous, well-conceived, budget-conscious plan to thoroughly renovate and update Strafford School.
2. The Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) of this project is $11.2 million dollars. N.H. school building aid will pay 30% or $3,360,000.00 dollars.
3. Taxpayers deserve fiscal responsibility. This plan is fiscally responsible because:
· Tax dollars are being wasted every year on never-ending short-term fixes to infrastructure problems that need long-term solutions.
· With every year that ticks away, construction costs escalate, and the long-term solution—full renovation—only costs more.
· Doing this now is in our best interest. Consider this: If we wait one more year and interest rates increase just 1 percentage point from 4% to 5%, it will cost taxpayers an additional $1.1 million in interest. All we’ll have to show for that $1.1 million is aggravation. It won’t have bought a single book or cinderblock.
4. Strafford School is unhealthy. It is structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. It is in blatant non-compliance with local, state and federal building codes. It fails to meet ADA requirements, National Fire Protection Act codes and Life Safety codes.
5. The very real prospect for state condemnation of the school building or a costly lawsuit for substandard conditions looms. These scenarios could compel expensive emergency renovations at full cost, since the town could lose state building aid.
6. Our kids, faculty, and staff deserve a healthy, adequate environment in which to learn and teach.
The time to act is NOW! Please vote in favor of the Strafford School Renovation Project, Wednesday March 12 at 7:00 pm in the school gym. Adult-supervised child care will be provided. Polls are open for one hour. Shuttle bus service will be available from the National Guard parking lot.
Thank you - from the concerned citizens of Strafford
It forgot to mention that you should neve trust sneaky, coniving, elected officials with $11.2 million dollars.
Ed Naile
13 Comments
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Reader Comments (13)
Give them some credit. At least they did not use the students as 'mules' to bring the flyer home from school. And they were polite enough not to annoy people who did not support their effort. Even snakes have scruples!
My bety is they did not have time or they would have. This is the bunch that bought 362 acres for a school and gave 290 of it to conservationists.
So in the end they have no new school, 75 acres to build it on, and it only cost $500,000.00 dollars. Such a deal.
Wanna bet the cry poor mouth when it comes to education funding.
The best way to treat this ailment is to vote NO on everything for a few years and send a message.
Why they think CNHT will not wind up with the materials is beyond me. I have gotten secret emails minutes after some superintendents send them. Ask Souhegan.
So, they had a meeting of school supporters and forwarded a pro-school mailer through their own e-mail system and handed it out through friends and neighbors. Why is this wrong? They didn't use students or taxpayer money on paper, printing or mail costs. So, what is the problem? They can't communicate with voters in any way to educate them? Is that your goal?
Yep, pretty much.
The school board has an email list made up of their own with which they sequentially meet to plan and discuss issues they control as elected officials.
They must have had some meeting or email at which they planned this meeting at Cassidy's in the first place, correct?
Almost the entire school board was there, so it was a quorum. They discussed who knows what else, but it was definitely a meeting regarding the school. This wasn't a baseball game or school play it was a strategy meeting regarding passing a bond.
You give up some personal freedoms when you are elected, one of which is using your seat in office for personal politicing.
They should know better.
The email was SENT to all the school board members which is a violation of 91-A.
It is called a sequential meeting.
The purpose was to support a construction bond.
So here is my test for you.
If the school board wants to eat out at Cassidy's and plot and plan to pass a school bond while calling themselves "concerned citizens of Strafford...
can they invite the contractor bidding on the project as well?
Freedom of speech and all.
(Yes you do give up rights to free speech when you are elected to a board. In fact, many boards ask you to give up your vote as well and demand unanimous decisions. Welcome to the real world.)
Plot? You make it sound if they were terrorists. So, is any e-mail that is sent to all school board members a violation? Your drama is just way over the top.
When losing an argument it is always wise to charge the other person with making an insane point. I see you have that down pat.
So back to my point.
Can a representative of a company bidding on a school project worth $11.2 milion dollars join the secret meeting of the school board and become a member of "concerned citizens of Strafford".
Take your time and think it over.
Would you think that a town selectmen using the title of selectman on a mailer to influence the outcome of a vote would be wrong?
If he or she pays for it completely by themselves it is no problem, except for the perception of politiking.
BUT!
You could not use any town-owned lists, fax machines, stamps, paper, method of delivery.
Also he should not venture into any personal issues such as I think the town manager must be fired - something that would hint at prejudice should a vote on that come afterward.
Use common sense.
The issue is called "Compelled Speech". You can Google it for any number of cases where elected officials have violated taxpayers constitutional rights to fair treatment with their tax dollars.
Elected officials give up some free speech rights when they take office.
Police can not serve on juries.
Judges can not campaign.
In NH, the AG's Office I know frowns on, and I believe, prohibits, employees from holding office because of a conflict of interest may crop up.
You can not hold a federal office or an office that spends federal funds, and run for federal office - Hatch Act.
If a person is so emoptional he can not abide by simple rules of courtesy to the taxpayers who fund his office he should not run for office.