Discussion for District III Election

The candidates for school board in District III, representing Northeast Seattle plus Montlake, Madison Park and Downtown are:

Harium Martin-Morris
Michelle Buetow
John Dunn
David Blomstrom

Please use this space to discuss these candidates' relative qualities, their positions on the issues, and your confidence in their ability and willingness to perform the duties of the office and perform them well.

Comments

Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
7/30/11, 10:02 AM
dan dempsey said…
I must say that in 2007, I found what I then considered the bizarre views of David Blomstrom disturbing.

Now I am even more disturbed by the bizarre actions of those in power. WOW ... look at the last four years of decisions by the incumbents running for reelection ... and David Blomstrom does not seem nearly as misguided as he did four years ago.

I am not recommending David B... but his wild thoughts certainly make one wonder about the real reasons that the gang of four is unable to make evidence based decisions.

Harium continues to scare me. David will not get elected ... but we could get another four years of Harium.
7/30/11, 10:26 AM
Anonymous said…
Harium is fond of trusting the source without question. His admonishment of Board Members questioning CAO Enfield's assertion that all schools were up to date with CSIP postings is now legendary.

Or, trusting TfA without bothering to look at the TfA website. His fondness of repeating "Why shouldn't we hire the best and the brightest," should be posted on YouTube: underneath his face a flashing sign "Only the best and brightest, all you need is a GPA of 2.5 to apply." It would go viral!
ken berry
7/30/11, 1:37 PM
dan dempsey said…
"Why shouldn't we hire the best and the brightest?"

I think we should vote for the best and the brightest candidates running.... if that happens ... Harium will not make it to the general election.

So who would determined that untrained neophyte teachers would be among the best? ... That would be Harium Martin-Morris.
7/30/11, 10:05 PM
seattlebeachgirl said…
David Blomstrom is a complete wack job. Not sure of the others' qualifications. Hope no agendas for them.
7/30/11, 11:56 PM
Anonymous said…
What about John Dunn and Michelle Buetow? Melissa, Charlie, and thoughts? Anyone?

- uncertain
8/1/11, 8:02 AM
Dorothy Neville said…
I support Michelle Buetow. She's been thoughtfully preparing to run for months, if not longer. She pays attention to board meetings and follows committee action through this blog and through discussions with those of us (like me) who attend such meetings and has attended several of the budget and other workshops throughout the year. She has a good head for consensus building -- good ideas that could get better governance and policy enforcement.

Read her Municipal League questionnaire. Actually, a good way to learn more is to read ALL the questionnaires that have been submitted and available on-line. That will give a much better picture of the candidates than simply reading the list of who they endorse.
8/1/11, 8:26 AM
Maureen said…
I'm supporting Michelle as well. I first met her when she helped negotiate between the TOPS and Eastlake communities (not an easy role), but now know she has a long term interest in Seattle schools that is broad and deep. She has gained relevant experience by volunteering for District Committees and attending lots of meetings. She has approached her campaign for office in a very deliberate way and has made a real effort to reach out to individuals and groups across the District. I really believe that she'll continue to do that as a Board member.

I feel like I should say that I was a strong supporter of Harium when he entered office and have talked to him many times over the past four years about a variety of issues. I have come to be very disappointed in the way he has chosen to blindly follow staff and disregard his constituents. I don't expect Board members to micromange, but I do expect them to govern. Trust but verify. I feel that Harium has abandoned that responsibility.
8/1/11, 10:02 AM
Anonymous said…
How could anyone vote for Harium Martin-Morris? He's so inarticulate! He doesn't say anything, and he can't write anything. He doesn't show any evidence of having heard what people tell him, nor evidence that he understands them at all. Is it any wonder he supports the status quo blindly? What else would (could)he do? Sometimes he apprears to proceed on some preheld value or idea. Unfortunately, understanding nothing at all, isn't even a noticeable deficit among his current peers.

-reader
8/1/11, 1:30 PM
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