Times Endorses Harris for Position 6
A little corner of hell froze over at about 5 pm today as the Seattle Times endorsed challenger, Leslie Harris, over incumbent, Marty McLaren saying:
They go on to say - in the first sentence - "Voters should oust incumbent Marty McLaren from Seattle School Board District 6 and bring in longtime parent advocate Leslie Harris."
They use words like "detail-oriented" and "analytical" and "transparency" to describe Harris.
They described McLaren as "complacent" and complained that she could not give a "substantive example" of her consensus building at their editorial board meeting.
They mention the third candidate in the race, Nick Esparza, as well.
Swinging back the other way, they chose the candidate other than Jill Geary in the District 3 race. I put it that way because the Times didn't even have the grace to name Geary as her opponent (nor mention Stephen Clayton who is also running).
This was a decidedly odd, yet typical, Times endorsement. They mention all of the candidate's experience including the fact that she is a member of the School Board Leaders for the Future group. Now I knew this because she was introduced at their opening meeting as being part of their leadership group. And now, magically, her name has disappeared from their website.
I guess it looks strange to be part of group that says it knows all the best practices for school board directors when you are running for the first time to be a school board director. (I'll note that the only person at that meeting to say they were considering running was me and a couple of people from Federal Way.)
The Times manages to bring in the dreaded "micromanaging" term and stress that their favored candidate will avoid it.
What is odd is that they mention her endorsement by current Board members, all of whom are exiting the Board. They say, "Having existing relationships with board members and with school district staff should be an asset as long as she prioritizes what is best for students, not her alliances or the teachers union."
Wait, what? They like her "existing relationships" but not her mystery "alliances." And fyi to the Times and all the candidates running - you DO need to have a good working relationship with the all the unions that work for the district.
Can't wait to see what they say about the other races.
Voters should chose (sic) Leslie Harris for Seattle School Board District 6
They go on to say - in the first sentence - "Voters should oust incumbent Marty McLaren from Seattle School Board District 6 and bring in longtime parent advocate Leslie Harris."
They use words like "detail-oriented" and "analytical" and "transparency" to describe Harris.
They described McLaren as "complacent" and complained that she could not give a "substantive example" of her consensus building at their editorial board meeting.
They mention the third candidate in the race, Nick Esparza, as well.
Swinging back the other way, they chose the candidate other than Jill Geary in the District 3 race. I put it that way because the Times didn't even have the grace to name Geary as her opponent (nor mention Stephen Clayton who is also running).
This was a decidedly odd, yet typical, Times endorsement. They mention all of the candidate's experience including the fact that she is a member of the School Board Leaders for the Future group. Now I knew this because she was introduced at their opening meeting as being part of their leadership group. And now, magically, her name has disappeared from their website.
I guess it looks strange to be part of group that says it knows all the best practices for school board directors when you are running for the first time to be a school board director. (I'll note that the only person at that meeting to say they were considering running was me and a couple of people from Federal Way.)
The Times manages to bring in the dreaded "micromanaging" term and stress that their favored candidate will avoid it.
What is odd is that they mention her endorsement by current Board members, all of whom are exiting the Board. They say, "Having existing relationships with board members and with school district staff should be an asset as long as she prioritizes what is best for students, not her alliances or the teachers union."
Wait, what? They like her "existing relationships" but not her mystery "alliances." And fyi to the Times and all the candidates running - you DO need to have a good working relationship with the all the unions that work for the district.
Can't wait to see what they say about the other races.
Comments
She needs to tone it way back, because the SW folks might like her rudeness, but I think others will find it a turn off. I hope she is listening!
Voter
Everyone else, you're voting for Jill Geary.
Voting for Steve
Have you met Jill? If you did, you would see where your suspicions are totally off base. She has represented parents in actions against agencies that were hurting students. She has acted as an administrative law judge!
But, hey, in your book lawyers are all the same and just call her Mrs Ron English. *phut!*
Hope Steve has better informed supporters than you.
north end mom of 2
I don't understand the relevance? Are you saying she would be biased? She can interpret laws? What do you mean by that statement?
:)
It will be interesting to watch the PDC AFTER endorsements have been procured.
You do realize your above statement makes no sense. You think his more informed supports will vote for Jill. *phut!*
:)
If Geary "excepted" those lawyer contributions, you should vote for her, right?
However, if she "accepted" them, then you might not want to.
Please spell, punctuate and capitalize properly when commenting on education-related threads.
WSDWG
I'm voting Geary.
You might try using Google before posting, there are numerous returns for change management.
It means she is for managing changes in the district using guiding principles. Maybe she should reveal what the guiding principles are she would use. SPS seems out of control when it comes to management. She also said she wont try and manage the administrators or superintendent, so whats the point of the change management statement? Is she intending on managing the board or is she going to create yet another POLICY the staff will ignore?
:)
As for more informed supporters remark, I guess I should have said supporters who don't say things like "I don't care what she says they are all in the same club and they all stick together..." In other words, supporters who uses logic and reasoning when they cast their vote.
Are we clear?
So she will put the district at further risk of lawsuits by pointing out the district's violations of law? I don't think her being a lawyer helps the district and it might hurt it if as you wrote "Won't side with SPS. Doh!". What did Peter Maier do as a lawyer to help the district?
I don't think your statements are helping her, because you still haven't made an effective argument why her having been an ALJ makes her more qualified to be on the board than her opponents.
Remember she is running for school board not lead counsel.
:)
Voter
:), and Clayton is qualified how? I've provided more "effective argument" in support of my candidate than your blanket dismissal and essentially zero argument in favor of your chosen candidate.
I have less than zero interest in persuading you, only in calling you out on your "they're all the same" rationale(using the term loosely).
You better get busy doorbelling.
I think one person's "abrasive" is another person's go-getter. I feel we have way too many "go along to get along" Directors and yes, I want someone who will speak up for transparency and accountability.
Is the Times trying to set up a battle? Hm, I don't think so. I think they clearly saw that McLaren had brought little to the table except her nice personality and her wanting to find common ground. For many of us (and the Times) that wasn't enough.
go-getter types, but that's not how she comes off. I truly believe if the rest of the district voters hear her speak they will be turned off by her. It looks like you are close to her, so maybe you can give her a little coaching? She has good intentions, but a bit too harsh of a delivery.
Voter
I'd quite enjoy hearing her reaction to some of the crazy ideas staff come up with. I wish she'd been on the board when Charles Wright was whining about how looking at bell time changes was too much work, when it became obvious that Teaching and Learning management was trying to undermine the board on the math adoption and when the district's inept, cruel and unsympathetic response to a child's claim that she had been raped was revealed.
I think a plain-talking, principled and intelligent board member is what we need.
I think if it comes down to Harris VS McLaren in the general its going to be very close, but if Harris goes off on one of her tirades in print, radio or TV then she will lose. Is there anyway Nick E will make it to the general? I don't think so.
Remember there are just as many people who think everything is great at SPS as there are those who know things are dysfunctional. I think Mclaren has support outside of WS. There are also thousands of new Seattle voters without children, how will they vote? When in doubt they avoid the candidates with the most negative campaigns. Maybe WS should be it's own district, because there sure seems to be a lot of negativity emanating from that area.
Voter
:)
(Lastly, unless you are Prince, no symbols - give yourself a name.)
I love the concern trolling of Voter. Do YOU find her abrasive, or, you're just wringing your hands about what others might think?
In my decades of politics, people like Voter: might be 1 of the 3 people who complain about everyone they don't like with term like 'abrasive' [negative, angry, ... ] and these 3 people actually do a lot, or Voter might be 1 of the 13 who do a bit and sling the negative / angry / bitter ... stuff, of Voter might be 1 of the 30 who really doesn't do much of anything. Regardless, I'd recommend that Voter gets his or her peeps to the polls.
There are a lot of people who listen to the whispers and innuendo from the 3, the 13 and the 30 because they keep electing go along get along don't rock the boat I-love-the-boss people like our current City Council, or the school board crowd who worshipped MG-J.
Someday the whisper people might have the knees and the spines to just stand up and publicly advocate for being
BossToadies
(Lastly, unless you are Prince, no symbols - give yourself a name.)
"Harris, who may come across as abrasive in her critiques of board policies and decisions, will need to demonstrate her ability to collaborate with other board members and find solutions — not just problems."
Why don't you guys start a campaign against the Times for calling Harris abrasive. It should be easy since many of you are united in your hatred of the Times.
I think the Times endorsement has you guys running in circles knocking heads.
The great Satan is no more, oh wait they didn't pick all your PEEPs. So now you can still hate the Times.
Voter
Beyond that, I assume most readers of this blog are blase toward passive-aggressive pot-stirring by this point in time.
And Harris is already in by a landslide, which the Times already knows. Their "endorsement" is to save face and not look foolish.
WSDWG
Voter
I've got a name, I've got a name
Like a singin' bird and a croakin' toad
I've got a name, I've got a name
And I carry it with me like my daddy did
Prince
And there you go... Prince. (With apologies to Jim Croce)
Now back to my regular broadcast.
Prince :)
I really really enjoy how Seattle "liberals" and "progressives" use this Joe McCarthy type tactic to express concern ... and ... smear. WSDWG hits it outta the park, again.
Well, time to get back to polishing my shrine of Bill! ... can anyone imagine what life would be like without Bill! Who would plant the shirts, who would harvest the water - we'd all be unshirted and thirsty!
BossToady
I lost all respect for Ms. McLaren quite a while ago. I can live with the tradeoffs of a little potential abrasion if it brings results.
reader47
I think the newbies might have the best intentions of bringing the hammer, but reality will set-in very quickly. Do any of the newbies actually have a plan for positive change in any area that can be implemented in their first 30 days, or is it all just election rhetoric.
Voter
I apologize for my rudeness, but do I need a secret decoder ring to decrypt your message? Read a lot of Allen Ginsberg do you?
Voter
--
"I think if it comes down to Harris VS McLaren in the general its going to be very close, but if Harris goes off on one of her tirades in print, radio or TV then she will lose. Is there anyway Nick E will make it to the general? I don't think so."
--
I say:
You are delusional. Harris will win in the primary and in the general by a whopping margin, because she can campaign and Marty can't. What is more, every one of what you call her "tirades" will be backed up by fact. She does, after all gather and present evidence for a living, in cases involving Fortune 500 corporations, with tens of millions of dollars on the line.
Your criticism of her is -- there's no nice way to say it -- pretty ignorant, and not at all credible. Leslie will be a great School Board member, and if you are capable of it, you will be embarrassed for having spewed your nonsense in this thread.
-- Ivan Weiss
As to Harris. We need some abrasive. Seattle-nice isn't cutting it for our students. McLaren is a 0 on the left. So is Peaslee and Martin-Morris. They are Seattle-nice, and not abrasive. Big deal. They are also useless.
Another voter