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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 2001)
Page 14 The INDEPENDENT, March 7, 2001 More Letters. . . From page 10 I found it very interesting that only two candidates had spouses worth mentioning. Yes they are district teachers, and they do have names. If spousal occupation is of such rele vance I would have appreciat ed knowing the names and oc cupations of the other candi date’s spouses. One cannot help but sense that there is an attempt here to show some sort of conflict of interest. This is certainly not the case. Randy Hansen and I are both con cerned parents and taxpayers of this district. Remember this is an elected non-paying volun teer position which we are seeking. To the voters, I can assure you that I would remove myself from any teacher con tract negotiations and that is most likely reassuring to many teachers because when it comes to government spend ing I consider myself to be fair ly conservative. If our spousal occupation relationship is a problem for anyone just re member that within our district we have two paid administra tors in supervisor/subordinate positions that are united in marriage. Last month I was asked by an Independent staff member why I did not seek appointment to one of the three vacant board positions within the last year and why I choose to run now. I attempted to politely an swer, but for some reason I sensed that my answers were not quite good enough. For the voters I can share that I have been vaguely considering this position from afar for about two years now. I did not seek ap pointment primarily because at that time I was not ready or willing to commit myself men tally or physically to the posi tion. Furthermore I did not wish to be appointed at that time as I would have otherwise felt an obligation to the other board members and less so to the voting public and my personal beliefs. As my interest grew I began to attend the regularly scheduled board meeting in at tempt to learn about them. Honestly I can say I have not learned much, other than I per sonally believe there needs to be changes. I do not know all the issues, nor do I have hard and fast answers, but I am will ing to work with the new board and superintendent to make our school a better place for our children. I attended my first meeting December. It was there that I first realized how few people attended. Whether elected or not I hope to make my attendance a future priority. Some might say that I am critical of administrators, you are probably right. There is a reason why they are paid their substantial salaries. Regard less of how much education, knowledge, and experience they may have, it is an opinion shared by many that they still must earn it. Effective two way communication is paramount at all levels; building rapport with students, parents, all em ployees, and the community is a responsibility that will trans late into trust and respect. Everyone involved must share in this, but a greater burden of accountability falls on the ad ministration and the board. I have not met, nor do I know all the current board members. I wholeheartedly be lieve that the current board is made up of some very fine people with many good inten tions and attributes. It is the groups dynamics that are in question. It is time for a from the park to the pond. They all share the same final goal, but the same trail as well. Per sonally I would rather see sev en individuals traveling seven different paths with one follow ing close behind and arriving at the common goal together. To serve this district one does not need a great occupa tional title, or be a financial wiz ard, but rather exercise com mon sense, be willing to listen, and then act accordingly. Al- Ptease see page 20 change. I had wished to stay clear of this stage knowing that if elected I would be working within the very group I am criti cizing. After all the “warm fuzzies" in the letters to the ed itor last issue it seems only fair to share an opposing view point. Though certainly not en tirely true there is a perception amongst some of the commu nity concerning the boards work. This can be somewhat visualized as a mother goose leading her seven goslings • Redi-M ix Concrete • R esidential, C om m ercial, Industrial • A sphalt Paving of all types BAKER ROCK • D rivew ays, Parking Lots and Roads 503-543-7141 44 Yrs. o f Quality Service! R E S O U R C E S FREE ESTIM ATES Info at Baker-Rock.coni 33485 E. CROWN ZELLERBACH ROAD. 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