May 19, 2015 school board election and budget vote

[Wehner]

[QUOTE=4248;1527193]So predictable - so easy to say, "I told you so" -

Mrs.Christopher is backed by the same Dem Party Insiders and developers who have steam rolled Lancaster. This whole Red Skins thing for her and her friends is just a ploy to gain votes.



Just who are these insiders you are talking about.....how about adding some credibility to your post by backing up your accusations with names and facts to support your argument.. Without facts and name your post is just a lot of hot air.
Come on 4248 do a Joe Friday.....Just the facts....

[4248]

Sir,

First and foremost - does anyone believe that putting her on the School Board will bring back the "Red Skin" name ?

If so - then those same people need to rethink what they are voting for - This is what Mrs.Christopher and her followers want:

-Lawsuits brought by the Indian Nation - Court battles funded by tax dollars.

-Defeat of a Capital Improvement Program - one that by design will give our students a healthier safer environment to learn in.
-The senseless defeat of a responsible budget.
-Removal of the Schools Superintendent.

Watch what you wish for - you might actually get it !

How does any of that benefit our students or community ?

If one has been reading and following along here on Speakup, Facebook and the Bufnews - her story goes way back to her first run for the school Board.

Try re-reading related posts - all the way back to her first run for the school board - not just mine but Lee's and others. Read her facebook stuff.

There's a history that goes back to her past employment. Try asking her who she worked for prior to running the first time !

Instead of trying to discredit me - do some home work - make up your own mind.

I offered facts and questions - the rest is for people who care enough to either ask questions or to ignore reality and blindly support a person and a agenda they don't fully understand.

Lets take the Red Skin Mascot embarrassment - when she first started the facebook instigation.

Did those people know she intended to run for school board again - prior to her encouraging their involvement on facebook for the "Save the Mascot" farce ?

Did those people know one of her "Backers" was a high ranking County Democratic Committee insider, County Tax man. former Board Member Mr.J. (Hit & run) Maciejewski ?

Why hasn't she exposed who paid for the banners and when those arrangements were made ? Did the facebook people discuss and plan that - did they know it was in the works and who was behind it ?

Did the facebook members and her discuss and plan or raise money needed to bring two out of state "Indian pro Red Skin" people to Lancaster ? Who paid for that ?

Why didn't she or her "Campaign Helpers" inform her facebook friends who was doing these things for her?

You Sir(Mr.Wehner) of all people know how Politics affects so many things in Lancaster. Your family has been involved for years. I too have had the unfortunate forced awakening of how the deep their need for control runs.

Like I said when this "Red Skins" thing started - I said it was about and would evolve into putting Mrs. Christopher running for the school board - I said she had backers yet unseen - well slowly her backers were exposed and her signs are popping up.

Ignore reality if you will - some of us saw the writing on the wall.

[Wehner]

Bla Bla Bla....just the facts please....

[skoorbekim]

4248,

I think I understand you now...

Christopher is the main issue in your decision process.

Redskins is your red herring.

If you had to choose between:
1) budget victory combined with Christopher victory
2) Christopher defeat combined with budget defeat
you would choose #2.

[4248]

Bla Bla Bla....just the facts please....

When you and your wife had tax funded Party Jobs - you didn't care much about these things. Now your trying to get your dog catcher position back you need to have alies - understandable !

I'll just leave it at that - voters can decide what they want !

I guess you as well as Mikey don't care about who wins as long as you get to play ! So be it !

When you cant refute one post/fact - or want to avoid the truth - you play childish word games.

There isn't a chance in hell any candidate for any office would be fool hardy enough to carry on the "Red Skins Embarrassment" once and if they ever did get elected - its a lost battle.

The only thing they can do at this point is carry on the vindictive anti everything school board campaign.

Post the agendas of the new candidates - post what budget issues they believe they can improve - post a list of what steps they would take to improve our ciriculum !

I have asked Mike repeatedly - then he says he doesn't do facebook and he doesn't belong to the Mrs Christopher group !

Judging from his and now your posts - I pose the same questions to you Mr.Wehner:

"Post the agendas of the new candidates - post what budget issues they believe they can improve - post a list of what steps they would take to improve our curriculum" ?

"When did Mrs. Christopher and the people on Facebook discuss and then plan the banners openly on the facebook page ?

1) When were the supporters on facebook informed about what the banners would say and who would pay for them?

Why was that hidden ?

2) When did the facebook members decide to fly in the two out of state pro mascot people?

Why was that hidden ?


3) When did Mrs. Christopher tell everyone on facebook she had a "Anonymous donor" who would pay for plane tickets, food and lodging for those two people ?
Why was that hidden ?


And most importantly - why didn't she announce from day one - she intended to use the facebook supporters to get her elected to the school board again after dropping out before ?

Why was that hidden ?

[Lee Chowaniec]

4248,
Hypothetical proposition:
If the budget is of such vital importance to the community, would you support a referendum on the Redskins issue - the supposition being that allowing a Redskins referendum would guarantee passage of the budget?

Seriously Mike, you are willing to jeopardize budget passage for a quid pro quo compromise of having the Redskin name change put before the community by referendum? That’s the scumbag way the real world of politicos works.

By unanimous decision the BOE, voted into a non-paying office to represent the community, a BOE that has in all ways acted in the best interest of the community to significantly improve academic achievement, had voted to remove an offensive mascot and name from the sports program. They did the right thing – in my opinion and we shall see what the community truly believes when the budget comes up and when the BOE election takes place.

Yeah Mike, keep encouraging the less informed of the advantages of voting down the budget and calling for no tax levy increase – like cutting teachers, cutting academic programs, cutting modified sports programs, and jeopardizing the academic gains over the past five years.

And for what Mike, a vindictive protest against a proposed budget that increase the tax levy by 1.83% and where the tax cap limit calls for 2.61%, and where any tax increase incurred with this budget will be refunded next year because we came in under the tax cap limit; a budget where all staff and programs are retained.

If that budget goes down Mike, I will take whatever action to ensure the likes of Christopher, Depcynski and you will be held accountable for whatever unintended consequences follow. I have become so incensed by this stupid tactic that if the budget is voted down and a second budget follows, I will vote against it to ensure you and yours get what you want and suffer the consequences. If your group doesn't give a **** about the best interests of the kids why should I continue to support education when I have not had children in school for 25 years. And to think that two of the top organizers were former BOE members and the one is a teacher.

[4248]

When you hammered me for saying there were "Others behind Mrs.Christopher and a Political Component to her actions" you challenged me to expose who they were and denied a "Political Agenda" was at work !

It turns out you now say, "to think that two of the top organizers were former BOE members and the one is a teacher" - now I challenge you to name those you elude to !

Even when you knew who some of them were - you acted like I was making things up - Thanks for riding that fence again.

At least your consistent !

[Lee Chowaniec]

When you hammered me for saying there were "Others behind Mrs.Christopher and a Political Component to her actions" you challenged me to expose who they were and denied a "Political Agenda" was at work !

It turns out you now say, "to think that two of the top organizers were former BOE members and the one is a teacher" - now I challenge you to name those you elude to !

Even when you knew who some of them were - you acted like I was making things up - Thanks for riding that fence again.

At least your consistent !

Are you really that dense and sensitive that you have to piggyback on my posts attempting to discredit me? Wehner was right when he indicated you didn’t have the story straight in blaming and naming just the DEMS in supporting keeping the pro Redskin name. Republicans are involved in supporting the ‘keep the redskin name as well’.

Everything is politics. This isn’t politics in the sense that one political party is going to muscle the other over bragging rights on who provided the most the Redskin name support. There is passion and support for keeping the Redskin name from both sides of the political aisle. Is this political in the sense that Christopher and her ilk is using this divisiveness to gain a BOE seat? Of course it is.

The name and blame game doesn’t interest me as much as you. This is about the pro and anti Redskin groups who are passionate in their beliefs. I have sided with the group that favored the name change and so do you. But that’s not good enough for you because I don’t follow your style. Individuals posting on this website are pretty well informed. I am sure they know who the former two Lancaster Central School District Board of Education members are, as well as who the teacher is. I'm sure you know, right?

You call me inconsistent and sometimes that’s okay because I listen to others (both sides of the story) and may change my position. You are rigid in your beliefs and sometimes your facts and/or opinions are not credible and in need of challenge.

You promised to stay off my posts and I promised to stay off yours. You just can’t seem to stick to that agreement, can you?

[skoorbekim]

Lee,

Has a Lancaster school budget ever been voted down before?

If this one goes down, blame Vallely for not understanding who he works for.
(Hint: he does not work for the State University of New York at Buffalo... yet.)

As I've said before,
My BOE/Vallely antipathy is philosophical not fiduciary.

[4248]

I stated, "At least your consistent !" - sorry if calling you out, as you did me - sorry if I hurt your feelings - -

I never said only "One Party" plays these games - its just the Dem Committee Controllers seem to have way out paced any other group.

If there are Republicans or others involved - they too should be able to stand up and deal with their actions.

I don't mind being "Rigid" when it comes to principal - do I make mistakes yes and when I do I admit and accept the consequences -

Politics does raise its head in far too many arenas today - that's a major part of our societies dysfunction.

The media and many people are "Reactionary" in their reporting and thinking.

I prefer to be more investigative - who started some thing - why - where's it going ! Voters/residents have lost that ability - they react to what they read - they alter their actions based on perceived events.

That's how I was taught to learn things -

[Lee Chowaniec]

Hey Mike, ( skoorbekim):

Rather quiet tonight. Maybe like one poster declared that you were defriended by the pro Redskin Facebook crowd for openly advocating residents cast a ‘no’ budget vote out of vindictiveness.

Where present at the school board meeting tonight supporting the pro Redskin crowd? I heard that there were less than 20 of them. None of them spoke on the 2015-16 budget proposals that were adopted.

My understanding is that Mrs. Christopher addressed the BOE and declared that it is not true that her group is encouraging budget defeat. Really Mike? That is a lot of horse**** to swallow considering what was posted on this site by you and others, and on the pro Redskin Facebooks out there. But you have been too open about voting the budget down, did you get the boot?

As a teacher and as a former BOE member I would expect Mrs. Christopher to well understand the consequences of defeating the tentative and now final budget. If the pro Redskin group wants to continue pursuing a cause that has serious unintended consequences by changing the BOE make up, that is hers and the other pro Redskin advocates that have returned their packets and have to decided to run for BOE position.

However, if their agenda lies solely to bring the Redskin name and mascot back, they are not acting in the best interests of the community and children. Their attendance number at the BOE meeting was an indication of people tiring of this charade and moving on. Saturday’s march will tell of the strength of this group.

BTW Mike, your advocating that the BOE decision makers are a bunch of ‘leftists’ is ill founded. Check out their party affiliation status. This cuts across all political lines. Like Christopher is a Republican, Joe Maciejewski was a liberal Democrat; and so on it goes. The BOE made a right decision decision based on decency, common sense and what was in the best interest of the community.

What will be most interesting to me is to see what candidates the Lancaster Teachers Association (LTA) (union) endorses. The LTA usually acts in its best interest. Their best interest is to actually support no candidate. Let’s have at it with no outside influence. There is no need for a formal referendum. The voting booths are open for all to participate in voting the budget up or down, and for electing BOE members. Residents have to get off their butts and participate. We will see how this shakes when the time comes for taxpaying residents to cast their votes.

It's so damn hard to do the right thing at times and move on, right Mike? I know as I am taking a lot of heat from friends and family. But then, some are saying 'enough is enough' let's move on; that it is not in the best interest of this community to return to the past on this matter.

[skoorbekim]

Lee,

Iconoclasm is a method of the American Left.
Vallely and Graber invited UB Leftists to sway a pliable BOE.

I will vote against Buchert and Nowak - I vote against candidates more than for candidates.
I will votes against any candidate afraid of the Redskins name.
I will vote against any candidate supporting Common Core.
I will vote against the Budget - the tax cap rebate check is a scam - anecdotal Vallely stories concern me.

To quote you, Lee: "I have become so incensed by this stupid tactic that if the budget is voted down and a second budget follows, I will vote against it to ensure you and yours get what you want and suffer the consequences."

Never once did I claim to be associated with any group.
I'm new to the village, an insignificant tax payer raising two boys, but I am enthusiastic about May 19.
I love politics and I love voting.

Please answer my question - When was the last time a Lancaster school budget was voted down?

I do find it funny that the anti-Redskins people are afraid of a referendum...
To me that speaks volumes.

[abc123]

I attended the meeting. It was very lightly attended by the pro-Redskins group. 20 is generous. there was one speaker who took issue with a police presence at board meetings, which Mr Graber addressed as a consequence of near riot conditions 2 meetings ago. Brenda spoke denying advocating voting down the budget, but then raised vague concerns about it without a specific question. She seems to be toeing a line with this and other issues. While not taking a position against the budget, she does not discourage those in her group who are spreading that message. Just as while not specifically encouraging harassment, she doesn't speak strongly against it when she knew it was occurring.

Mike - regarding candidates being afraid of the Redskins name. If you *knew* that re-instating the name would have negative consequences for students (boycotted or hassled at other schools) or taxpayers (defending an expensive lawsuit) would you still feel the same way?

[skoorbekim]

Mike - regarding candidates being afraid of the Redskins name. If you *knew* that re-instating the name would have negative consequences for students (boycotted or hassled at other schools) or taxpayers (defending an expensive lawsuit) would you still feel the same way?

abc123,

It is more proper to police the criminals than it is to censor the law abiding in an attempt to appease those very same criminals.
Why let the bullies that you fear so much win?
A coward dies a thousand deaths...

Expensive lawsuit???
That proposition is, if not virtually impossible, highly improbable.
If you disagree, please tell me what law was violated (((besides due process)))...

[abc123]

it was a direct question. why didn't you answer?

there was no "due process" violation here. the state's position has been that native-themed mascots should be retired a dozen years ago. our board considered this issue for 6 months. it was their decision and everyone knew it. there were multiple opportunities for all citizens to have their voices heard. did you really want this issue to have lingered on and wasted the boards time for more months? i have to wonder if we should discuss mascots for a year or more how long should a budget take? or curriculum changes or other things that actually affect the district? are you a fan of a slow inefficient government or something?

lawsuits don't have to be ultimately successful in order to be filed and expensive to defend. it is entirely within the realm of reason that a student could have a case against the district under the dignity for all students act, and an enterprising civil rights attorney would be more than happy to take up a potentially lucrative challenge like that.

so, i ask again, if you *knew* that was going to occur, would you still support changing the name back?