Folks: I had a little vacation in the hospital, but I have survived and am back on the front lines, now able to pull myself up to the CRT screen.
My husband has run around waiting on me hand and foot. This is a good reason to stay married for 51 years. You won't get stuck with nobody to hand you a crust of bread when you emerge from a hospital weak as a kitten. The poor old darling urged coddled eggs, toast, and tea on me until I rallied after not being able to eat for a week. It's a hard way to lose weight, but now I am glamorous if half dead. lee
From: lee de cesare [tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 11:35 AM
To: 'dls649@aol.com'
Cc: 'Susan Valdes'; 'April Griffin School Board Campaign'; 'Angie Manteiga'; 'patrickmanteiga@lagacetanewspaper.com'; 'Gene Siudut'; 'rgoudreau@tampatribune.com'; 'ehblake1@verizon.net'; 'goader@es-kay.net'; 'heavenfluf@tampabay.rr.com'; 'mschutz2@tampabay.rr.com'; 'pthomas5@tampabay.rr.com'; 'pwidlak@verizon.net'; 'srhopkins@hotmail.com'; 'thetwig@juno.com'; 'trtampa@aol.com'; 'vaughan88@verizon.net'; 'montolino@aol.com'; ''FredBurns'@gmail.com'; 'mwade1012@gmail.com'
Subject: campaign
Mr. Schmidt:
I supported Susan with encouragement and financial backing. She has been a disappointment to me. She says not one thing on the podium to combat the many flaws in the management of the school system. She lets the consent agenda roll by without a murmur. She rubberstamps Elia’s unwise management often. The board seems to think there should not be open government, so its members sit like statues during the board meetings and don’t bring out issues that need public scrutiny. They appear to think that open government is bad manners. They seem indeed to lack a knowledge that in a democracy we have open government with the citizens listening to the elected officials’ views on the issues that come before the board.
Now in this travel outrage, I see that Susan is indeed capable of speaking up to defend herself in that fracas unlike her silence on the outrages against the teachers and students. Would that she had devoted that energy to correcting faults of the school system on the podium and in checking Ms. Elia’s excesses. I cannot imagine anyone succeeding in public office who hasn’t the sense to know that this bloated travel budget could be her end of public office.
People don’t understand the less obvious problems that attend Susan’s flaccid performance on the board. But they do understand blowing money on travel. I am going to look at the folder in the Public Affairs office that details the travels of the board members. But I have heard that Susan’s was chiefly for attending award ceremonies. I hope this is not true. The education bureaucracy makes itself ridiculous to anybody but the dummies inside of it by concocting all these ridiculous gimcrack awards to give each other. If Susan spent money going to these flim-flam affairs, she is not smart enough to serve on the board.
This one dumb thing Susan has done could be your centerpiece for wasting tax money in a depressed economy. I have never known a board member to insist on cutting out any expenses after promising on the stump to do so, and I have observed the board for two years.
Were I the candidate, I would get flyers into every voter’s hands that I could on the travel excesses. I would also visit the publisher of La Gaceta and make my case to him. I would stress that the Bay Area Anglo and Hispanic community will never come together if La Gaceta automatically endorses the Hispanic running and the Anglos endorse the Anglos running. The separation of the communities has been a fact of life in this area forever and needs to end.
I tried to get Susan to learn to blog and put up a blog in Spanish as well as English and to say a few words in Spanish at every meeting to remind Hispanics that they have a representative on the board. I thought she said yes, but she does not say anything in Spanish, and no blog has materialized. I wrote her and April Griffin, whom I also supported, to make a place for teachers on the board agenda. They didn’t even have the courtesy to answer. Such contempt for supporters is not wise political behavior. Neither has their conduct on the board been wise or fulfilling of their promises to see to the needs of the voters and schools. The minute they walked into ROSSAC, they became part of the gang. They have fallen into step with the administration, and one cannot distinguish them from the veteran collaborators on the board. That is not acceptable behavior to anybody who cares about the improvement of the schools. If anybody wants to know the malignant mindset of ROSSAC, he or she has only to plow through the boxes of files on the Erwin outrage. That mindset still obtains.
I used to write for La Gaceta. Patrick is a smart and fair-minded man—handsome, too, now that he has performed the feat of losing a 100 pounds. If I were running for office, I would not skip a chat with him. I believe he will listen to you. He always treats candidates with courtesy.
I will send Susan and April a copy of this email. I don’t talk about people behind their back. I usually write the criticism down and publish it in my blog.
Lee Drury De Cesare
From: lee de cesare [tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 9:36 PM
Subject: Teachers' Political Forum
From: dls649@aol.com [mailto:dls649@aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2008 8:00 PM
To: tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com
Subject: School Board, District 1
Mrs. Decesare:
Thank you for your emails, your thoughts, and your suggestions. I do value your opinions and do reflect on them.
Our school district will not move forward to fund and close the achievement gap for all students until all mismanagement, real or alleged, is brought into the Florida Sunshine. As well, positive and researched methods to advance student achievement will always need board and district staff consensus. My opponent is no longer capable of advancing any idea, good or bad. Her quote this week in the Tribune, “I no longer trust anyone within the district” has sealed her doom.
Your point about school board members not always willing to openly discuss pressing issues is well taken. Too many board members like to speak to issues that are expedient to their political ambitions, not to district success. Few within the district staff or on the board truly understand the concept of “shared decision-making” which brings together the experience and intellect of teachers and parents, as well as lower staff. When elected, I will insist this concept becomes reality and those from the community who want to address the board during a public meeting are actually heard…and those comments are actually considered.
You mentioned her Valdes' “bloated” travel. I have discovered something else of interest. On July 7, she accepted a $500 campaign contribution from Manhattan Hair Academy, a direct competitor to o ur district’s Adult Technical Centers such as Erwin or Tampa Bay Technical Adult Evening School, Chamberlain Adult Evening School, and Leto Adult Evening School. I find this an outrageous conflict of interest by a sitting Hillsborough District board member. I doubt the instructors and staffs at those schools will be happy that Valdes is supported by a private cosmetology school charging three times more for tuition that district schools.
Recently, I did have a conversation with Patrick Manteiga. He does look great and our conversation was quite cordial. He is smart and influential, yet I know he will never support my campaign. His wife and daughter have already financially supported my opponent, and I doubt his support for her will change.
One thing though: =2 0More and more Hispanic voters are telling me of their great disappointment with Ms. Valdes and=2 0her arrogant approach to holding office. I believe her support has quickly eroded.
Mrs. Decesare, one more thing. On August 15, I will be attending the Tiger Bay Forum, then flying to Connecticut for a family reunion and a party for my wife’s 70th birthday. I mean no disrespect to you or the hard work you put into creating the Teacher’s Forum at the Columbia that afternoon, bit I cannot attend. My family will always come before political ambitions. Again, so sorry.
Hope to meet you one day soon,
Dave Schmidt
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Teachers’ Political Forum
Ask everything you want to know at the Teachers’ Political Forum!
We invited School Board members, candidates, and Superintendent Mary Ellen Elia .
Time: Friday, August 22, 2008 at 5pm
Place: The Columbia Restaurant; the King's Room
2117 East 7th Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33605
Price: $18.50 Cash bar, sangria, and tapas
Special Guests:
Tampa Tribune
CTA Officials
ROSSAC Personnel
School Board Members
School Board Candidates
Patrick Manteiga La Gaceta publisher
Teachers: Let your voice be heard, Now is the time to solicit responses from those who set the professional and political climate of Hillsborough County’s Public Schools. Ask about issues concerning the teaching profession including, but not limited to:
· Three -hundred minutes
· 6/7 Plan
· Text-book adoption
· Springboard curriculum
· Final exams’ grading scales
· AP -and-honors placement
· AP bonuses
· Hiring policies and practices
· as coincident with “We are an equal-employment-opportunity employer”
·
Let's take this first step and then have the fortitude to stick with things to the end and achieve our goals.
reservations: Teachers'politicalforum@hotmail.com
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