Thursday, March 17, 2011

Election Day - A Called 3rd Strike on Stackhouse?

Yes, Virginia, we understand that there's been a lot going down.  But, correct you are:   there IS an election coming up.  April 5th to be exact.  We know...we know...we haven't seen any of the typical Poli-signage either.  But...we DO have a 3 horse race for two seats:  incumbents David Stackhouse and Jill Camber-Davidson along with relative newcomer Tom Weber.  More on that to come.


Stackhouse's star has been tarnished over the past couple of years, for reasons we need not go into here.  .  He has slowly descended into a pariah of sorts on the school board.  Three years ago, he served as the Board's president.  Since then he can't even get voted in as the Board clerk.  Other board members are definitely not showing him the love. We're thinking it's not his choice of deodorant.


Recent events have people wondering whether this election will bring Stackhouse's school board tenure to a close.  We see a count of 0-2.


STRIKE 1
The first key vote heard round the community was his lone dissenting vote on the "RESOLUTION OPPOSING PROVISIONS OF THE BUDGET ADJUSTMENT BILL PROPOSED BY GOVERNOR WALKER " at the 2-28-11 school board meeting.  This resolution has since been dubbed the shorter, catchier,  'Tilting at Windmills' Resolution by a clever community member.


Governor Walker has declared war on all unions, and this was a meatball served up squarely over the plate.  Stackhouse's lone ranger stance on this resolution stood out like a sore thumb.  We're fairly certain that the large contingent of teachers and Local 60 members present for that  meeting duly noted Stackhouse's contrary position.  That does not bode well for Mr. Stackhouse.


STRIKE 2
Last night the school board had a pair of expulsion hearings, immediately followed by a board working session on the 2011-12 budget.  This is the board's first glimpse of the budget and represents the best opportunity to mold it going forward.  Stackhouse was present for the expulsion hearings but then disappeared.  None of the other board members seemed to know that he wouldn't be returning.  Certainly not putting one's best foot forward in the last 3 weeks before the election. 


Of course, the proof remains in the pudding...so we'll be looking to see how this chapter ends on April 5th.