He Tawt He Deed and it Turns Out He DEED!

School Board candidate (wait...is he running...or did he withdraw? we're SO confused!) Gary Alan Naud recently updated us to let us know that he DID sign the Walker recall petition.
So, in fairness, we felt we should pass it on.

Our guess is that, based on how he signed the form, you could find it on IVerifytheRecall under "Gary Alan".

We like to present facts here...so here it is.  In the grand scheme of things, however, our bet is that the community values integrity too much to elect Mr. Naud to the school board.

Ahhh..vindication...it brings to mind one of our favorite characters...Tweety Bird.
We extend an apology to Warner Bros.

Mr. Naud's Wild Ride

Anti-Walker candidate?
Or  hoping to glom onto recall fervor to get elected??

Today's Journal tells us that all 7 Madison School Board members and all challengers in the spring election signed the petitions to recall Governor Scott Walker.  We wondered how things are in Sun Prairie.

Only 2 Board Members Signed
Of the current Sun Prairies School Board, only John Whalen and Jill Camber Davidson could be found on the IVerifyTheRecall site.  Hmmm.  What exactly does that mean?  Not sure.  But them's the facts.  Madison is 7 for 7; Sun Prairie is 2 for 7.

Did Mr. Naud Just Say No to Signing the Recall Walker petition?
The enigma that is Gary Alan Naud continues to be...well...enigmatic.   Here's a guy who's loudly and publicly suctioned himself onto the Recall Walker peeps like a remora on a shark.  Funny thing is we couldn't find his name listed on the IVerifyThe Recall site.

Wouldn't it seem that someone so coattail clingy to the Recall Walker movement would have proudly signed a petition?  Or is this just someone who's hoping to ride the Recall Walker tide past his shoplifting charge (and other legal issues found on Wisconsin Circuit Court Access)?  Just how anti-Walker is Mr. Naud?

Mr. Naud has had a wild ride.  He withdrew from the race in late February after some alert citizens became aware of his shoplifting citation, which was reported by the STAR.  Or did he just "suspend" his campaign while deciding whether or not he could ride the Recall Walker movement to election?  He lost the primary for a City Council seat, and now apparently is back "in it to win it".  How will this wild ride end?

He's Baaaa--aaaack!

10 days ago, Mr. Naud dropped out of the race due to information coming to light that he was cited for shoplifting. It seems he's changed his mind. Know what we love about this community (country?)...never a dull moment!


And he's running on an anti-Walker agenda (how unique!).
Will that drum up votes from the teachers union?
Does John Whalen need to check six?

1. 
   

   
   
2. 
   


3. 
   

   Gary Alan Naud

   The Reports that I have Dropped Out have been Grossly Exaggerated. Stand up to Walker and Vote Naud on April 3rd.

Breaking News: Naud Withdraws

In the wake of a flurry of activity this week, Gary Alan Naud has withdrawn from the school board election.  Earlier this evening, his website, www.justsaynaud.com, showed only the following:

---

Gary Alan Naud

After careful consideration and after my recent unfavorable primary results, I am withdrawing my candidacy for the Sun Prairie School Board. I appreciate all the support I have received from so many Sun Prairie citizens, and look forward to continuing to be connected to our community. At this juncture, however, I think I can best serve Sun Prairie as a private citizen, and I am eager to continue working in our community to make Sun Prairie better.

---

Crack journalist Chris Mertes, of the Sun Prairie Star, posted an article online earlier today that may explain things.

http://sunprairiestar.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=21&ArticleID=9690

Congratulations to Mike Krachey...who will now earn the seat vacated by Terry Shimek; and to John  Whalen for...well...being John Whalen.

Did anyone else notice that two years in a row now we've had candidates withdraw from the race for school board seats?  These seats are hotter than the presidency.

Whalen E-Mail - Crossing or Just Blurring the Lines?

Seems that there's an e-mail chain going around initiated by current school board president John Whalen in his bid for re-election to a 3rd term.  While we aren't suggesting that what Whalen's doing is a violation of statute or rule, we will say that it begs the question.  Actually, it begs a LOT of questions

---

From: John Whalen [mailto:john4schools@yahoo.com] 
Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2012 8:14 PM 
To: Adam Kristina Boardman; brian.campbell@kraftfoods.com ; Caroline McCourt; Cheryl Batterman; Dan McIlroy; Dan Deprey; Dave Joan Unmacht; David Glusick, P.E.; Dawn Moret; Dr. Reeder; Heather Reeder; Jan Kiecker; Jan Nelson; Jeanne Behrend; Jeff Zacher; Jeff Tubbs; John Bloemer; Karin Delaitsch; Kellen Dorner; Kim Erb; Kimberly Trent; kjkobussen@charter.net; Lorie Candelmo; Mary Swita; Matt Silbernagel; Matt Harms; Mike Gomoll; Mike Healy; Mike Nelson; Mike Larson; Monique Glusick; Pam Albi; Pam Klute; Sharlot Bogart; Todd Birkrem; Todd Sears; Tom Bernard; Toni Rossmiller; twoblondetornadoes@hotmail.com


 Subject:  Re-Elect John Whalen for Sun Prairie Area School District School Board 


 Friends,


 Attached, please find a brief flyer outlining my qualification for the Sun Prairie Area School District . I would like to ask two things of you. First, I would like your vote on April 3rd, and second, I need your help.  

Whalen didn't propose "looking into options" to address
elementary space needs.  That was John Welke.  Without Welke's
intervention (not Whalen's) the district simply proposed
building an 8th elementary school.

In order to get my message out efficiently, I would like you to forward this email to everyone you know in the Sun Prairie Area School District . In addition, if you ask these people to do the same, we can cover the District in a very green way.


 Please note April 3rd is during spring break and if you are going to be out of town, please vote absentee. You can vote by absentee right at city hall. It is quick and easy. Your vote is very important to me. Please contact me with your questions or concerns.

 Thank your for your support,

 John Whalen

 608-834-3340

  John4schools@yahoo.com

---

Election Rules & Campaign Flyers
One thing that is immediately noticed regarding his "flyer" is that it lacks the de rigeur "Authorized and Paid for by ______________" attribution, which must appear on any campaign material.  These requirements are spelled out in section 11.30, Wis. Stats., " Attribution of political contributions, disbursements and communications."


Sure, Whalen could argue that e-mail costs him nothing--and therefore he is exempt.  But it DOES cost him something to maintain an Internet connection with which to send it.  We also don't know whether or not any of these were printed for handing out.  The bottom line, is that --after 6 years/2 terms--Whalen simply knows better.  And we expect better from someone in his shoes.   He's not a "newbie" at this who has made an innocent mistake.  He needs to be doing it BETTER than the other guys.


Conflict of Interest?
The list of recipients on this e-mail (and perhaps there were other "lists") is a veritable list of "Who's Who In Sun Prairie".  More to the point, many of these folks do business with the school district, and therefore Whalen puts himself in a very sticky wicket.  Kip Kobussen--of Kobussen Busing-- has a contract with the district worth about $10M.  Should Whalen now recuse himself from voting on any future contracts or checks written to Kobussen?   What about the others:


Correction: we've since learned that Kip Kobussen is not a part of Kobussen Buses, as we've been told.
Our apologies to Mr. Kobussen and Kobussen Buses for the error.

• Jeff Tubbs (Findorff, who built the last $100M+ of district projects)
• Sharlot Bogart (owner of Teddy's Place, one of the district 4K sites)
• Caroline McCourt (co-owner of Beans & Cream, from whom the district frequently purchases things)
• Matt Silbernagel (with whom the district has done some multi-media business)
• Pam Albi and Matt Harms (Board of Trustees for the Sun Prairie Education Foundation, which has received over $500,000 in money from school district naming rights.

That's a lot of big names and local business owners/big wigs. Doesn't this put Whalen in a very awkward position on the board?  We've never heard Whalen abstaining from ANY check in the past.  Should he now if re-elected?  Furthermore, if the intent is for these folks to pass the e-mail on to their employees, there are statutory cautions involved with doing that as well.


Look...we understand. Whalen mingles with the "beautiful people"-- the "haves".  And in doing so, he cultivates new relationships.  But when these relationships could potentially result in business opportunities with the school district, the lines get blurred and the community starts whispering things like "influence peddling".  It just looks bad, and smells a little funny.  When one hears a community member suggest that the school board is in bed with So-and-So business--right or wrongfully so--, now you see how such statements or beliefs are born.


Over-Stating His Position?
Whalen's flyer states, "It is projected that we will run out of space in our elementary schools in the next few years. Instead of rushing ahead to build a new elementary school, I support looking for options for addressing the space needs. "  


Funny...but we don't recall Mr. Whalen coming up with that idea.  In fact, had it not been for board member John Welke motioning to create an Ad Hoc committee to explore space options, it sure looked like the board was moving directly to building an 8th elementary school.   Whalen never expressed such an idea before, when the board agenda item was the timeline for an 8th elementary school.   Sensing the community is not so hot about building yet ANOTHER school right now, is Whalen now simply stealing Welke's thunder?  


In fact , 3 years ago, when Whalen was re-elected, Welke was running as a Write-In candidate.  Many in the community believed then that a significant number of votes that Whalen received were due to confusion over the two names.  If that was the case, it looks like Whalen is once again hitching a ride on Welke's star.


But "Green" Sounds So Chic
"...we can cover the district in a green way" is like spraying Febreze on a soiled carpet. It may mask the odor temporarily, but the soil still remains.  Other candidates are printing buttons and flyers.  Is Whalen really so "green" thinking?  Or is the "green" tagline tossed in there to avoid people from thinking he's just lazy or cheap?


What We Really Are Dying To Know
Who exactly are the "two blond tornadoes"?  John?  Ferris Bueller?  Anyone!  Do Tell.

Meet Gary Alan Naud, Candidate for SPASD School Board

Many of you have asked...who is this new name in the school board race?  Who is this Gary Naud guy?.
We figured we'd just ask him to tell the community about himself...and he was kind enough to provide the following:


I am running for Sun Prairie City Council and Sun Prairie School Board to deepen my connection with the families and kids that I work with every day. Our city is a beautiful, enriching environment for raising a family. We take pride in our Main Street, local stores, roads and parks, schools, and community centers. I am connected to our families– I will meet with the people who want to speak with me, and stay in constant contact with my constituents. 

As an afterschool teacher and daycare provider, I work with parents and address their children’s growth and development needs. I was the U.S. Census district coordinator for Sun Prairie and have experience working “on the ground,” serving my neighbors and working with the government. Additionally, from my years as a store manager, I know how to run a business and manage finances. I know how to work with people, build productive collaborations, and have extensive experience in hiring the right people for the tasks needed at hand. 


Too many government decisions are based on hot tempers and hot headlines. Decisions about the future — the future of our children and our city — should be based on evidence, not hotheaded politics. I have many connections to the scientific community at UW-Madison, including several close colleagues who study economics, child development, education, and intergroup relations. These advisors keep me connected to the latest scientific data that are relevant to the needs of our schools and our city. We need to make thoughtful, well-reasoned decisions that will actually improve our community and schools. 


I've met many people who yearn to be involved in our local government. I will be their messenger and satisfy their desire to be connected. My primary duty is representing the concerns and opinions of my Sun Prairie neighbors. I will maintain transparency and keep open communication with our citizens – through neighborhood outreach, social media, and by continuing to be an integrated member of the community. 


I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible, and cannot wait to build the bridge we need between the people of Sun Prairie and our local government.


--Gary Alan Naud - City Council and School Board, Sun Prairie


Feel free to contact Gary with any comments or questions at:
e-mail: garyalannaud@gmail.com
Facebook.com: GaryAlanNaud
Twitter.com: GaryAlanNaud

...and long-time readers will recall that we have a penchant for identifying celebrity look-a-likes for our community leaders.  We hope Mr. Naud will play along and won't be offended.  We couldn't help but see the resemblance to action film star Jason Statham.  Ok...so maybe he has friendlier eyes.

We Got Us a Horse Race!

2 school board seats are up (Shimek and Whalen)
1 incumbent (Shimek) is not vying for re-election.
That means at least one new face at the table.

3 people submitted nomination papers:

• Mike Krachey (current school board FTT Committee member)
• Gary Naud (the "new guy")
• John Whalen (6 year incumbent)

Mr. Naud presents a curious addition as he may be making a bit of history.  Not only is he running for one of the school board seats, but he is also a candidate for the District 4 aldermanic seat (Mary Polenske, incumbent).  He has spoken one and possibly attended a second school board meeting.

We can tell you that in the past 22 years no individual has run for both offices simultaneously.  Frankly we suspect it's never been done.  Former school board member David Stackhouse often told folks (off the record) that it was his personal goal to "be the first" to serve on both the school board and the City Council.

Could Mr. Naud make history?
Could we have TWO new faces on the school board?
Has the district simply had enough of John Whalen, who really has not shown an ability to have an independent thought?

Oh what an interesting spring it will be!

December 1 means School Board Nomination Paper Time!

It's that time again!
December 1 marks the date on which those interested in running for the Sun Prairie School Board can start circulating nomination papers.   All it requires is a cakewalk 100 signatures.
We've already heard rumors of several potential candidates...possibly enough to require a primary!

The seats available this year are (at least currently occupied by) John Whalen and Terry Shimek.
Will they even run for re-election????

Whalen hasn't been looking so hot lately...with all the squirmingly unprofessional body language he's shown at the board table.  Shimek is well....the King of all Flip Flops and a Teller of Tall Tales.  Neither is serving the taxpayers of this community, particularly senior citizens.

Who's that in the back of the room at recent school board meetings?
Some folks have identified an individual seen at the back of the room at recent school board meetings as Missy Vervoort-Landsness.   A member of the Eastside parent group, could she be on an advance scouting mission in anticipation of a run for the board?  Word has it she's precisely what Culver is looking for as one of his "bosses".

Stay tuned