Thursday, July 06, 2006
Part 3 - NW Herald Columnist Takes Larry Snow to Woodshed
This is the last in a 3-part analysis of Northwest Herald columnist Jennifer Martikean's unflattering piece on Huntley School District 158 Board member Larry Snow. To read Part 1, click here. For Part 2, click here.
Finally, Martikean takes a shot at Snow for pointing out in his letter that contributions of less than $150 do not have to be reported by name.
I know not the columnist's experience in the rough and tumble world of politics, but I do wonder what she would have thought when House Republican Leader Lee Daniels was trying to lower the threshold for reporting to $25. That would certainly provide more transparency, but it would also have given legislative leaders even more ability to intimidate contributors than the $150 level, set in 1974, by the way (no inflation since then), allows.
Establishment politicians always want the ability to limit the size of their opponents’ war chests. And, the B.E.S.T. tax hike group certainly qualifies as the Huntley School District’s Establishment.
And, if that does not explain why some people might not want the Majority 6 to know they are contributing to someone whom they truly detest (I won’t tell you what Glen Stewart’s wife said while Snow was criticizing her husband’s qualifications for the $101,000 job he subsequently was awarded), think about this:
If not, she can only imagine what it would be like to have teachers not giving your child the benefit of the doubt.
I know that when my father wrote letters every other week to the Crystal Lake Herald, then a weekly, in opposition to a high school bond referendum (with the school board president replying every other week in our then-weekly paper), I got some really strange looks as teacher one told teacher two that it was my father writing the letters.
Fortunately, I was old enough that the looks did not phase me.
Finally, Martikean takes a shot at Snow for pointing out in his letter that contributions of less than $150 do not have to be reported by name.I know not the columnist's experience in the rough and tumble world of politics, but I do wonder what she would have thought when House Republican Leader Lee Daniels was trying to lower the threshold for reporting to $25. That would certainly provide more transparency, but it would also have given legislative leaders even more ability to intimidate contributors than the $150 level, set in 1974, by the way (no inflation since then), allows.
Establishment politicians always want the ability to limit the size of their opponents’ war chests. And, the B.E.S.T. tax hike group certainly qualifies as the Huntley School District’s Establishment.
And, if that does not explain why some people might not want the Majority 6 to know they are contributing to someone whom they truly detest (I won’t tell you what Glen Stewart’s wife said while Snow was criticizing her husband’s qualifications for the $101,000 job he subsequently was awarded), think about this:
Many of thoseIf Martikean has children in school, she will be able to relate to that.disenchanted with a school board that would adjust its check book by $524,000 in order to start afresh and have a chance to balance its check book this year ordisgusted with an administration that allows administrators to take sick leave when they are not ill orfed up with the ineptness of a board that had no clue that their referendum question would result in the Huntley School District losing millions of dollars in State Aid to Educationjust might not want those who can ruin their child’s lives know they are supporting Larry Snow.
If not, she can only imagine what it would be like to have teachers not giving your child the benefit of the doubt.
I know that when my father wrote letters every other week to the Crystal Lake Herald, then a weekly, in opposition to a high school bond referendum (with the school board president replying every other week in our then-weekly paper), I got some really strange looks as teacher one told teacher two that it was my father writing the letters.
Fortunately, I was old enough that the looks did not phase me.
Comments:
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Separating the fact that Ms. Martikean may be a "nice" person from her opinion(s), her perhaps biased, seemingly selective hand-slapping and seemingly selective chastising reminds me of a columnist from the competing newspaper who is also seemingly selective about who she scolds in a public paper.
I'm wondering if these two writers would be the death of Leonardo Da Vinci's ideas - ala "Aargh, Leo - why can't you get a regular job like everyone else, sit up straight and get your pencil out of your mouth and stop moving and shaking the world? People will never fly and no one will care who the model is for that half smile painting."
The priority of the coverage is also at issue. If I had a column to write, would I spend it on this relatively small issue (if it's even an issue at all) - or would I use it to "scold" the District (administrators past and present and past board and current board majority) that has been in the papers for 2 years now trying to spin the uglies that keep getting dragged out of the financial, etc. closets?
Maybe "my" column could focus on tactics used by tax increase pushers tied to the school industry who keep wanting the press and the readers to think they're gentle little spirits dropping fairy dust and crayons in their wake and not trench fighters - and that the idea of a call or a letter is going to make them faint! Oh, please.
Here's a column idea I think I mentioned before - if the District's independent auditor has been on the District's accounts payable list for x amt. of years for previous audits (which presumably include standard auditing tests and reviews) - why didn't what's coming out now about accounting procedures come out before? Um, or did it?
Suddenly, in 2006, only after Snow and Quagliano are on the scene asking important questions - surprise after surprise comes out. I would say that's a good example of cause and effect.
The previous years/decade(give or take a year) includes certain constant components (example)- 3 board members with about 8 to 11 years each under their belts. They selected or retained the employees or they selected the Superintendent who selected the employees. From what I can tell, they aren't people who don't know the difference between red and black ink, etc.
There was no invasion of mysterious robot people from space descending on Huntley, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills who somehow took on the appearance of District employees.
There comes a point where you have to (afer looking at the big picture and all the small puzzle pieces) you start focusing on the root cause of the problems.
Columnists seem unwilling to do that - I wonder why........
If it's because they keep wanting to defend or protect "nice" people - how is that truly being on the side of our kids or our residents?
If it's because they're bowing to advertisers input/pressure - how is that helping our kids or residents?
If there's a personality battle going on - let's all get over it and stop using it as a diversion or delaying tactic to avoid dealing with "issues" that arrived long long before any particular personality was even on the scene.
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I'm wondering if these two writers would be the death of Leonardo Da Vinci's ideas - ala "Aargh, Leo - why can't you get a regular job like everyone else, sit up straight and get your pencil out of your mouth and stop moving and shaking the world? People will never fly and no one will care who the model is for that half smile painting."
The priority of the coverage is also at issue. If I had a column to write, would I spend it on this relatively small issue (if it's even an issue at all) - or would I use it to "scold" the District (administrators past and present and past board and current board majority) that has been in the papers for 2 years now trying to spin the uglies that keep getting dragged out of the financial, etc. closets?
Maybe "my" column could focus on tactics used by tax increase pushers tied to the school industry who keep wanting the press and the readers to think they're gentle little spirits dropping fairy dust and crayons in their wake and not trench fighters - and that the idea of a call or a letter is going to make them faint! Oh, please.
Here's a column idea I think I mentioned before - if the District's independent auditor has been on the District's accounts payable list for x amt. of years for previous audits (which presumably include standard auditing tests and reviews) - why didn't what's coming out now about accounting procedures come out before? Um, or did it?
Suddenly, in 2006, only after Snow and Quagliano are on the scene asking important questions - surprise after surprise comes out. I would say that's a good example of cause and effect.
The previous years/decade(give or take a year) includes certain constant components (example)- 3 board members with about 8 to 11 years each under their belts. They selected or retained the employees or they selected the Superintendent who selected the employees. From what I can tell, they aren't people who don't know the difference between red and black ink, etc.
There was no invasion of mysterious robot people from space descending on Huntley, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills who somehow took on the appearance of District employees.
There comes a point where you have to (afer looking at the big picture and all the small puzzle pieces) you start focusing on the root cause of the problems.
Columnists seem unwilling to do that - I wonder why........
If it's because they keep wanting to defend or protect "nice" people - how is that truly being on the side of our kids or our residents?
If it's because they're bowing to advertisers input/pressure - how is that helping our kids or residents?
If there's a personality battle going on - let's all get over it and stop using it as a diversion or delaying tactic to avoid dealing with "issues" that arrived long long before any particular personality was even on the scene.
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