To no one's surprise, the school system is a campaign issue among the candidates for county commissioner.
In particular, sides are being drawn in the hotly contested race between incumbent Republican Kenn Gardner and Democratic challenger Stan Norwalk. Gardner is supported by critics of the district and Norwalk is backed by supporters.
Norwalk is talking a good deal about education in his campaign spots.
In one radio ad, Norwalk fires directly at Gardner.
"[Gardner] keeps promising to support education and consistently votes against needed funding for our schools," said a woman in a radio ad.
"Stan Norwalk understands that education is key to our economic future and that's why he's been endorsed by the Wake County teachers," the woman says later in the ad.
It's more technically correct to say that Norwalk is endorsed by Wake NCAE, which has about 5,000 members, most of whom are teachers. That's out of around 9,700 teachers in the district.
Norwalk is more general in his criticism in his YouTube spot.
"Due to chronic underfunding, parents' dissatisfaction with public schools is growing. Mandatory year-round and frequent reassignments split our community. The endless bickering by the Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education further erodes the public confidence. Understandable discontent is fanned by those who want to tear down the entire public school system.
"The solution to this problem lies in a system where growth pays for growth. I will fight for impact fees on new growth to fund school construction and I will focus existing resources inside the classroom where they belong," Norwalk says in the spot.
Gardner has his education supporters as well, including school board member Ron Margiotta, who is backing the three GOP candidates for commissioner. Margiotta attended a meet and greet rally on Saturday for the candidates.
Gardner also lists N.C. Education Forum and Voice For Equity as supporters. Both groups are critical of the school district's assignment policies.
The outcome of this one contest could determine which party controls the board of commissioners for the next two years.
Comments
Crook???
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 20:54 — Anonymous (not verified)Are you talking about Stan Norwalk and his PAC that acceptted illegal contributions from minors?
really stretching...
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 23:13 — Anonymous (not verified)It's not a PAC and you are pulling it out the minority card ;-).
Gardner is a crook and he basically admits to it.
Typical liberal rule. When
Wed, 10/29/2008 - 07:34 — Crying Minority (not verified)Typical liberal rule. When you discover that you're wrong, just cry 'minority'.
remember when
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 10:45 — Forget_not_the_...Do any of you remember when Kenn Gardner found huge budgeting errors (or you can call then ways to pull the wool over the eyes of the lemmings) in the WCPSS budget??? I wonder how many of the CC's take the time to really, really look at the budget WCPSS presents to them?
Also the way I see things is that Kenn is trying to get reimbursement for work he has done and that in my book is not crooked. The details, who said what and who did what will be solved in court.
Two sides to the coin......
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 11:26 — WuptdoKenn for the most part has been an excellent steward of the taxpayers money. I have talked to him several times over the years and is a regular at the Wake County Taxpayers Associaiton. That said, the $250 convention center boondoogle and the $30 million new courthouse being built "downtown" is a kick in the face for taxpayers and a boon to the ever so worthless, "downtown lawyers." However, I have no doubt that Mr. Norwalk would of voted for these as well.
As far as legal concerns with the Aquaditcs Center in Cary, the issue has been settled out of court. Nonetheless, I still view the whole issue as nothing more than smear campaign by the Aquaditics Center folks (don't want to pay for services renderd) and the NandO. I would like to believe that Mr. Norwalk just "rode the wave" and made it an campaign issue. When it comes to keeping politicis dirty in Wake County, the NandO is always at the forefront. Don't believe me, just look at a majority of their recommended picks.
I will always perfer to have actual "working folks" on most boards & Commisions. If you ever been to a WCC meeting, it is almost funny watching the Betty Lou and Vernon Malone trying to stay awake. Both are nice people, but I think it is time for the rocking chair on the front porch.
Kenn Gardner has my Vote
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 23:35 — KathleenBStan Norwalk makes some compelling comments regarding growth, however this is not what is driving the school board and the WCPSS. Kenn Gardner identified tens of millions of dollars of funds from the last bond that were able to be set aside for future projects. This is the type of oversight we need.Kenn Gardner has supported parents and families as well as the WCPSS.Kenn Gardner is a parent of a child in the WCPSS. Until someone has had to deal first hand with the policies and practices of the WCPSS, it is very difficult to understand.To read responses to questionnaires sent to all of the candidates by a coalition of pro public school, family friendly groups please visit http://www.wakecares.com.Stan Norwalk and Ty Harrell would not even take the time to respond and explain their positions.We cannot afford Stan Norwalk.Please vote for Kenn Gardner.
Confused.....
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 11:30 — WuptdoMiss Kathleen -- is Ty Harrell still "confused" about the issue of "at-large" seats for the School Board. I thought he had a big "hoe-down" complete with fancy lawyers to discuss this issue with his lemmings, whoops, I mean taxpayers. And he is still confused? My advice to him is to stop listening to the "status quo" crowd of the Wake Democratic party and listen to the people.
Vote for a crook...
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 22:09 — Anonymous (not verified)you need evidence Gardner is a crook?!?! You are kidding me. If that is the case you need to get your head out of the sand and pay attention. The people are so blinded by their one little issue they have no problem voting for a crook.
There are 2 sides to every
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 06:20 — 2 Sides (not verified)There are 2 sides to every story.
Which side do you believe? Don't throw out the word crook unless you have proof to back it up. The kool-aid is obviously affecting your judgement.
Other Candidates
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 16:33 — joeciullaNote: While the initial blog post touched on one County Commissioner race, there are actually three seats up for election.
Betty Lou Ward vs. Larry F. Tilley: Betty Lou has been there 20 years, it is time to move on. If you want someone to keep the School Board in check and support at-large School Board elections, vote Tilley.
Harold Webb vs. Venita Peyton: Likewise, Harold's been there a while. If you haven't met Venita, try to find a chance to meet her. She is pro-neighborhood schools and supports at-large.
I'm not a fool
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 12:59 — SideburnsDon't let Norwalk fool you. As we all know, WCPSS could build a school on every street corner and we would still have MYR and endless reassignments. More money won't fix that and Norwalk won't either. Gardner got my vote.
It's about what's important, not "more dough."
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 15:11 — Dadof3I'm with Sideburns. I'm not reflexively anti-tax, either. (I would be willing to support a bond, if the ed junta acted on parental feedback) I do not have a sense that the BoE(eR)'s priorities align with me in any way. Why do I want to reward an antagonistic BoE/WCPSS with cash? With the vague promise that "one last fix" will get things right? I don't think so.
I'm old enough to know better.
Vote Gardner
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 12:43 — joeciullaStan is a smart guy and I respect him for running. But Stan has never met a school problem which couldn't be fixed with more money, he is a proponent of social engineering in schools, and consistently defends the School Board. Gardner got my vote.
Nothing to be "confused" about.....
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 11:12 — WuptdoSo Rep. Harrell is "confused." That is a scary thought, especially ask to vote on a $21 billion dollar State budget. Do all those big numbers "confuse" him too? I bet all those "tax bills" he gets are "confusing" too.
Mr. Norwalk is a "Friend of Wake County" and never forget that. Mr. Norwalk thinks that WakeEdParnters and Raleigh Chamber of Commerce are doing wonderful work. Mr. Norwalk believe we should be funding our schools based on a "national" average, and not the "state" average. In the past, Mr. Norwalk has supported the "inside-the-beltline" School Board, hook, line, and sinker. Mr. Norwalk is a demokratic partisan hack from the NorthEast, and his "rantings" over a Cary Politics Blog will demonstrate that. I for one do not TRUST MR. Norwalk, nor can I afford the tax increases he will support.
"national" v. "state" average
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 13:11 — Bob_SconceI think the "national" v. "state" average thing is a red herring. If the schools are not providing a high-quality education and more funding is the best solution to that, then they should be funded more, regardless of whether it would put WCPSS above either average. Likewise, if the district is wasting money, funding should be cut, even if its puts WCPSS below either average.
ok, quit picking on the
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 11:35 — AngelaWok, quit picking on the "North Easterners", our pal Ron is from there too ya know?! :+)
Don't know what-all else Ty is "confused" about just know he used that specifically with regard to being "able" to vote for at-large...misguided at best-misleading at worst.....Brian Gossage gets it....
I respect Norwalk; Gardner gets my vote
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 11:10 — Dadof3Stan spent some time on the blogs here, he advocated aggressively for his aggressive budgetary views on education. (On the left, it seems de rigueur to "show your support" merely by enlarging budgets -- and nothing else. No offense but that's lazy and ineffective.) He didn't cower or rephrase to make it pretty for dissenters (ahem.) I respect his earnestness and tenacity. I believe he's thought his point of view carefully and thoroughly. I also believe that Gardner has an ethics conflict issue though I honestly don't know the details of it.
Gardner will get my support.
Not because Norwalk is stupid or that I support "crooks," (a calumny glibly trotted out here, as opposed to the balance of our august demeanor.) Gardner has the right perspective, as it relates to the role of a CC, as it relates to public ed in Wake Co. He trusts parents. Others have enumerated why, I won't repeat. As Angela said, there's nothing to be confused about here, (again, I respect Ty, too) but the only confusion is whether to support the parents or the amalgam of special interests that make up the Dems in Wake Co. What about this special interest, Ty: parents?
Note: ALL parties appeal to special interests in one fashion or another. It is always informative as to which they try to appeal to.
Teflon Ty
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 16:12 — joeciullaQuote from Dadof3:
As Angela said, there's nothing to be confused about here, (again, I
respect Ty, too) but the only confusion is whether to support the
parents or the amalgam of special interests that make up the Dems in
Wake Co. What about this special interest, Ty: parents?
I think he has decided which side of the line he stands on. I was really glad that his comments published in the N&O made it clear to everyone that he is doing all he can to dodge this issue. He won't be able to dodge it on November 4th.
www.takeourschoolsback.org
Who supports the at-large
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 10:19 — At Large Elections (not verified)Who supports the at-large elections? Kenn G.
Who voted against funding MYR? Kenn G.
Kenn Gardner insists on truth and transparency in WCPSS. He gets my support.
Stop funding wasteful WCPSS policies.
Kenn Gardner insists on truth NOT
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 11:26 — sachivalayKen G. did not insist on truth filing lawsuit against TAC.
Details please sachivalay.
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 11:47 — Enlighten Me (not verified)Details please sachivalay. Are you drinking the kool-aid provided by Stan N. the liberal media?
Correction; Mr. Margiotta
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 09:51 — AngelaWCorrection; Mr. Margiotta HOSTED a meet and greet rally on Saturday and education was the forefront of the discussion as well as the importance of the CC's running for election as well as Brian Gossage running against Ty Harrell, who claims to be "confused" about whether or not he can vote for at-large elections......I'm pretty tired of "confused" politicians myself.....vote for At-large elections for the BoE....