Wake County school board member Debra Goldman is getting some backlash over having secretly recorded an October 2010 meeting at her home between her and board members John Tedesco and Ron Margiotta.
Tedesco and Margiotta, the board chairman at the time, were trying to keep Goldman's support for the zone plan. A few days later, Goldman would join with the Democratic minority to kill the zone plan.
"I was shocked that she recorded it without telling us,” Margiotta said Monday. “It shows you just how unstable she is that she would tape her conversations.”
Margiotta went on to say that the killing of the zone plan has led to things such as student assignment still being in flux, the Democrats regaining the board majority and the firing of Superintendent Tony Tata.
Since North Carolina is a one-party consent state, Goldman didn't have to tell Margiotta and Tedesco she was recording the conversation.
"It was for my own protection that I felt I needed to record that," Goldman said at today's news conference.
When asked what the protection was for, Goldman said it was "protection from accusation or allegations by those board members."
Goldman said the tape shows she voted against the zone plan because of concerns how it would affect her Cary district and families in Southeast Raleigh. She said it shows her vote had nothing to do with her alleged relationship with board member Chris Malone.
While also surprised it was recorded, Tedesco said he didn't say anything to Goldman that he wouldn't have said in public. He said he held similar private meetings with other board members to discuss the zone plan.
Those meetings are allowed as long as a majority isn't present. For instance, staff historically meets with board members in small groups or individually to discuss new assignment plans before they're released.
Tedesco said Goldman was concerned about how the plan would affect schools in her district, particularly underenrolled ones.
Comments
Under which scenario
Tue, 11/06/2012 - 07:53 — realisticAccording to Ms Goldman's recordings, Chris Malone denies a relationship between them in front of his school board peers. On record to the Cary Police, and in the presence of his two attorneys, he goes into great detail of a relationship. Under which scenario would you expect Mr. Malone to tell the truth?
It's not as clear cut as
Tue, 11/06/2012 - 08:41 — KeungHui (author)It's not as clear cut as Goldman insists that the recording shows Malone denied there was a relationship. It can also be interpreted that Malone is just agreeing from that point on to leave her alone.
Crack detective work!
Tue, 11/06/2012 - 09:54 — FSandYOUJust like an episode of Scooby Doo!