Wake County school board candidate Cathy Truitt said today she will serve on the board if she wins Tuesday's District 2 runoff election.
“It may be improbable that I'm elected, but if I am, I will take the oath and serve,” she told N&O reporter Cathy Truitt. “I made that commitment to the children.”
Truitt finished a distant second to John Tedesco in the Oct. 6 elections, and quickly requested a runoff. She later conceded the race and tried to take back her request after early voting had begun.
But Truitt never officially withdrew her candidacy, and the state Board of Elections last week decided to go forward with the runoff.
Bruce Siceloff reports on traffic and transportation. A News & Observer reporter and editor since 1976, he took over the 
Comments
here's another
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 10:41 — AngelaWhere's another "vacancy",
Durham School Superintendent Dr. Carl E. Harris has resigned.
An internal memo was circulated amongst high school principals Monday morning confirming the news. District officials said he's accepted a position as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education for Policy and Strategic Initiatives with the U.S. Department of Education within the Obama administration
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7095002
Maybe Obama wants D Burns as
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 10:45 — changewcpssMaybe Obama wants D Burns as well? We can throw in C Dulaney and make it a 2 for 1 deal.
Uhh....
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 10:54 — Bob_SconceDoesn't the federal government have enough empire-building administrators?
Why yes they do.
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 11:05 — changewcpssWhy yes they do. Considering Obama's track record for choosing ineffective administrators with questionable pasts I suggest we might throw a couple of our own into the pot. They would finally feel at home.
ROFL!!!
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 11:06 — AngelaWROFL!!!
I heard she is meeting with
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 09:33 — CaryCurmudgeonI heard she is meeting with Brett Favre today to get more advice on the matter.
Funny, but I hope she is not
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 10:07 — woodstockFunny, but I hope she is not as successful in her comeback as Farve has been in his.
<snort>
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 09:51 — AngelaW<snort>
I applaud Truitt, she doesn't want "OLD" BoE in charge either
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 11:29 — mike_caryI applaud Truitt, she realizes that a "vacant" seat in November becomes an appointed "Status Quo" seat.
She evidently doesn't want "OLD" BoE in charge either!
so if she "wins" she'll hold the seat hopefully long enough for the new board to be sworn in. Then she can resign so Tedesco can take his rightful spot!
Of course, she WON"T win. But I still think a Truitt seat for a month or so is better than a VACANT seat.
I'll take an
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 10:08 — changewcpssI'll take an indecisive schitzo C Truitt over Door #3 status quo puppet anyday. After our busy weekend though, J Tedesco should win by a landslide. We can do this. Remind all you know to vote tomorrow.
Landslide or rockslide
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 12:14 — g88ky07either works for me!
I'll take a Mississippi
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 12:19 — changewcpssI'll take a Mississippi mudslide at the corner bar once this lunacy is behind us.
As I understand it, the seat
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 08:57 — woodstockAs I understand it, the seat would not be considered vacant until the new board is seated, until then it is Tart's seat. It is a moot point, however, as I anticipate voters showing up in droves to elect John Tedesco on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd.
No vacancy
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 09:16 — SDR256As I understand it we can expect no vacancy. Yes, it is Tart's seat until the new board is seated. We expect that D2 will vote for John Tedesco (please please please!). But Cathy never withdrew, so she in fact is running against him. If (god forbid) he loses, Cathy has stated that she will serve. No vacancy.
Actually, its better than the worst-case scenario which is that she would have withdrawn and the existing board would have named a pure status-quo supporter. This would have been what the NAACP would have wanted, as Cathy - two days after standing with the Friends of Diversity - stated that "Forced busing is Dead". I bet they were stunned. That said, I cannot believe that there is an existing scenario which is so bad that it is actually worse than having Cathy Truitt as the egomaniacal, schizophrenic swing vote. But there is.
Ehh...
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 11:41 — Bob_SconceWhat makes you think she'd resign?
She will have no opportunity
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 08:52 — woodstockShe will have no opportunity to resign; I have tremendous faith in people and they will get out to vote on Tuesday and elect Tedesco by an overwhelming percentage, ending this craziness once and for all.
I agree. Whatever her
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 11:32 — CaryCurmudgeonI agree. Whatever her motives, now is not the time to be attacking her.
Nothing to see here... move along...
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 10:53 — Bob_SconceIs she campaigning? She had, what, $600 left in her campaign? Plus, she hasn't withdrawn her endorsement of JT. This statement is a non-sequitor.
If anything, this is a good thing, because it takes the wind out of the sails of the status quo crowd. If she said "I will decline," then the Board gets to decide, and the status quo supporters have some hope to get somebody they like to fill the seat.
After the democratic primary, if somebody had asked Hillary Clinton "If, by some chance, you get enough write-in votes to be President, will you take the job," of course her true answer would have been "yes." I think it's about the same thing here. (Of course, I think HC would have had the sense to say "We all know that's not going to happen, which is why I endorsed Obama." Truitt could have said the same thing, but she doesn't have the politician's ability to not answer direct questions that Clinton has.)
Arts teach children reading, writing, arithmetic
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 09:50 — AngelaWhttp://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6324917/
Vote for Tedesco & check out TAP
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 09:35 — btwalshReporters Collins & Raynor, I am disappointed in your shallow investigative reporting in today's article http://www.newsobserver.com/home/story/168903.html. Suggest you check out Teacher Advancement Program (TAP)being used in WCPSS to address teaching in impoverished communities (sponsored by current BoE member Eleanor Goettee). TAP is the type of program newly elected board members want to see replicated in community based schools, guess what? It works! links listed below. "The program provides for performance based compensation offering competitive salaries to those who teach in "hard-to-staff" subjects and schools." Suggest you do some more research before you publish next time. Go to WCPSS website and type in TAP.
http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2009/10/wilburn_element.html. http://www.tapsystem.org/. http://www.wcpss.net/news/2008_may20_tap/.
Vote for Tedesco, he resolves issues. Don't vote for Truitt - she creates issues.
TAP
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 16:34 — anxious2010TAP is only being funded in Title I schools and is extremely costly. How on earth, even with all the implied "house-cleaning" regarding Wake's budget can this program be implemented in the soon to come high poverty schools? Just because there are good ideas out there, that doesn't mean any Board of Ed in Wake will be able to make funding appear out of thin air, unless, of course, they're willing to go to the people in the form of a bond or ask for a tax increase.
I want to see one of the
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 08:41 — dryeraseuserI want to see one of the news stations, get a reporter and request an interview with her and ask her, point blank.."What is your plan?" "Why have you said all this and changed your mind so many times?"..and...."Why should anyone in Wake County in their right mind, vote for you?"
I want to give her some air time...but I want a good investigative report to fire some hard questions at her, and watch her squirm! This woman, is DANGEROUS...just damn DANGEROUS. I'm going to pray very hard between now and Tuesday evening, for the people with common sense go to the polls and vote in John for WCPSS board member for Dist. 2.
JOHN TEDESCO IS THE ONLY CHOICE!
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 12:25 — g88ky07JOHN TEDESCO IS THE ONLY CHOICE!
Bipolar?
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 08:31 — BlawgDawgI keep going back and forth (get it?) on whether Truitt is or isn't.
Second that, but a detailed diagnosis...
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 21:47 — Its_the_parents......would conclude:
"Confirmed narcissistic disorder, with profound Borderline Personality symptoms"
This person is clearly disturbed and needs to schedule couch time ASAP
It seems her lunacy knows no bounds...
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 08:33 — concerned2We all knew that technically, Mrs. Truitt could, in fact, be seated on the board if she garnered the most votes, but some of us thought that perhaps she'd learned her lessons and would just be quiet. I guess there's plenty of time between now and 7:30pm Tuesday night for her to make a grab for the headlines yet again, so hang on.
For a supposedly educated woman, Mrs. Truitt has acted like anything but. She's so self-centered that if she can't be queen of the school board, she doesn't want anyone else to be able to do anything with it.
For example:
* The NAACP wouldn't know this race even existed except that Mrs. Truitt began throwing the "resegregation" accusation around when it was apparent she couldn't win.
* She made baseless accusations against Ron Margiotta and others that they wanted to fire Del Burns so she could ruin their chances of trying to work with the supt.
* There was no political sense in requesting a runoff when the margin between her and Mr. Tedesco was so great. When the N&O wrote that she could be a "kingmaker", she went full speed ahead!
* She lied about reaching out to the Tedesco campaign when they never heard from her between election night and the day she endorsed Tedesco.
* She has vacillated wildly between her version of the 'facts', what her opponents will or will not do, and whether or not she wants to run.
Supposedly, this woman was an educator for years. God have mercy on her poor students. I pray that they had some sane instructors along the way to undo the damage this pitiful woman must have done
If there's someone out there who really cares about her, they might want to do an intervention.
At any rate, this will all be over Tuesday.
VOTE FOR JOHN TEDESCO ON TUESDAY, NOV. 3!
.
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 08:34 — concerned2.
Even under a strict system
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 06:17 — AngelaWEven under a strict system of neighborhood schools, Wake would remain more integrated than many school systems across the country, said Jacob Vigdor, a Duke economics professor who studies residential segregation and education policy.
"You're not going to have a Detroit-style phenomenon in Wake County," Vigdor said.
The Charlotte system, however, is only 34 percent white, state data show. In Wake, more than half of students are white.
http://www.newsobserver.com/home/story/168903.html
the key phrase from Vigdor
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 20:19 — jeannie84the key phrase from Vigdor (which you omitted, Angela) is "Wake's countywide system would keep the schools from dividing along city boundaries" -- but I've heard more than one source indicate that Ron Margiotta's plan is to divide Wake back into at least two systems, city and county, and viola, Raleigh = Detroit, Atlanta, etc.
First, I've not heard Ron
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 09:49 — jenmanFirst, I've not heard Ron say that he wants to divide the system into city and county. Second, the candidates were all asked about splitting the system in the Indy questionnaire. Malone and Goldman both said that they didn't support doing so. Prickett didn't answer that particular questionnaire but I don't think she's ever said anything about splitting the system.
This is just more fear mongering.
Did any of those "sources"
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 07:20 — woodstockDid any of those "sources" include Margiotta himself? No?Didn't think so.
There was a movement in
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 07:08 — sstarksThere was a movement in Mecklenburg County several years ago to divide our huge system into several smaller ones. But even the leaders of this movement acknowledged that it could not be done without the approval of the state legislature, which probably will never be granted, politics in this state being what they are. Wake County cannot be divided into 2 or more districts without consent of the state, no matter what the school board would like to do.
Stop the uninformed fear mongering!
We Will Never Be Detroit!
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 00:55 — MamaLynnI lived in Detroit for 1 year...trust me...Raleigh will never be Detroit. Thank goodness for that!
Au contraire
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 06:17 — Dadof3Any place in the world can become like Detroit. All it takes is voter laziness and obsequiousness to groups that purport to represent your interests (but merely further the leader's own interests.)
because JEANNIE, what's the
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 23:14 — AngelaWbecause JEANNIE, what's the diff? a local school district BOE does not have the authority to divide a system. And WCPSS won't ever compare to Detroit
your sources need to check again, Ron plays piano I believe...
Heard from whom?
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 22:30 — TrailerParkGirlMy understanding is that a local school district BOE does not have the authority to divide a system. That authority lies at the state level and would have a snowball's chance in you know what. Therefore, there is no voila. Perhaps your sources have spent too much time thinking about the bogeyman around Halloween or are intentionally fearmongering.
Secondly, Raleigh is NOTHING like Detroit, so to compare it to Detroit is nonsense, unless you are going to argue that bussing does a better job of saving disappearing jobs than it does of closing the achievement gap. The primary drivers behind Detroit's downfall are not education. The education issues there are a by-product of other issues. You should check out their fancy school central admin building though - quite a contrast to their literally crumbling schools.
Decide based on facts, not rumors
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 22:09 — Apexter"but I've heard more than one source indicate that Ron Margiotta's plan
is to divide Wake back into at least two systems, city and county, and
viola, Raleigh = Detroit, Atlanta, etc."
It may (or may not) be that Ron would like to see the county and city broken back up. I don't think I've heard him make a statement on that. Regardless of his feelings on the subject, however, the local Board of Education is not empowered to make that decision. That choice would have to come from the state legislature.
I do not think the new
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 20:59 — CaryCurmudgeonI do not think the new school board members have that plan, and Ron certainly does not play the viola.
Thanks -
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 07:18 — louiselee44for a good laugh this A.M. as I gear up for the "day before" surge :^)
I wish
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 00:04 — louiselee44I wish I had time to create a "montage" of Cathy Truitt quotes since the last election, but it would take awhile. Any takers? :^) Sure would be interesting to see, all in one place, the contradictory statements she has made.
JOHN TEDESCO IS THE ONLY CHOICE!
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 12:22 — g88ky07JOHN TEDESCO IS THE ONLY CHOICE!
I don't appreciate the
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 12:24 — Tony_LucasI don't appreciate the attack against my mother. She has been a WCPSS parent since 1995. I am proud of my mom for running for school board. While she may not have come close to winning, she was able to get the views of some of the voters in District 2 out in the public.
Many of you probably don't know this, but my mother raised my sisters and me while she was going to college for both her bachelors and masters degrees. She may have been stressed out at times but she was always able to help us with our homework.
She ran a clean campaign with no negativity and I think it is wrong for you to attack her.
BTW, there is no choice if there is only one person to pick.
Tony, You should be very
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 08:50 — woodstockTony,
You should be very proud of your mother for running for the school board and for the many other reasons you mentioned, plus the fact that she is a great mom. She did indeed run a clean campaign and remained positive throughout. Good for you for standing up for her.
Politics can get nasty and passions can run high, so running for an office is tough. Although people have been tough on your mom, she was not singled out, as it has been a tough road for all the candidates. Even the winners are still being called names and having their platforms mischaracterized.
You, your mom and the rest of your family should all hold your heads high and be proud. Please know that there are alot of us out here who respect the effort and know the time and energy your mom put into trying to make Wake County a better place. And, I am sure that commitment did not end with the election.
Tony -
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 07:22 — louiselee44My hat goes off to anyone who will stick their neck out there and run for an elected office - especially for School Board!! I've been asked many times - no thanks! You're a dedicated son, and I'm sure you make your mother proud!
The problem I and many others had/have
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 13:40 — g88ky07is that a person who gets in a race, then suspends her run, then gets back in the race causes total confusion and certainly in this D2 race there was and still is plenty of confusion. Confusion that just might be enough to undo the good that has almost been done for district 2! I always have a problem with candidates who flip flop on issues, but especially the issue of should I have run or shouldn't I. Even if they are the best mom in the world!
The reason why she decided
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 14:14 — Tony_LucasThe reason why she decided to suspend her campaign is because she could not afford to campaign, putting two kids through college is kind of expensive. She did not receive any contributions before she suspended the campaign. After the suspension, supporters donated to her campaign allowing her to campaign in a limited manner.
The only reason I responded to your post is because my mom is not in this race and shouldn't have been used in your attack against Cathy.
With all respect, this isn't a game!
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 14:45 — g88ky07If she couldn't afford it, which I understand, she shouldn't have got in to start with! When you create confusion and make it harder for the ones with clear and consistent vision you don't do your district any favors. You don't do the children any favors! There was another guy whose name escapes me, by choice, who flipped & flopped and then quit and got on this blog and started ranting and raving like a loon. Now you have the other name on Tuesday's ballot pulling crap that certainly doesn't benefit the future of our children or anyone else! How do children and families benefit from on again, off again campaigns? How does the clear message of a man who should have already been declared the winner benefit with the current river of chaos? Enough of the politics and indecision when it comes to my children, enough of it for all children! This is not a game and when the actions of some make it into one that's when I've simply had enough! Just like with Rev. Barber! You can mobilize and march with 48 of your backers and threaten litigation all you want, but the bottom line is you can't bus 'em to the polls if they aren't a registered voter in D2 and something tells me he doesn't know very many of those! Yet, this political game he and others want to play enrages those of us who are serious about what our children's futures might hold and have had enough! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!
We can all come together and solve these problems TOGETHER if we want and that's what I suggest we should do and will do come Tuesday about 8 or 8:30pm!
Good for her....
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 12:52 — Bob_SconceTony --
If there are any attacks currently, they're not against your Mom (who I presume is Carlene Lucas), but against Cathy Truitt. Like all political candidates, your Mom was probably the target of a few attacks during her campaign. But, that just comes with the territory (and has since the Republic was founded).
Mr. Sconce, I was
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 14:01 — Tony_LucasMr. Sconce,
I was reffering to g88's comment.
while slightly out of order
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 05:44 — AngelaWwhile slightly out of order I think and by no means complete, here's a few: