Contrary to what C. J. Huff was feeding Anson Burlingame to use in one of his Joplin Globe guest columns, today's Joplin R-1 Board of Education race was not about me.
Huff, who also used his connections with the Joplin Globe, Carol Stark, and Burlingame to try to portray me as a pornographer who has no business being around children in the days before and after my termination hearing, tried to make this election into a referendum on me.
The election was never about me. It was always about C. J. Huff.
Debbie Fort was the top vote-getter, emphasizing the district's woeful finances, teacher turnover, and low test scores- all problems that can be laid at the doorstep of C. J. Huff, who tried to pull one dirty trick after another to derail Mrs. Fort's momentum, right down to the last minutes before the election.
Lynda Banwart was the biggest spender in the campaign, but she probably did not have to be. I have a feeling if she had not spent the money on television advertising and had not received money from the Joplin Progress Committee, she still would have recorded a second place finish. She has a reputation as a hard worker, is almost universally liked, and had the best name recognition of any non-incumbent not named Fort. And let's face it, she put herself on the line to get the bond issue passed two years ago.
As for Randy Steele, he, too, is liked by people, but one thing that gave him the advantage over Jeff Flowers was his KZRG interview (and the subsequent publicity) when Steele admitted the district had been overspending. Flowers never made that concession.
Steele also had the advantage of not being as closely identified with C. J. Huff as Jeff Flowers or Shawn McGrew. C. J. Huff was not running interference for Steele, as he did for the other two men, right up to this morning's Bright Futures Volunteer Breakfast.
I would like to see Jeff Koch give it another try next year. He did not accept money from anyone and came across as someone who has a lot to offer. I have known many excellent school board members who did not win the first time they gave it a shot.
David Guilford finished seventh, but his role in the race is important. During the candidate forum, he, more than anyone, drew attention to the way the board has been kept away from the public ever since C. J. Huff and Jeff Flowers arrived on the scene.
In one of those weird coincidences that seem to punctuate our lives, today, the day C. J. Huff's candidates went down to defeat, is the one-year anniversary of the day he orchestrated my removal from the classroom (complete with police escort, as you can hear in the accompanying audio).
A new day is here for the Joplin R-8 School District. C. J. Huff is still there, at least for now, but his days of bullying teachers and staff are rapidly nearing an end.
Happy Anniversary, C. J.
(A new day may also be coming for the Turner Report. I will write about that in a little bit.)
3 comments:
I believe the people have spoken, and have spoken loudly. The real work begins now, and a new way of doing business. We must all work together and the divisiveness must cease.
I wonder if the administration has enough sense to regret having overstepped with you, Mr. Turner. Instead of destroying your credibility, they destroyed their own. As a former English teacher and as a writer, you have to have an appreciation for the irony in the situation.
It's been a long and sorry year since they escorted you out. I hope the remaining members of the board realize how they were played concerning you and many other staff members who were unfairly terminated. Thank you for providing facts and insight throughout this process. You were truly the best news source around. I'm surprised a real newspaper (not the Globe...) hasn' taken note of your efforts here. t
CJ Huff needs to resign. There is no mending the damage between Huff, his administration, and the community and staff. All trust has been destroyed. Please, Huff, just make it easy on everyone and step aside. Find someplace else and start fresh.
Post a Comment