Sunday, April 06, 2014

Threats, tricks,and taxpayer money- C. J. Huff gets down and dirty in R-8 Board race

It is the dirtiest political race that Joplin has seen in recent years.

Despite all of the attention the Joplin City Council has received, it has been the Joplin R-8 School Board contest that has seen a sense of desperation and a willingness to pull any kind of stunt to gain advantage.

If it were to be made into a movie, it would be easy to see a Robert DeNiro or an Al Pacino playing the desperate boss, willing to do anything to hold on to his territory- in other words, Don C. J.

The race has been filled with dirty tricks, one instance after another of the Joplin R-8 superintendent or his favored incumbents and newcomers using taxpayer money to boost their chances of retaining the seats that are necessary for Huff to continue to maintain his 7-0 stranglehold on the school district.

Even before the race started, Huff met with one potential candidate to discourage that candidate from running, describing the harm it could do to that person's business. and called the employer of another with a strong message that it would not be good for the workplace for that person to run for school board.

C. J. Huff was quick to let these people know that he was a powerful man and it would be best not to step into his path.

When the race began, realizing that for the first time since he arrived in Joplin, there would be serious challenges to the incumbents and that Phil Willcoxon was not going to run for re-election, Huff encouraged the candidacy of his protege, Shawn McGrew, the co-chairman of Huff's Bright Futures. Also brought into the race was Lynda Banwart, who headed the community steering committee that successfully passed, by a 45-vote margin, a $62 million bond issue, the largest in the school's history. Those two, along with the incumbents, Board President Jeff Flowers and Randy Steele, were Huff's hopes to continue to run the show with no one attempting to get him under control.

Since surveys have always shown that undecided voters or uneducated voters often select the first people on the ballot, the infamous slumber party was held in the Administration Building at 32nd and Duquense on the eve of the opening of filing. While others followed the intent of the rules and were content to wait outside the building or to arrive in the morning when filing officially began, Huff's favored candidates, using a key, waited in comfort in the building, out of the cold, able to use the taxpayer-financed Wi-Fi.

When balloting opened, Flowers was the first to file, followed in turn by McGrew, Steele, and Mrs. Banwart. That would have been enough, but the attempts to fix the election had just begun and many of them used taxpayer money and/or facilities.

Among the transgressions:

-One board member, who is not up for election this year, has spent time at an elementary school, making sure teachers knew that they should vote for three of the first four names on the ballot.

-Huff's attack dog, Chief Operating Officer Tina Smith, sent an e-mail to all teachers warning them about the law against getting involved in the running of a campaign for school board. This was the first time Administration had ever seen fit to send such a message. Though Ms. Smith did not say at any point that teachers could not be involved in a campaign (the law only prevents them from taking leadership roles), teachers that I have talked to say the message came through loud and clear that they were to steer clear of the school board election.

 -Yard signs for at least two of the candidates who were not among the chosen four have been stolen.

- A publication, extolling what Administration considered to be high points in recent months was published and sent to district patrons. While this is done on a frequent basis, it usually features a message from C. J. Huff. This time, the message came from Jeff Flowers.

-A deal was worked out with the Joplin Globe to keep the public out of the candidate forum, which was held March 24. Neither Flowers, nor Steele fared well during the forum, so the next night at the monthly televised board meeting shown on taxpayer-financed Jet 14, Huff spent more than five minutes giving what amounted to a thinly-veiled stump speech for the incumbents. Mainly, he addressed questions which Flowers and Steele had fumbled the previous evening.

-Later in that week, the Joplin Globe, which has served as Huff's house organ for his entire tenure in this school district, published an article, which allowed him to explain in depth why the district is not in poor financial shape (which is not true). it was the same thing the Globe had allowed him to do on numerous occasions in the past when he was challenged on such issues as teacher turnover and excessive travel.

-Recently one of the three non-Huff candidates had to change the location for a campaign function because Huff made sure the owner of the business received the message that holding the event could cause problems for that business and a new one owned by a member of the business owner's family.

-On Election Day, a Bright Futures Volunteer Breakfast will be held from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at another taxpayer-financed facility, East Middle School. While it is not a campaign rally, it is certain to be a favorable public appearance for Huff's protege, Shawn McGrew.

And this was just a partial list of the ways in which C. J. Huff has tried to influence the election. It doesn't evdn include the infamous Joplin Progress Committee, which also has deep ties to Huff. While the law prohibits teachers from taking leadership roles in school board elections, it has no such limitations for superintendents.

C. J. Huff sees this election, quite rightly, as a referendum on the direction in which he has led the Joplin R-8 School District and he is willing to do anything, including spending the taxpayers' money, to keep that legacy intact.

It brings to mind something that brought quite a few muffled chuckles among Joplin teachers at the opening day pep rally in August at College Heights Christian Church.

The teachers could not believe it when the church's pastor, Randy Gariss, praised C. J. Huff as a man who had not been changed by the acclaim and recognition he has received since the Joplin Tornado.

The teachers thought that C. J. Huff had certainly fooled Randy Gariss.

That was not the case.

The Joplin Tornado certainly changed C. J. Huff's life and has netted him much fame and hefty speaking fees, but he is the same man he has always been.

He signs his letters and e-mails "For the Children," but the public is finally starting to see what some have recognized all along.

It's not for the children; it's for C. J.





9 comments:

Anonymous said...

We call threatening business owners with problems if they don't comply "extortion." This is not the first time that Huff's administration and board have sunk so low. The same tactic has been used against teachers and parents in order to keep them in check.

Anonymous said...

When you say "made sure the owner of the business received the message" (hosting a rally), what do you mean? Who acted as goon? We would like to know more about this.

Anonymous said...

Letting Flowers have the message on the patron's blurb was free advertising. But really. they have nothing to brag about. It might have done him more harm than good, considering the state of the district. That little blurb had the pathetic pay rate of the district's teachers, the teacher/student ratio, the academic achievement, or lack thereof, etc. I wasn't in the least bit impressed, and Flowers makes me feel ill to be around. He is a bully, like Rohr, everywhere he goes. Everywhere. Putting his face on anything automatically makes me against it.

Anonymous said...

Watching Huff trying to clean up the mess of his two seasoned board members after the forum was like watching Barney Fife on Andy Griffith. What a buffoon. He did more harm than good, because he drew more attention to the mistakes of candidates who were supposedly highly informed. That they couldn't answer simple questions about school finances might explain why the district can't cover its checks, according to what some business owners are telling around.

Anonymous said...

I have my suspicions about that preacher, since he also is a member of the Bright Futures board. He's just way too close to CJ, and is it a coincidence that the bankrupt Vann attends there, also? There is just way too much collusion here. Everyone covering for everyone else and trying to convince a populace that they just aren't bright enough to really appreciate what CJ and Co have done.
Sadly for them, we aren't that dumb. We see through the tears and theatrics just fine. We will all be united in relief when this circus leaves town and takes all the clowns with it.

Christine wants only NEW AND FRESH LEADERS! said...

Hopefully all voAters that can read the names on the ballet vote all new people in, it has to be better that current. And it they dont read well Voting has been changed from Tuesday to Thursday April 10th...come early and often, free donuts, nachos and hotdogs...BUT ONLY ON VOTING DAY APRIL 10TH, ITS A THURSDAY! And for those of you canidates that decided to use your key to beat the cold in order to get your name 1st, 2nd on the ballet...I hope, pray that you go home a loser Tuesday!

Anonymous said...

I had a feeling when all the problems around town and in the district started becoming apparent that somehow they were connected. When the JPC formed, all doubt was removed. I don't know how it works, but somehow the district and the city have joined forces for the good of only a few people and not for the kids. Do not support the JPC candidates. The children deserve better than that.

Anonymous said...

VOTE THE BUMS OUT.

Anonymous said...

I hope Huff is having a sleepless night.

Even if we only get one of our people in there, like Debbie Fort, it will be enough to break the 7-0 bloc. Two would be great, three even better.

I didn't follow this stuff until I became aware of the situation with administration firing Randy Turner. The inherent amorality of that situation - saying or doing anything to ruin a person's livelihood, to the extent of planting horrible suggestions in the public consciousness - tells me what kind of people these administrators really are.

I have no respect for Huff, Besendorfer, Flowers, and any coward who had the power to stand up to them but didn't. Every one of you administrators and incumbent board members - along with many business leaders in the community - you all have a price to pay for your behavior. Going to church does not wipe out the stain of intentionally harming other human beings for nothing more than personal gain, and planting a fake politician's smile on your face as you compartmentalize and forget the misdeeds you either partook in or overlooked.

I will never forget as long as I live, and I swear on everything I love in life that I will dedicate myself to fighting this kind of evil to the extent that is in my power. We all serve somebody, you administrators and board members serve yourselves. I take solace in knowing that, even if we in the community do not succeed tomorrow, you all are unhappy people on some level. Happy people's lives are not wrought with such tension.

I place my vote tomorrow in the interest of my communities, but I pray for the sake of your souls.