By Willie

November 22, 2007 7:01 AM | Link to this

Mayor McLin, City Commissioners: I am the Moderator of the Congregation for Reconciliation, a Just Peace and Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. I have come to express support for passage of the ordinance that opposes employment discrimination that is aimed at people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Federal Civil Service system has had non-discrimination for GLBT people since the Carter (Ford) administration. Dayton is a city that prizes fairness and justice. This legislation is in keeping with those values. Thank you for bringing this ordinance to a vote. Please pass it tonight. Wilma Righter Members.aol.com/cfrnews (there does not seem to be a blog on the city commission antii=discrimination law - should be)

By Mary

November 11, 2007 5:57 PM | Link to this

Today’s commmentary b Ellen Belcher relates to this discussion. I think there needs to be more and different types of candidates than there are, but it seems the same groups are the main source. I think that is part of the problem.

By School Supporter

November 11, 2007 3:49 PM | Link to this

JamesSS2, oldprof, and board members, the more important issue is whether the Montgomery County Democratic Party demonstrated high school (or above) competencies in their board endorsements. Belcher asserts naked partisanship, writing, “the party endorsed her [Sheila Taylor] because she’s worked on other candidates’ campaigns. Period.” DPS is responsible for educating good citizens capable of casting informed ballots. Can the community agree upon the “responsibilities and qualifications required” of a board member? Among all endorsers, which was best informed on the “responsibilities and qualifications?” Where during teacher training or in professional development do teachers learn about these “responsibilities and qualifications” they need to share with eleventh graders? Would the political science transfer module courses at, say, Edison fill the bill? FWIW: PLS 122S, State and Local Government (3 semester hours): “Survey of the basic principles relating to the structure, operation, and policy-making processes at the state and local levels of government. Impact of the political environment, culture, tradition, levels of economic development, and the effects of political forces on state and local government are also examined.” Should PLS 122S (or equivalent) be required for aspiring high school social studies teachers?

By jamesSS2

November 11, 2007 1:21 PM | Link to this

The DDN editorial writers have long been out of sync with reality. It started with their huge push for charter/community schools to “show the public schools how it’s done.” That hasn’t worked but has wasted a lot of money since Gottliebe had the ability to use the bully pulpit. Now on every little detail the DDN is getting the wrong reasons. Maybe they need to change who’s in charge. Memo: “fallout” is one word in “Grappling with Election Fall Out?”

By Joe Lacey

November 11, 2007 3:08 AM | Link to this

Save Dayton from Joe I didn’t do a party wide mailing. So now you give my black and white handbills walked door to door by myself and two other people credit for turning the election? I think you give me too much credit.

By charteschoolhater

November 10, 2007 7:13 PM | Link to this

I agree with Anne. This board has shirked their responsibilities and rubber stamped everything and anything that Mack wants. It is true about the buddy of Mack’s from down South that Mack hired to be over teachers and the board just acquiesced to his whims. Mack surrounds himself by yes people and the majority of the board seem to be yes people too. Maybe that is about to change. Two of the yes people just got beat. HOORAY for the political process. It works!! Once last comment. It seems that the DDN by their total silence all the while that the students of DPS are suffering in academic disaster under the leadership of Mack and Littlejon, the paper stays mute. Maybe the DDN does not have the back of Dayton’s Children. Mack’s motivation is all about a paycheck and nothing more.

By Save Dayton from Joe

November 10, 2007 4:03 PM | Link to this

Joe, you don’t mention your “Democrat” slate card mailed to party members prior to the official slate card mailing, nor do you mention your hand bills of your “Democrat” girls you littered this town with. Your statement that “the conclusions about the voters in this race are simply not backed up by the facts” is quite interesting coming from a person whose mode of operation is hurling conclusions that “are simply not backed up by the facts” then crying not guilty when exposed. You appear to be quite a hypocrite yourself.

By Mary

November 10, 2007 11:41 AM | Link to this

Joe, I had already e-mailed some comments to Gottlieb about his column. News segments this week on CNN about surveys point out a lot of voter anger, contrary to Gottlieb’s column. Also, I pointed out how many voters apparently go to the polls to vote for or against levies, but do not bother to vote for or against a candidate. That gives blocs of smaller numbers of voters even more power. I think voters are generally disillusioned with their choices and elected officials. As Tuesday’s Lockhorn’s comic strip indicated, “none of the above” is the choice of many voters when it comes to candidates.

By Joe Lacey

November 10, 2007 9:00 AM | Link to this

In Friday’s opinion pages, Martin Gottlieb says that the challengers won because the Democratic Party embraced them. That’s just not true. Nancy Nerny was not endorsed by the Democratic Party and there is no reason to believe that she wouldn’t have won had the Democratic Party stayed out of it. Sheila Taylor was endorsed by the Democratic Party but the size of her margin, 2400 votes, gives an awful lot of credit to a slate card that was buried in a lot of campaign mail the Friday before election day. This race had gotten more print in the DDN than any other local race. Absentee votes also indicate that Sheila had a big lead before the Democratic slate card went out. The DDN editorial board member conclusions about the voters in this race are simply not backed up by the facts.

By anne

November 9, 2007 11:14 PM | Link to this

It’s incredible - the Democrats picked all of the wrong people to support - except for the one that the DDN writer liked - that, the Dems. did right. Okay, and the Dayton people are too ignorant to decide they wanted someone elected who might try to do things for the KIDS? They are so easily led that they can’t decide for themselves, they only voted on the party lines? AND this is held to be true by the DDN writer even though one of the new members of the board was not endorsed by the Dem party. I think the paper has insulted the Dayton community. The hate the paper lavishes on Lacey is affecting their ability to look at the possibility that Dayton might now have a chance to rid downtown of some of the yes men that surround Mack. Come on, he called up a football coaching buddy from down south, gave him a title, and put him over teachers. The board sits back and smiles. Maybe the public as a whole are more informed than the person DDN has writing the editorials.

By null

November 9, 2007 5:08 PM | Link to this

Mmmm… the Democratic Party creates controversy by endorsing school board candidates in a non-partisan race. Democratic City Hall presents anti-disctimination legislation in a “swift and secretive” way the evening following the Democratically influenced results of the Dayton Public School Board. Was City Hall merely taking advantage of the news turmoil created by these results or could this plan have been in place months earlier? Let’s think about this for a minute, is there anyone on either the Dayton City Commission or the Dayton Board of Education who would be actively advancing the GLB&T (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender) platform? Is this what “time for a change” on the School Board meant? Is this the “change” the Dayton community was really voting on?

By charterschoolhater

November 9, 2007 5:07 PM | Link to this

I for one was appalled at the tone of the DDN editorial that was critical of the democratic party being active in this last school board member. As a member of the local Dems I am glad we got involved in the race. Maybe we get some more good people. The people who i want to represent me are get the job done. The are not people who blame everyone else for our problems as a district.The incumbents have had time to start setting this district on the right footing and have failed to do the job. I am glad we just voted out two of them. This board as a hole has failed to hold Percy Mack for his utter failure to move Dayton up the ladder with any consistency. Didn’t the board tell him long ago that academic achievement was a benchmark he would be evaluated on? It is time to rid ourselves of Percy Mack and get some fresh blood in here. Maybe these new members will get us someone who can do the job. I am sure the old ones wouldn’t have. To oldprof I say tell me how this district is moving forward when we are almost last ion the state. Not the county but the state in academic achievement. How do you defend Dr. Mack on that one? While we are at get please fire the yes people who Dr. Mack surrounds himself with. They are not any more competent than he is. This is not slamming them. Just the facts.

By School Supporter

November 8, 2007 8:08 PM | Link to this

Maybe this no longer applies, now that Ohio’s Secretary of State and Attorney General are Democrats, but my copy of Ohio’s Social Studies Academic Content Standards has the following eleventh grade competencies: Explain how an individual participates in primary and general elections including: a. Registering to vote; b. Identifying the major duties, responsibilities and qualifications required for a particular position; c. Becoming informed about candidates and issues;

By null

November 8, 2007 3:26 PM | Link to this

I don’t quite agree with the assessment that the Democrats had enough influence to get Mims and Taylor voted in and incumbants voted off the school board. I think the incumbants represented the perceived failings of the school board over the past few years and the voters wanted something entirely different. They will get something totally different, that’s for sure; now let’s see if they like what they get!