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From SeminoleCountyWatch.com Slats Murphy
Sandy Robinson. There is something about Robinson that is very unsettling. There is something about Robinson that is incredibly repulsive yet equally attractive at the same time. The repulsion is easy to understand. It stems from her shrewish and peevish manner, as she makes no attempt to hide her contempt for her constituency. Robinson constantly elevates her haughtiness to new heights. A decade ago, she commented to parents during another rezoning controversy that she was "the rezoning queen." She easily trumped that statement with her comment to parents at last week's meeting that "your perception of us is probably not much different from my perception of you right now." Parents were initially stunned, then broke into applause in mock and sarcastic appreciation of Robinson's comment. Robinson then gave a satisfied and smug smile and nod of the head, as if she relished being the object of scorn and resentment. Such was the way in which she behaved throughout the entire public comment portion of last week's School Board meeting. Each time a speaker delivered a comment obviously intended to take the School Board down a notch or two, Robinson smiled and nodded with seeming appreciation for the attack. Robinson seemed to enjoy each verbal assault from the parents just a little bit more than the previous, almost as if she were building towards some sort of climax, finally achieving it with her pronouncement of disdain for the parents.
Watching Robinson in action, it is easy to see she shares more than a surname with old-time movie tough guy Edward G. Robinson. Maybe that is what makes her simultaneously appealing and repulsive. If there are three things that can get to a newspaperman from the old school, it is a woman, a hat and a cigar, and not necessarily in that order. If ever there was a dangerous woman, it is Sandy Robinson.
Most noteworthy about Bauer from the April 26 meeting were her reactions as the parents spoke. Bauer actually seems to honestly not understand why she and the other Board members were, and remain, the source and subject of scorn. At one point, Bauer's mouth literally dropped open at a less-than-flattering comment from one of the speakers at the public microphone. Most entertaining of Bauer's actions during the meeting came just after the motion was made to adopt the rezoning plan, setting the stage for possible discussion among the board before voting. Upon the motion having been seconded, Bauer pulled her microphone forward and to the front of her. Her intent quickly became clear. When Board Chair Jeanne Morris asked if there was any discussion, Bauer shoved her microphone aside and glared at the audience, staring from the dais with the look of a petulant child who was exacting revenge for having been properly scolded. She had pulled the microphone forward simply to set up being able to shove it aside as a show of contempt for the public audience. Yet Bauer is the board member most constantly obsessed with trying to play to public opinion, and she did so again after the vote, reinforcing the notion that she just does not "get" it. After the board adopted the Z2 plan that was unanimously opposed by the many county residents in attendance, Bauer several times implored those in the audience to "join us" in implementing the plan. It was almost as if whispers of "come to the dark side" were emanating from Bauer's mouth to blanket the chamber room in which the meeting was held. The more she panders to the public, the more Bauer is seen for what she is and accordingly rejected. The more rejection she receives, the more desperate she becomes in her pandering. She is a striking contrast to Robinson. Whereas Robinson is strident and caustic in asserting her positions, Bauer vacillates between taking a position and then pusillanimously cowering at being held accountable for it. She has become a caricature of herself as the ultimate example of everything that is wrong with politics and the politicians who exploit the process for their own desires.
Definitely from the old school, she believes that when she speaks, all else should listen and comply. Morris repeatedly scolded parents last week as they reflexively reacted to misstatements of fact during the Board's discussion on rezoning. At one point, Morris told the crowd that the Board had listened to them and now it was the Board's turn to be heard. She obviously misses the point of being an elected official. Elected officials are expected to at least listen to the the concerns of their constituency, and are well-compensated to do so, even if, as in the School Board's case, they do not act upon what they hear. Morris' comment was the ultimate display of arrogance, especially after the Board had made it obvious prior to the meeting that they would not vote based on what was said during the public comments and would instead adhere to their predetermined position on their favored Z2 rezoning plan. Morris has been on the board for 16 years. As one of the Board's driving forces, along with Robinson, she makes the case better than anyone else could that it is time to get Grandma out from behind the wheel.
At times Vogel seems a very sincere man interested in hearing from his constituency, yet his actions never reflect anything more than a willingness to allow people to speak before he acts without regard to what they have said, much as the School Board also does. The question with Vogel has always been whether he is shrewdly calculating and clever, or whether he is the sincere, sometimes bumbling goof he often comes across as being. His performance during February's administrative hearing on the rezoning case added to this confusion as to his true nature. When questioned during the hearing by the School District's attorney, Vogel was sharp and concise in giving his obviously-rehearsed answers. Yet when cross examined, Vogel seemed to have difficulty grasping the simplest of questions and concepts, let alone providing any form of coherent answer. There is no longer any confusion over what Bill Vogel is. Quite simply, the Seminole County School Superintendent is a nice guy when things are going his way and allow him to be. Otherwise, as his comments during last week's meeting showed, he is an insincere manipulator of facts and figures who will get what he wants in one way or another. Vogel tipped his hand in two ways, both involving the spinning and cajoling of facts to fit his case. First, Vogel stridently sought to rebut comments that had been made during the public input portion of the meeting, not caring to hear the corrections and clarifications that immediately came forth from the audience as he stated his case. More importantly, however, Vogel then misrepresented the situation that had surrounded the building of a new school to replace the current Midway Elementary. Vogel and the School Board had originally planned to build the school on toxic land. When a developer offered another site in exchange for the waiving of impact fees, School Board members accepted the offer and fell all over themselves with congratulations for not having to build on the toxic site, rather than chastising themselves for ever considering such an idea. Most disturbing of all was that the Board members clearly indicated intent to build on the toxic site and were deterred from doing so only because the financial costs involved became more exorbitant than originally thought. The decision was strictly about land and money, with absolutely no concern or regard for the children and employees at the planned school. By blatantly misrepresenting this at Tuesday's meeting, Vogel showed himself to be what he clearly is, as disappointing as that may be.
FRED MOORE. Without intending to diminish the many wonderful words that were said by the other county residents who addressed the Board during public comments, a special tip of the hat must be given to Fred Moore. Moore is an engineer whose family is not affected by the high school rezoning. He lives in a neighboring subdivision to students who are being rezoned from Lake Brantley, where his child remains, to Lyman. Moore attended and spoke at the meeting in support of his neighbors simply because he felt it was the right thing to do. Moore's eloquence clearly derived from the sincerity of his words as he spoke of the importance of community schools, the concept of which the Board's rezoning plan utterly destroys. What was most appreciated of Moore's attendance at the meeting is what he did when the Board cast their votes to adopt Plan Z2: Moore quietly stood up from his front row seat and turned around, so that his back faced the board members as they voted. Moore stood there quietly, his arms crossed diagonally downward in front of him, and said volumes without saying a word. It was a classy display of classic civil disobedience. The entirety of Moore's behavior that evening of April 26 summarized what our representative democracy should entail. He showed caring for his neighbors and his community, for its schools and students. He stood up for what was right, refusing to simply sit idly by while others were doing wrong. Moore's behavior also summarized the entire irony of the School Board's behavior throughout the entire rezoning process. Time after time, they had the chance to right the wrong they had done, yet they instead intransigently dug in their heels and refused to accept responsibility for their errant actions. The School Board members turned their backs to their community and its children, the very ones the Board is responsible for educating. The Board had a chance to teach a constructive lesson in civics, and instead chose to do anything but. Check out Slats' Slants, Slats Murphy's daily blog SeminoleCountyWatch.com |
