Rochester City Council
Council’s five incumbents – Carolee Conklin, Matt Haag, Dana Miller, Jackie Ortiz, and Loretta Scott – won the September Democratic Party primary for their at-large seats. In the November 5 general election, they face Marlowe Washington on the Working Families line and three Green Party candidates: David Atias, Andrew Langdon, and Dorothy Paige.
Ortiz and Haag also have the Working Families line, and all five of the incumbents are listed on the Independence line. No other third-party candidates or Republicans are running.
Atias and Langdon are good candidates, and they have an important activist role to play pushing some of the Greens’ stronger positions. But both, like Paige, have a narrow, fairly simplistic view of government and its challenges, and Paige lacks the knowledge to serve in this important position.
Washington has important ideas, including creating zones of distressed neighborhoods and singling them out for intense public-private investment. But he hasn’t made the case for unseating any of the incumbents.
The five incumbents have broad experience, both on City Council and in their careers. They bring expertise in finance, technology, and public service, and they represent a broad urban constituency. With a new mayor likely taking office in January, their experience on Council will be invaluable.
Rochester school board
Eight candidates are on the November 5 general election ballot for the three open school board seats. All three incumbents – Jose Cruz, Cynthia Elliott, and Van White – are running for another term on the Democratic Party line. Cruz and White are also running on the Independence and Working Families lines.
The other four on the ballot: Green Party candidate Lori Thomas; Republican Mia Hodgins; Candice Lucas, on the Independence and Working Families lines; and Howard Eagle and Ronald Hall on the Freedom line.
As we did for the Democratic primary, we endorse Cruz, White, and Lucas.
The school district’s challenges are enormous, and its options for improvement are limited, given the poverty in which most of its students live. That doesn’t mean teachers and administrators can’t improve; they can and must. But their effectiveness and morale are under almost constant siege as officials at the district, state, and federal level come up with one initiative, change, and demand after another.
A high-quality school board is crucial, and the current one isn’t as strong as it should be. But the board isn’t the reason Rochester’s children aren’t doing better in school. Every one of the board’s seven members is intensely committed to those children and the schools that serve them.
Jose Cruz and Van White have played valuable roles on the board and deserve to be re-elected. Cynthia Elliott is one of the community’s strongest advocates for Rochester children. And she has toned down the harshness and combativeness she was known for in her first years on the school board. But our endorsement for the third seat goes to Candice Lucas, who lost her primary bid but is continuing to campaign on the third-party lines.
Lucas has served as president of the district’s parent council, advocating for increased parent engagement and working both with parents and guardians and with district personnel. That experience has given her valuable knowledge of the district, its finances and operations, and its challenges.
Mia Hodgins and Ronald Hall are well intentioned but don’t have the strength and insight necessary for the board. Lori Thomas and Howard Eagle are knowledgeable and dedicated, but their combative style – for which neither apologizes – would cause serious problems on the school board.
This article appears in Oct 23-29, 2013.
The know-nothing, elitist, dangerous, super-liberals at City Newspaper (whom, as far as I know, STILL, in 2013 don’t have a single person of color on their reporting-staff, nor on their Editorial Board) had the intestinal fortitude, and unmitigated gall to write that: “Lori Thomas and Howard Eagle are knowledgeable and dedicated, but their combative style – for which neither apologizes – would cause serious problems on the school board.”
If the thoroughly incompetent, tongue-in-cheekish, ineffective, bumps-on-a-log, entrenched, current, school board does not have “serious problems” — it never will. In addition to being know-nothings, elitist, dangerous, and super-liberal — the all-white City staff is also hypocritical. They tried hard to explain why two of the current, bumps-on-a-log, incompetents “deserve to be re-elected,” and why apparently the third one doesn’t, but their explanation falls woefully short regarding consistency, and logic. Everyone who is paying close attention knows that it’s simply a matter of them preferring a familiar, palatable, soft-spoken, tongue-in-cheekish, go-along-to-get-along type black woman — rather than the type who is quick to nicely tell super-liberals, and any other know-nothings, where to get off.
Since I see them as a big part of the problem, it’s not very often that I agree with the Democrat and Chronicle’s Editorial Board, especially regarding education issues. For example, their school board endorsement choices for the November 5th General Election is baffling (to say the least). However, I must agree wholeheartedly with one thing they wrote: “To endorse members of a board that oversees such a poorly performing district would be irresponsible, regardless of the individual strengths, talents and experience those members possess.” AMEN!
So, not only are the all-white, know-nothing, elitist, dangerous, super-liberals at City Newspaper hypocritical, but in accordance with sound logic (provided by, of all the sources, the D&C’s Editorial Board) — they are also “irresponsible.”
I’m certain that most people don’t follow their recommendations, but since they don’t have a clue about what / who is needed on then Board of Education, and/or in general — both groups really ought to get out of the endorsement-business — just as a matter of principle, which would give them more time to do a better job of objectively reporting, as opposed to influencing, and making news.
The city newspaper is under city council rule. since the city newspaper is funded by the city council they are to lie and support these bully candidates. why would you write a piece on the green party only to mock them. Lovely Warren was caught lying about his her political contributor but that is okay. This white liberal paper needs to go. you only support who pays your bills. media is communism at its best!!
Howard why is everything with you have to do with race??? white this and that its not about race its about money and class and control. lovely warren lies, dave gannt lies, and now adam mcfadden is proposing frisk and search at random?? is this cool with you because they are all black. i assure you this has nothing to do with race, it has to do with who has the purse strings, stop with the race crap!!!
To lorr: This newspaper is not and never has been funded by City Council or any other government body. We are an independent company owned by the two publishers and a diverse group of Rochester-area residents. Our funding comes from the sale of advertising.
In response to…..statement “(I)well intentioned but don’t have the strength and insight necessary for the board.” I would like to share more information about my work experience and community involvement. I have been in Management for 17 years, and have worked as a senior level manager for 4 years. As a senior level manager, I have to ensure that we are in compliance in all fiscal areas (budget, taxes, payroll…etc.). I work with a diverse and growing workforce, and I serve the members of the community who patronize our establishments.
In addition to my work in management, I have also served as a parent representative of the Rochester City School District’s Audit Committee, where we assist the board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities for audit, internal control, and financial reporting processes. I am also the only person running in this election who has served on a board of directors for a successful education establishment (Geneses Community Charter School). I, reluctantly, did not seek reelection due to my desire to run for the Rochester City School Board. I felt that I would not be able to give my all while campaigning and working a full time job.
Also, as a parent advocate, who has worked with many of the children and parents of the Rochester City School District whom the Parent Advisory Council, the Office of Parent Engagement, and many school board members have neglected, I have a complete understanding of the issues that our district is facing and a solution-based platform to address these problems.
As a result of all of my experiences, I have interacted with every level employee of the Rochester City School District up to and including Dr. Vargas. I have offered viable solutions to address the many complex issues that our district is currently facing. We have low morale (from parents, students, teachers, building administrators and central office) due to an inept leadership, a lack of student achievement, and a lack of parent engagement.
This is a board that has continuously approved budgets that are flawed and misappropriated. Currently, we are $50.8 million in debt, which would be unacceptable in any other school district but ours. We have numerous administrators that are making over $100,000 a year and our results are the worst in the country. While the leadership in the Rochester City School District is looking to finance the employment of “high end-level” administrators, it is taking away the valuable supports that are needed for our children to be successful (such as teachers who specialize in Reading, Writing, Math, & Technology, as well as special education and social/emotional staff).
I do not see any media outlets truly focusing on the major issues that directly affect our children. So, as a result, I will.