Maggie Brooks says she wants to be part of the solution
How best to describe Maggie’s offer to help the schools cut their budgets? Brash, audacious, and rude. Me? I prefer Chutzpa. You go ahead and look up that word while I wipe up the breakfast I just spit out after reading Maggie’s offer to help the schools cut their budgets because it is part of her FA.I.R F.O.U.L Plan.
Check out the article in the D&C today:
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks has offered local school districts use of the county’s cost-cutting budget advisory team as a way to help them cope with reduced funding stemming from the F.A.I.R. plan to balance the county’s budget.
OK, I’m cutting your budget yet offering the county assistance in how to cut your budget. So, are you getting into the school business now?
“I don’t want to sit here and criticize schools for spending, I want to be part of the solution,” said Brooks.
Oh my God. Part of the solution???? Gee ,maybe you could have thought of that sometime earlier this year. YOU HAD THE LOCKSTEP LEGISLATURE RAM THROUGH THIS PROPOSAL WITHOUT COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.
Jody Seigel said it best. Politcally correct, yet pointed (my emphasis):
“We would be happy to arrange a meeting with Maggie’s team with school business officials so they can better understand what goes into school finances and budgeting,” said Jody Siegle, executive director of the Monroe County School Boards Association.
She said school budgeting is already a process held in the open, with numerous public meetings and opportunities for public input offered before the budgets are finally offered to voters for adoption.
Ms Brooks, the school budgeting process is open and done well in advance of a 90 minute slam dunk political maneuver.
Like I said, Chutzpa.
I would add pathetic.
Any idea who is on this budget team?
Keep “Fast Fingers” Durso away from the children!
According to MSNBC - “Brooks goes on the offensive”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21156365/from/ET/
Unbelievable. She says the school districts have an addiction to raising taxes. And she says that the schools are putting their own “self interest” above the interests of the community. Appalling. And she did this press conference at a Webster elementary school!! Talk about chutzpa!
First, as for an “addiction to raising taxes” - more 1984think. As we’ve all been discussing lately, she’s actually raising taxes, but just not honestly.
But more bizarrely, what is she trying to say when she’s discussing the schools’ self interest? Does she think that the schools are like big Lindsay Lohans or Paris Hiltons running around buying expensive purses and clothing? Who does she think our schools serve - themselves? Isn’t one of the most important functions of local government to support the finest public education our children can receive? Doesn’t local government express its community interest by focusing on that function? Isn’t quality public education a hallmark of a fine community? Don’t communities grow and thrive when they have a reputation for fine schools?
So, how is it that Ms. Brooks believes that schools and the interest of the community are two different things? At least now we’re getting a little better understanding of how she thinks. As far as she is concerned, community interest (I’m checking my keyboard for the “not equal to” sign but can’t find it) education. Ms. Brooks ought to be careful - in her desperate effort to protect her plan she’s being a little too candid about her beliefs.
This reeks of Metro Government. They want to do as they want, where they want, when they want, how they want, and control and manipulate every aspect of the community at the town, school and county level all the while attacking the state.
Somebody has a little bit of a control issue. Perhaps the “red army” she enlists at the town level have empowered her thinking.
The voters need to send a strong and clear message this November, next November, and every November to come until the system of checks and balances is returned. This lockstep mentality has gone too far.
http://www.rosswalker.co.uk/movie_sounds/sounds_files_20070211_107389/wall_street/greed.wav
As of 12/14/04 the members were:
Sanford R. Abbey, Fieldtex
Frank C. Carpenter, The Legend Group
Karen S. Davison, Quantum Performance Group, Inc
Elisabeth Hager, MD
Daniel C. Hogan, Crane-Hogan Structural Systems, Inc.
Stephen Hooper, Health Economics Group, Inc.
G. Jean Howard, Wilson Commencement Park
Michael Konopka, Konopka Architecture
Arthur W. Maurer
Frances A. Pullano, Pullano & Company
William Sentiff, M & T Bank
Amy L. Tait, Tait Realty Advisors, LLC
George VanArsdale
At that time, Dan Hogan was the chairman of this budget team.
http://www.monroecounty.gov/?q=node/1926////communications
Oh, and get this, since Hogan was appointed chair of this “team” his company has donated over $16,000 to local campaigns; the vast majority of which are repugs. What a coincidence.
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