A friend messaged me today, with this paraphrased question:
“I was looking over the sample ballot and have no idea who these people are. I’ve gotten tons of mailers, but still don’t know anything about them. What is your opinion?”
Others have also asked about the 2nd District Board of Ed candidates, so here are my opinions, and how I arrived at them:
I don’t know much about Dorsey. She is a retired principal, and she ran for BOE in the 7th district in a previous election. Yesterday was the first time I saw one of her signs. In the candidate forum that was hosted by The League of Women Voters and KCEA, she seemed knowledgeable on most issues facing the BOE, however, she was not at the Board’s October work session, which surprised me. I would think that being visible, as well as being current on issues on which the Board is voting, would be important, if one were serious about the office. It makes me wonder why she is running.
Sanger also failed to show up for the October Board work session. During the LWV/KCEA forum, I felt that many of her answers were parroted from Dorsey’s, rather than being her own thoughts. Listening to her speak, I got the impression that she believes she should be elected because she has young children – not because she has actually considered the issues facing the BOE or how those issues impact ALL students in Knox County. Many people believe that she will be a “rubber stamp” for whatever Dr. McIntyre wants and I see this as a strong probability.
Rowe has made some enemies in the construction community, due to her stance on wastewater runoff. I think this is something that we should take as a positive: She isn’t afraid to speak up and fight. It will be difficult to intimidate her into voting for something that she doesn’t agree with. Rowe is the only candidate who showed up for October’s mid-month School Board work session. She has been taking notes and has been out talking to teachers, parents, and community members, to get a firm grasp on community concerns. Rowe also does her research – she wants facts to back up opinions. Our BOE has had a sad lack of interest in facts, for a very long time.
Disinterest and rubber stamps are what we are used to with Knox County Schools. Of the three candidates, Rowe is most capable of serving students, by digging for facts and not bending to another person’s agenda.