  Eastsidechris Member Username: Eastsidechris Post Number: 104 Registered: 12-2003 |
I didn't know much about the guy and thought the recall talk was much ado about nothing until I witnessed two things in the past 10 days: 1. A little over a week ago, he was interviewed on the Channel 7 news at 11 and said, and this is pretty near an exact quote if not the exact words that came out of his mouth: "The only person who will remove me from this job is God." 2. I went to the school board meeting on Thursday night and witnessed his demeanor. He was smug, smirked at people whose opinions he did not agree with and carried himself like a pompous ass who was better than the public who made the mistake of voting him on the board. I will sign any petition to remove him from his position as soon as I can get my hands on one. Has anyone else here witnessed his behavior? My principal said he was actually well-behaved, by his standards, the other night. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 220 Registered: 10-2006 |
blah blah blah blah. No official in any position is going to be 100% of what you think he should be. I think that you need to be more appreciative of the people that are in these positions. Some bad attitudes are understandable, his decisions are only what you need to take into consideration! | ||
Detroitteacher Member Username: Detroitteacher Post Number: 869 Registered: 06-2006 |
Eastside Chris: Your union rep should have a petition. Mine did. Marie Thornton's written complaint against him was all I needed to see. I did witness his antics and have witnessed others at past Board meetings. He's a schmuck who cares not for the kids. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 409 Registered: 01-2005 |
I don't live in Detroit anymore but pay a ton of Detroit taxes and therefore am entitled to an opinion I guess. The School Board is a joke, a very poor one. It is detrimental not only to its primaryconstituency, the kids and teachers, but to taxpayers and Detroit's reputation. Didn't the Mayor just say that the quality of the candidates for the new superintendant is so low because no one in their right mind wants the job. He's correct. Because I know contractors who do work for the Board, I know that their is rampant graft and corruption. The State is almost as much to blame for not taking over the District and doing it right instead of the way they did it last time. The State pussyfooted around the problems when it had some level of control. Of course the voters are most responsible for electing those idiots. I gues they are getting what they deserve. Lift the cap on Charter Schools. Rid the City of those idiots by attgrition. Make the District as it now stands a thing of the past. No city can be a great city w/o an excellent school system. Detroit will continue to be a third world city until somebody, the State, the electorate, or the voters wake up. I feel sorry for the good teachers such as Detroitteacher and those students who want to learn but have no place to go at this time. | ||
Yvette248 Member Username: Yvette248 Post Number: 367 Registered: 10-2006 |
The teachers union is trying to get rid of him because they don't like the contract. There is nothing wrong with Dr. Womack. He did his job - difficult and unpopular as it may have been. That is precisely the reason why we can't get a decent superintendent. The minute he/she goes to make the tough decisions that need to be made, certain parties want to run them out of office. | ||
Detroitteacher Member Username: Detroitteacher Post Number: 872 Registered: 06-2006 |
Yvette, it's not just that he's trying to get rid of the union. It's his nasty attitude toward everyone, including other Board members. Marie Thornton is spearheading the recall, not the DFT. | ||
Firstandten Member Username: Firstandten Post Number: 60 Registered: 05-2006 |
I have a fundamental disagreement with recalls I feel that tool should only be used if a political figure was shown to have done something either illegal or unethical. I don't think that because you disagree with that person or you think he's a a-hole is reason enough. Recalls are expensive and devisive and it takes the focus off the many problems the district already has. Just vote him out at the next opportunity. | ||
Pffft Member Username: Pffft Post Number: 1177 Registered: 12-2003 |
Now I know I don't like him, if Yvette is for the guy. | ||
Firstandten Member Username: Firstandten Post Number: 61 Registered: 05-2006 |
3rdworldcity- Actually the voters did a decent job of electing this board based on the experience and accomplishments that were presented to the voters by the candidates. Of course you are going to have one or two that are suspect. The problem is that there are too many competiting agenda's within the District very few of which has to do the kids education. Remember DPS is one of the few economic drivers that this city has. You can't make a tough decision without affecting someones income. If you read the rationale for closing and consolidating schools is it surprising that the one key component, whether the school was educating its students wasn't even considered. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 225 Registered: 10-2006 |
Gotta listen to Firstandten and my points of view. If he is that bad then pick a different guy the next time around. Detroit has had a recall petition go around for about everyone that has ever been elected it seems like. Either learn more about the ppl that you are electing or don't try to recall someone just because you don't like his/her personality. Recall should be reserved for much more serious issues. | ||
65memories Member Username: 65memories Post Number: 322 Registered: 10-2003 |
Agrree. You don't go out and recall someone everytime you don't agree with him or her. If the charge is malfeasance, stealing, etc., than a recall is appropriate. I don't always agree with Jimmy Womack, but as a regular attender at Board meetings, I can tell you he has maintained order and moved the agenda better than most of the previous presidents. Detroit teacher...I have always respected your views on educational issues, but don't throw your eggs into Marie Thorton's basket. Her tenure on the board is not one anyone should role-model or admire. By the way...I have attended meetings going all the way back to Brownell and Drachler. I remember attending meetings in the little auditorium in the Schools Center Building and the calm, quiet...and boring. Not anymore. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 410 Registered: 01-2005 |
F&T: You're correct. "Competing agendas." Vested money interests -v- school kids. Who loses every time? | ||
Detroitteacher Member Username: Detroitteacher Post Number: 873 Registered: 06-2006 |
65: I wholeheartedly agree with you about Thornton. I knew her as a parent when her son was in my class! She didn't have all her apples in the same basket, so to speak, even back then. I guess seeing all that he's done (I attend Board meetings and have seen and heard it all, just never in one spot) written down was a reality check. I was also responding to someone who blamed the DFT for the recall. It wasn't DFT, it was Thornton spearheading it. I guess I was disappointed when Womack taunted Keith Johnson to a fight in the parking lot! That was what swayed my opinion of the guy. (Message edited by detroitteacher on January 14, 2007) (Message edited by detroitteacher on January 14, 2007) | ||
Eastsidechris Member Username: Eastsidechris Post Number: 105 Registered: 12-2003 |
Detroit teacher: You referred to a complaint from Marie Thornton about Womack. I am not familiar with this. Care to fill me in? (And does this have anything to do with the first part of the meeting, where the bandied about talk of sanctions, an apology and conflict resolution counseling for something that was said by one of the members against Thorton in the media). Yvette: As I said, I was at Thursday night's meeting. Before then, I knew very little about Womack. After the meeting, I knew more than I cared to know about him. I hope he knows how to tactfully handle dissenting voices in his church better than he apparently does in his position of School Board President). One other note: Reverend David Murray. I heard rumblings that he legally changed his name to Reverend. Is he really a reverend? PS--Found out from my principal that the guy in the front row on Thursday who challenged another guy to "meet me outside afterwards" is a local reverend. (And yes, I heard from my principal what was said that got him to respond that way, and while I think the other guy was even more out of order, I'd expect more from a man of the cloth). | ||
Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 2299 Registered: 12-2004 |
Yeah, what does he think he is? A teacher? Oh, well - the way things are going - in another 5 or 6 years, there won't even be a DPS. We'll see what happens then. | ||
Detroitteacher Member Username: Detroitteacher Post Number: 874 Registered: 06-2006 |
Chris: Thornton's complaint was filed a month or so ago. It was lengthy and pointed out many things Womack is doing or has done that was against Board rules. I can't remember them all. In it she spelled out the incident when Womack told Keith Johnson to meet him in the parking lot, etc. That wasn't at Thursday's meeting. It was back in October or November (can't remember which). Murray did legally change his name to Rev. As far as I know, he isn't one, not in any real sense of the word. Let me see if I can dig up Thornton's complaint and if so, I'll post it here. | ||
Detroitteacher Member Username: Detroitteacher Post Number: 875 Registered: 06-2006 |
Even though the Chronicle isn't my Number 1 choice for news, Sam Logan did a great job in summing things up (this is not a slam against Womack, per se...but what's wrong with the Board, in general): http://www.michronicleonline.c om/articlelive/articles/304/1/ DPS-needs-new-governance-in-20 07/Page1.html |
