DISD: District 3 Election Tidbits
Submitted by Allen Gwinn on Mon, 09/07/2009 - 13:24.
Nepotism at DISD is rampant. Probably the most blatant example of nepotism is that of Arnold and Patricia Viramontes. Arnold is the Superintendent's chief of staff. His wife is chief of DISD's information technology.
In District 3, the wife of senior DISD administrator Rene Martinez is running for school board. Does this kind of thing need to end? Read "Bea'ing Honest" - www.MRSmartinez.Org and give us your comments. Rene and his wife "don't ever call me Bea, only call me MRS." Martinez have been emailing all their friends/supporters. We've heard from them. Let's hear what you have to say.
We also put a link to the Attorney General's decisions in connection with the current nepotism law. Is the law strong enough?
If you don't like these laws, complain to this guy.
Also running in District 3 is Penny Anderly. Penny according to this campaign report is Nancy Bingham's campaign manager. Bingham has been a strong supporter of Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and the administration in general.
Bruce Parrott has also decided to make a go of it. Bruce is Lois Parrott's husband. Lois was unseated in the last election by Leigh Ann Ellis. According to insiders in the Parrott campaign, Bruce is claiming strong support from the teachers' unions.
The election is in November!
Gotta Love It!
Wonderful Comments!
Hey I tried to tell that "Guy" Mr. Vaught.: He is the real issue and needs to be outed! Can we say unethical?
so ya say the big dude wants to outfund LAE? I thought she was one of them. What I was wondering, is there anyone willing to try to fight this corruption? It is great you are blogging or I would never know.
I would like to see a pro/con list for each candidate. Not the list of prostitution acts and con-artist schemes, although I am sure you could blog for days on that, but a list of virtues and attributes that genuinly qualify a person for this vast responsibility and a list of their weakness whether experience or education, or criminal activity (albeit unprosecutable or not).
I do love the site! Keep it up, and there is nothing to fear in the truth...unless you are a politician!
LULAC's reach
Everyone can say Bea Martinez is a good woman. We don't care. Her husband is part of the system that has corrupted DISD for years and years. The P-Card scandal is just the tip of the iceberg.
So Rene says he will resign if she wins. What if he changes his mind? Would we get to re-vote? Why would anyone think she would be fair when she --her organization and her husband are part of the problem? LULAC acts like they are the appointed-annointed voice of Hispanics in Dallas.
So where has Bea been during Cheese? Where was she when Spruce was being gutted?
And where is all that money they raised at LULAC for scholarships? Where is all that anyway?
We have a few questions for her:
Have her name ONE THING she has done for Conrad or Bryan Adams in the last three years. Not her husband or son, but HER.
Where was she while Hill Middle School went down the drain?
What has she done to help with dropouts in East Dallas?
DISD SSN's
The DISD may have not falsified SSN's but they did use several dozen SSN's already belonging to US taxpayers from another (Pennsylvania) state. How did that happen? I’d like those DISD employees who correctly guessed that many SSN’s already belonging to US taxpaying citizens to play the Texas Lottery for DISD taxpayers if they are that good at coming up with SSN’s of other people. You'd think that since DISD taxpayers paid the Coggins law firm to investigate the DISD SSN scandal that they would have included the specifics on that situation in their report but that never happened. This is yet just one of a multitude of wrongs that have occurred at the DISD over the past several years. DISD taxpayers are up to their neck with those kinds of issues that have happened at the DISD. Price felt that when he ran for Dallas City Council. These are challenging times for any DISD incumbent seeking another term. Furthermore, DISD District 1 & District 3 voters never forgot they should have had their school board election last May instead of this coming November.
So Much Commotion Here :(
Tell you what, I'm just going to vote for Penny because she may have the most yellow teeth of all the DISD District 3 school board candidates.
[Ed Note: Yeah I know the feeling. Sometimes it's easier to vote for the candidate you know the least about and just hope for the best!]
Quit Whining Bea
You're a candidate for public office now; you are fair game. Someone once said: "if you can't take the heat, don't stand in the kitchen."
Nepotism Applies
Thanks for the links to the AG. While Bea can legally RUN for office, Rene and her son cannot legally remain employees if she wins the race and takes office.
Nonbelievers, go to the AG's web site and take a gander.
So will Rene live off the federal money channeled through LULAC? How about the son?
Aside from that, does Lew Blackburn's brother work for the district? If so, sorry Lew, but one of you needs to hit the road. You are in violation of state law.
And hopefully, if the right people win the election in November, there will be sweeping rules regarding hiring the kinfolk of all the central administrators. DISD looks like some early union jobs that were passed from father to son, but in this case, there seems to be room for all the daughters and grandchildren.
[Ed Note: I was going through the A.G.'s opinions and it looks like if someone was continuously employed for 6 months before the election, then they can continue to hold the job they have. However, it doesn't look like they can be promoted--nor can anyone in the board member's bloodline be hired.
I could be really caddy here and say something like "so Rene better hurry up and get that promotion or he'll be stuck with a low 6-figure income!" But I won't :)
I'm pretty sure that nepotism is the rule of the day at DISD. But it is difficult to quantify because they make it as difficult as possible for "ordinary Joe's" to obtain everything they'd need to expose the extent of the problem. Occasionally you get lucky, but you end up with a bunch of "tails on the bell curve."
They're trying to get something passed through the Board that quantifies this publicly. But there has been some resistance to doing it so far.]
Leigh Ann Voted for Viramontes' Raise!
Apparently, Leigh Ann supports nepotism. Allen can you explain that? I don't see any indication that you are not a proxy for her.
Oh yeah, she also approved Viramontes and Patty being hired as executives to the district. Now what do you have to say about that?
So Allen, are you supporting Leigh Ann's re-election? Come on now, don't be afraid to be honest.
Rosa's Law Firm
Rosa: I'm certain with all that legal advice you're dispensing, you have a bar card? Mr. Gwinn, you need to read http://abcnews.go.com/US/WireStory?id=7188296&page=1, then contact the General Counsel of the State Bar of Texas.
Nope not a lawyer
Lawyerless,
Read my posts, I clearly state I'm not a lawyer. Where did I post I was? LOL
However, I am smart enough to know that one shouldn't register another person's name, most especially during a campaign.
Apparently, I'm sounding very legal, which isn't against the law! But I am a lawyer and I'm not voting to re-elect Leigh Ann when she clearly broke the law by extending her term.
Opps...
My haste to get to work is causing me many typos. No, I'm not a lawyer but I am a voter.
Thanks for making me laugh.
Now Allen is that you posting on your own site?
[Ed Note: No, Rosa, I'm having a hard time just keeping up with your prolific level of prose. Thanks, I appreciate the traffic. I'll wait for her lawyer's call.]
My Pleasure
Don't mention it. In my own way, I like you. You have value as a DISD watch-dog, but sometimes you show a very mean-spirited and petty side. Believe it or not, I respect your opinion, but don't make your attacks so personal. You like to ruin people that you don't even know. That's what keeps your site from being a success. Tawnell and even Kent (when he was still at DMN) moderate this type of ugly interaction.
Nevertheless, I give you credit for letting me post last night and this morning. Usually, you edit posts, as you see fit, but you let it ride these last 24 hours. Thanks for that.
Good luck to you Allen. I think I've posted enough and said my prolific peace. Take care and see you at the polls on election day.
[Ed Note: Sounds like we should get married, huh?]
Why is this even an issue?
Why are we even debating this? If she wants to be on the board he should resign. That would be honorable but honor doesnt mean anything to these types of people. Its all about how much money they can get from the public and our kids.
Whats wrong with it?
Whats wrong with this? Its all true. You think they would be proud of this not mad about it. Your just helping to get the word out.
[Ed Note: Unfortunately I've found, over the years, that some people just don't like where you shine your flashlight.]
Allen you are Cybersquatting
Allen,
Regarding the Martinez family...it's not nepotism! Rene is already hired! LOL Geez! Now when Bea gets elected you will have to blame the voters.
On another note, by keeping the BeaMartinez.org up, you could be liable for damages. This is serious. It's so American to spoof politicians, but using Bea's name on a domain is a horse of a different color.
"Within the United States, trademark owners and individuals are further protected by the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which took effect on November 29, 1999.6 The ACPA provides a legal remedy by which the legitimate trademark owner can seek monetary damages in addition to the domain name, whereas the UDRP provides for only recovery of the domain name itself."
[Ed Note: You probably need to go read the ACPA again. Here's a good layman's explanation of the ACPA.]
Read it Again
The layman's explanation isn't going to help you here. You know you're wrong and you're ego isn't taking it. You entitled to your opinion, but you are doing it in a deceitful and mean-spirited manner that is up for interpretation in the courts. Allen, you will need to bankroll your wiki interpretation, because it's coming.
Oh yeah...you're welcome for the hits.
Reading is Fundamental
If you read the act, it does not apply to websites started in the name of someone for purposes other than selling that domain name to the business or individual. There is already a website registered with my name, and if I was running for office, I couldn't suddenly file a lawsuit because I wanted the name. I would have to establish that the other party registered the domain name for no other rational purpose than to sell it to me at outrageous prices. Allen didn't register the name in order to sell it to her, he registered it in order to shed some light on corruption. "Bea Martinez" is not trademarked and Allen is not interested in selling her the name, therefore...no court action necessary.
The only thing that Allen could be sued for would be libel, and since the only defense against libel is the truth, and Allen's website is just that (the truth), then I don't think you need to worry Allen.
It's election time in a corrupt district, things might get ugly, get over it folks. If you don't like it, then quit electing corrupt board members. And personally, I am ok with Allen being mean to one person if it protects the children in my classroom from lining the pockets of corrupt district board members and employees.
Okay, I'm back
Allen,
You may have changed the name but you left the other domain up. That will become a huge issue for you. Another thing, you are implying that DISD gave Rene tax-payer money. You are wrong. He like all other DISD employees earns his money. Plus, Bea works too-- as a realtor. You put that picture of a house on that "spoof" site basically saying that DISD bought their home in District 3. No, DISD did not give the money, the money was earned! You say your site is factual, but it's not. It full of innuendos that are very disparaging. Come on now, if Rene being an executive is an issue then fine. But implying that DISD handed over money to the Martinez family is dirty.
Now Allen, shine your flash-light on the truth. Not the mud-slinging. I know you are buds with Leigh-Ann, but come on now.
[Ed Note: No, I changed it around too...]
Nepotism at BA
Allen,
If you are so worried about nepotism, why don't you check-out the new principal at BA. Did you know she is the daughter of Shirley Yarbrough, the coordinator if Cynthia Goodsell, the former BA AU principal? Yes, that's right, Susan Yarbrough Walker got big ole BA and has only been a little ole elementary school principal for a couple of years. It appears that Goodsell will still have her hand in running BA.
How about requesting the committee scoring sheets to the interview process. You may also want to see who else applied but didn't get the interview. I understand it was reposted so Walker could get it. So if you really want to talk nepotism, then do the investigation.
After that's done and your eyes are open, check-out the Delinda Mata-Castro story. How did she get that job? She had never been an administrator and there she goes... You may also want to check out the financials at Mountain View because word on the street claims there is a huge deficit.
So Allen, my point is that your flash-light shouldn't just point in the direction of Latino women, but perhaps what's happening in the schools in your own backyard. Susan Yarbrough Walker my arce...
[Ed Note: I'm trying to "point my flashlight" at the whole issue. Been trying for years. But the changes in the policy, which would start by making public disclosure mandatory, keeps getting shut down before it can get to a vote.
What needs to happen is a policy that bars more than one person in a family from working at a level above principal.]
Coordinator not above a Principal
So you are ignoring the issue I posted last night. Now you are qualifying it with anything above a principal? To use your words, does a principal/executive make more than 99% of the most teachers? Well, a principal does. So why ignore the nepotism in the Yarbrough family. Instead you are making this a lame issue with Rene. A coordinator is not above a principal. Allen, what and who are you protecting? Is is it Cynthia Goodsell?
It still doesn't matter--cybersquatting is what it is
It doesn't matter if you changed it around too. The fact you are using BeaMartinez.org is cybersquatting and potentially infringing on her trademark. The site needs to come down or you will face monetary damages because it misleads voters. Just go with the MrsMartinez.org because it's vague enough and she can't claim trademark.
Cybersquatting--Part II
Allen--
Let me elaborate a little bit more. (I can't believe I'm trying to help you.)
You can keep the BeaMartinez.org domain name but you can't have a live site while she has a campaign committee site. She can take you to court and take it down and ask for damages.
She's a realtor and has her own business and this may impact her business, so this may impact her earnings. That makes it a bigger issue. On second thought, the MrsMartinez.org site may not be so good either since it can be googled and hurt her donations and earning.
So Allen, protect yourself, because damaging her business could cause you many legal woes you will have to fight in court. And take it from a friend in the know, Bea has a war-chest to do this.
Good luck because I believe you will be hearing from their attorney next week.
Cybersquatting--Part III
I sent this to you already, and it didn't post under anonymous, so here goes:
There appear to be very few cases in which either elected or hopeful political candidates have disputed the ownership of an infringing domain name. One example that does exist is for the domain name kennedytownsend.com and several variations thereof. Disputed by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who was Lieutenant Governor of the State of Maryland at the time, the transfer was not granted, based predominantly on what appears to be a technicality of how the dispute was submitted. Central to the ruling in such dispute cases is whether the trademark or name is used to conduct commercial activity, and thus whether the infringement negatively affects the legitimate owner and, as a result, consumers:
Here, the claim for the domain names is brought by the individual politician, and not by the political action committee actively engaged in the raising of funds and promotion of Complainant's possible campaign. Had the claim been brought in the name of the Friends of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the result might well have been different. But it was not. The Panel finds that the protection of an individual politician's name, no matter how famous, is outside the scope of the Policy since it is not connected with commercial exploitation as set out in the Second WIPO Report.5
Within the United States, trademark owners and individuals are further protected by the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which took effect on November 29, 1999.6 The ACPA provides a legal remedy by which the legitimate trademark owner can seek monetary damages in addition to the domain name, whereas the UDRP provides for only recovery of the domain name itself.
Opps...I forgot to reference my cut and paste
The above cut and paste comes from this article:
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1190114
Redirecting the BeaMartinez.org--Not good for you Allen
Allen,
By redirecting the BeaMartinez.org site you registered in June to the piece on nepotism is also a liability for you. You are making an accusation even if you doing so by innuendo.
Look, you have won many battles in the past, but you will lose the war and possibly the house on this issue. Again, Rene is already and employee. If Bea wins she will not get paid. Plus, it will be the voters that put her there.
You have some points on conflict of interest. Go with that to make your case. But don't put yourself at risk for legal action. You are dealing with a campaign that has lots of grass-roots support.
[Ed Note: Grass roots, schmass roots. Should I be thanking you for the legal advice?
Again: my goal is to make sure the public is aware of and informed on the issues. By all indication, it appears I'm being wildly successful. Later on, we'll send a couple of mailers around to make sure everybody knows before they head to the polls.]
Yes Thank Me
Yes Allen thank me.
Now are you going to "inform" the public about your friend Leigh Ann? Let's recall that she voted down magnets and Learning Centers, voted to RIF teachers, and voted to illegally extend her term. Not to mention she is a Hinojosa supporter. You too actually but are feeling the sting of being dissed by a man you once posted was a great man, father, educator and honest.
Again, no prob on the legal advice. I believe you will need it this week. Yes, you modified the sites but they still existed and have been saved for evidence. You went out on the limb without realizing that the laws are changing on internet issues daily. Btw, I'm not a lawyer.
Wildly Successful?
So you think you have been wildly successful? Hmm...by what metrics. Half of you posts have been posted by me. You have 21 something posts versus 100+ on any topic Tawnell posts. Plus, this discussion has moved over to the DISD blog on DMN. You my friend are not that popular. LOL
But you are right, I have given you traffic. I just hate that!
Last thing, until Bea is elected, she has no affiliation with the district. So there goes your nepotism argument. It's just making you look bad, because of a possibility that Bea that she will win a non-paying position.
And if you plan to mail-out flyers against any candidate other than Leigh-Ann, be a man and state you are campaigning for Leigh-Ann. You are my friend losing credibility by the post.
See ya!
Hilarious
The website is hilarious! The "MRS" Martinez stuff is also priceless. Keep up
How Dare You?
Oh my gracious, Allen, you spoofed a politician! Who do you think you are? Where do you think you are?
Oh, yeah, this is America, and the website spoofing MRS. Martinez is perfectly legal.
While her candidacy might be legal, it certainly is unethical. So, according to many folks, is the use of DISD time and money to run LULAC affairs as her husband has admitted to doing. So was taking in the situation at Preston Hollow and calling LULAC and then covering for his buddy principal as Rene did.
According to spending guidelines for federal and state money, Mr. Martinez's use of his pcard was unethical at best.
Unethical also would be any vote MRS.Martinez casts, so why run for office when every vote has an inherent conflict of interest?
If MRS. Martinez is throwing this kind of fit over a web site, what would she do to any district employee who dared to speak against her husband? Threaten them with legal action or get them fired?
Filing her papers makes MRS. Martinez a public figure. If she thinks the kitchen is hot now, it will get much worse.
But we are very interested in one thing. Who gave MRS. Martinez the big bucks to hire Lisa McMaster to run MRS. Martinez's campaign?
Can we also assume MRS. Martinez is Jack Lowe's candidate of choice? That means she's definitely on the team with the others who voted to extend their own terms.
[Ed Note: Why thank you ma'am! I don't know who is bankrolling her yet. We will, however, in October. Their earliest filing shows the campaign in debt.]
Teacher in support
Allen,
I am an elementary school teacher and I want to applaud you for standing up under pressure.
Your website is a credit to you and the Martinez situation discredits all of us. Thanks for all you do. You dont get paid for this do you?
[Ed Note: Nope. Never taken payment. Never intend to.]
Support for dirty politics
What pressure is Allen up against? Well, I understand he will face legal action. He registered a domain site under... well, I'll wait until he hears from the attorney. Allen you should have done your homework a little better. You went to far and even lower than usual. I'm afraid that you do enjoy smearing people. You will do anything for hits.
Just for the record, I do know that Rene will resign when and if Bea wins. He will stay on at DISD if she doesn't win. What I know for sure is that your demand for him to resign NOW will never happen. Who are you to make demands. Heck, I'm embarrassed just to be here, but I am a little tired of your tactics.
Enough, I just hate to post here. I'm going back to DISD blog. I enjoy reading and commenting on the news. Dallas.org is the DISD gossip rag and you my dear Allen are scum.
BTW, your Hiney story was just silly and petty. I guess Hinojosa has stopped the pretense that you're somebody. Well, welcome to reality.
[Ed Note: Why thank you Rosa! Coming from you, I'll take all this as a compliment!
Your buddy Rene should have resigned before his wife ran for Board. That would have made the issue moot. My goal is not to pressure him into resigning, but to make this a campaign issue. If they can successfully sell it to the voters, then so be it. I just want to make sure it's all under consideration.]
Whatever
LOL...yeah whatever. Allen, you're a nut.
[Ed Note: I love you too :) ]
Bea Martinez
Sir:
I am completely disgusted with your tactics. I am almost as disgusted with myself for posting on this blog which I have never done and swore I would not do. But I find what you are doing so disturbing that I cannot sleep without speaking up via this blog.
I have followed this blog off and on for a while. At times, I have found it somewhat informative. Somewhat. Knowing that you are not a journalist, I read your posts with much skepticism. Your creation of the website using Bea's name just proves that I was right. You have no scruples and you are definitely no journalist. You are nothing more than a political hack purchased by whichever candidate or school board member is most afraid of Bea Martinez. Why are you so afriad of Bea? Because Bea is a winner and will bring the reform desperately needed for the school district.
For the record, I am a very proud Mexican American and I am NOT a member of LULAC. Never have been. I do not live in Bea's district or any of the other districts electing board members in this special election. Much to my embarassment, I am a former DISD employee. I DO have a child attending a DISD school.
Having said all of this, I can tell you that I STRONGLY support Bea. As a matter of fact, I wish I lived in her district. She is very talented and ethical person-- more than you will ever know. I cannot say the same thing for Jack Lowe who represents my district. I find it appalling that he and his company have been able to profit from his service on the Board. The only people who will profit from Bea's membership on the board are the CHILDREN of Dallas---my child included!
I am terribly disappointed with the direction your website is taking with the special election for Bea's district. You are politicizing this election rather than providing an intellectually stimulating forum for the exchange of ideas and proposals for change.
A few months ago, I read that you were considering closing your website. Please proceed accordingly as you cannot compete with Tawnell Hobbs. Do not interpret my post as a legitimization of what you are doing. Instead, take it as a reminder that you lack the ethics required of a responsible journalist. In short, you are a dangerous reminder of what the internet can do to ruin peoples lives. THAT is why no one wants to run for office and why we end up with the clowns that we have!
Once again, I support Bea and salute her bravery to proceed forward in spite of the dirty politics.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lakewood
[Ed Note: "Politicizing an election" ... what a concept!
Again, if Rene did not work for the District, this would not be an issue. If he resigns, the website comes down.
Don't be embarrassed to be a former DISD employee. There are plenty of them--many of them good people!]
Go Allen! Finally!
Finally you're taking on an issue that has needed addressing for decades! Don't let them get away with it! The Martinez situation is completely out of control.
[Ed Note: She just started her "bid" for board. If you're referring to nepotism in general, I've written on it several times over the years.
I refer you to this concerning DISD's number 2 guy, Arnold Viramontes, and his wife Patricia--who heads up the District's IT department.
One DISD board member is trying to get a nepotism-reporting policy on the agenda (no action, just information). It keeps getting rejected by others who apparently don't want the depth of the problem exposed.]
DISD District 3
Allen,
I know Bea Martinez and I am not a member of LULAC, but I believe that she is honest and a hard worker. I can not believe that you would stoop so low. Did you check to see if it was a conflict for Rene to work for DISD and for his wife to run for school board? I think that is where you should start. If it is a conflict, tell all of us so that we will know.
Please tell us what you know about Bea Martinez and why she (not her husband) should not be running for this office. Since you are in District 3 have you had a conversation with her before today regarding DISD? Does she have knowledge of the issues concerning DISD? Is she compassionate about children? Has she served on any boards that would give her insight to a billion dollar budget and how to manage it? Can she represent the total community? Does she understand working with employees that report directly to the board?
If you think that Leigh Ann Ellis is not part of the "Slam Dunk" you are dreaming. She has voted along with Flores, Garza, Lowe and Bingham on most of the bad decisions that have been made on this board. She voted for the budgets, she voted for the RIF, she voted against the Learning Centers, she is one of the five (5) that they count on to keep Hinojosa, she voted for the DUMB new ethics policy that allows board members to do business with DISD, she voted to ILLEGALLY EXTEND HER TERM IN OFFICE, etc. Please tell me when Leigh Ann Ellis has taken a strong position on any issue opposing the administration.
Everyone on the board needs to go except Adam and Carla. Go after the candidate’s qualifications not her family.
[Ed Note: Hi Joyce. Yes, of course it's a huge conflict. No, it's not illegal. It is, and should be, a campaign issue. I'm going to make certain it is.
I know "MRS." Martinez is a friend of yours, but try substituting names. For instance, would you still feel this way if Mrs. Jack Lowe were employed as a DISD executive and her husband were running for board?
As I pointed out previously, it is issues like this which forces the State legislature to pass laws addressing things which should be common sense.
I'll let the candidates answer the other questions you posed. They'd do a better job than I would anyway :) ]
Hi Allen, Since you know
Hi Allen,
Since you know that Bea and I served on the DART Board together, I am sure that you know that we do not always agree. I believe that right is right and wrong is wrong no matter who it is, friend or not. If this was Mrs. Lowe, I would much rather her husband be an employee of DISD (working like other employees) rather than taking millions of taxpayer dollars in contracts.
Let's see if we can work together to get the legislature to tackle the issue of sitting board members getting millions of taxpayer dollars in contract. I believe that Leigh Ann Ellis was chairing the Policy Committee when the new ethics policy was adopted.
I'm sure you do not want to answer the questions I posed about Leigh Ann Ellis's tenure as a board member because she is known to be a friend of yours. It's okay to have friends in the race, what is not okay is hitting below the belt and attacking the candidates family.
I have great respect for much of the work that you have done, but I feel this is unjust.
[Ed Note: I'm right there with you on the contract issue--and I hope this gets enough coverage that the legislature will finally take up the nepotism issue.
Again, Joyce, I'm not attacking a candidate's family. If Rene were not a "senior administrator" with DISD, this whole thing would be moot. If he resigns, tomorrow, the website will be down as soon as I can get to a computer.
The issue is the situation--not the people.
I'd complain as loudly about this if these two were my best friends in the world. I'm surprised you're OK with it.
As far as Leigh Ann and the other candidates go, they're big boys and girls. They can answer the questions themselves.]
He's not an Executive
Allen,
Rene is not a DISD exective. Rene did not take a promotion after all the controversy. As of today, he is a coordinator. No staff reports to him.
So, there you go. Your faux Bea spoof is inaccurate.
[Ed Note: "Executive" (according to Websters) –noun "a person or group of persons having administrative or supervisory authority in an organization. Let's don't "semanticize."
Just a nit back at you: my website can't be a "faux Bea spoof." It can be "faux" or a "spoof" but not both--otherwise it would be... never mind.]
It's your spin
Allen, I agree that the official meaning of executive is exactly as you posted. However, you know as well as DISD employees that the word executive means high ranking position. Rene is simply a coordinator with no executive clout. Your reason for listing executive is to flame the fan of controversy. Not cool.
[Ed Note: "High-ranking"... if you make more money than 99% of the teachers, does that qualify?
Look, he doesn't hold a lower-ranking administrative position. He's extremely well paid--and when I get the next salary database online, you'll be able to see exactly how much he makes.
He's an extremely senior guy at DISD. If I call him a "senior administrator" at DISD, would that make you happy?]
Our Children
I have known Beatrice Martinez for quite some time, I am not a member of LULAC, I developed Accion America to take on issues that MANY ignored.
During our campaign against Cheese Heroin, very few people spoke out, very few people had the courage to stand up and be counted and that includes the editor of this blog. Rene Martinez had that courage and so did Beatrice.
When we were fighting to kick out Hinojosa very few people spoke out and if if were not for Carla Ranger, the protest and our insistence to Robert Scott that they intervene along with incessant calls to the Texas Attorney General who can count Latino votes, it was a no brainer that the actions of the Board were unacceptable, and as a result we have November elections.
It is easy to criticize behind a computer and feel mighty, but it is a different ballgame in the community, that is where we will make the difference.
I can tell you unequivocally that Ms. Ellis is not deserving of another term, and that goes for Edwin Flores, who I will work to get Latino voters to reject.
Mr Gwinn, pick a fight with Leigh Ann, she was there with the budget mess, the p-card, the grade changing, and the killing of our children and did nothing about it.
Carlos Quintanilla
[Ed Note: Hey Carlos. Thanks for writing. Keep in mind that this has nothing to do with the Martinez' commitment to the community, children, issues, etc.
It is all about whether it is right for the wife of an executive at a taxpayer-funded public agency to sit as a chief policymaker. Nothing more.
Heck, if the situation were different, if Rene wasn't employed by DISD, I might have even supported "MRS." Martinez.
It is situations like this that force lawmakers to pass special laws--because some people just won't do the right thing.
My apologies for not being more vocal about the cheese problem.]
That's Pretty Dirty
Allen,
I've been reading your site for years and have seen you run the gammit from insightful citizen to petty "look at me" antics. Nevertheless, I have always defended you to others that think you a yellow journalist. Today, you proved your critics right. Posting that fake web-site about Bea Martinez is unethical and against the law. You are defaming her. Putting in a sentence that you are not really her speaking will not hold water in court.
Just for the record Allen, I live in District 9, so I am not a person that can vote for or against Bea. I just think you have gone too far. I hope the Martinez family takes you to court. You've been asking for it for years.
I think Allen, you are afraid of losing power. When you go that low, it just makes you look weak. Come on Allen, be better than that. Set the example for your children. (I bet that made you mad.) Nevertheless, you don't mind bringing other family members into your insults.
[Ed Note: I have no power. I am a blogger. People choose to read my website or not--nobody is forced to read anything.
With respect to BeaMartinez.org, all somebody needs to do is point out, factually, what is wrong, and I'll correct it.
They may not like the way I choose to present it, but it is 100% accurate. It also falls into the category of political discourse. Nobody is forcing MRS. Martinez to run for office.
The central question is: should the wife of an executive of a taxpayer-funded public agency be on the Board of that agency representing us? For most of us, I suspect the answer would be obvious. But for some strange reason, these guys feel its OK.
This is not a private sector job. Money comes right out of my wallet to go into Rene's pocket. And, last I heard, "MRS." Martinez (she admonished me to NEVER call her Bea--I am to only call her "MRS." Martinez) is running for MY school board as MY elected representative.
This needs to be an issue central to this election.
By the way, after speaking with a (rather upset) "MRS." Martinez, I did go back and try to make it much more obvious that it had nothing to do with their campaign.
Also, in keeping with my past policies, I remove these issues-based websites the evening after election is over. So it will be gone in November anyway.]
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