Election Day, November 2, 2010, will mark the first time that any members of the Harford County Board of Education will be chosen by the public they will serve. In most other school districts in the state and in the nation, school board elections are nothing new. But in Harford County, where the Maryland governor used to appoint all school board members, the voters will soon elect three new board members, and make a bit of Harford County history in the process.
Readers who are interested in the change from an appointed school board to a blended board are encouraged to review The Dagger’s guide to the 2009 law that brought about the transition in progress. The bottom line: Harford County is moving away from a school board with seven appointed members, to a nine-member board made up of three appointed members and six members who will be elected in each of the six Harford council districts. The transition to the new system will be complete in 2014.
For now, our focus is on the first set of elections being held this year in three Harford council districts – Edgewood/Joppa (District A), Fallston/Abingdon (District B), and North Harford (District D). In the non-partisan primary held in September, voters in each of these three districts narrowed down larger fields of candidates to the top two vote-getters. On November 2, these remaining two candidates in each district will again face the voters of their district, again in non-partisan elections. The three winners will be seated on the Harford County Board of Education on July 1, 2011.
Mindful of this moment in history, and of the relationship between the quality of public education and the quality of life for all, The Dagger posed some fairly pointed questions to the two finalists up for election in each of the three Harford council districts. All of the candidates were given the same questions and while their answers will be published here in a series, all of the candidates’ responses were received prior to publication – in other words, no peeking at one another’s answers was possible.
With thanks to all of the candidates for their prompt responses, The Dagger brings you the following Q & A with the candidates for the Harford County Board of Education:
Earlier, we heard from candidates Cassandra R. Beverley and Ron Eaton who are competing in Fallston/Abingdon District B, and also from Rick Grambo and Lorrie Warfield, the candidates in North Harford District D. Last but not least is Edgewood/Joppa District A, where the choice will be between Bob Frisch, a teacher in Baltimore County Public Schools, and Jansen Robinson, chairman of the Edgewood Community Council. Below are the questions as written by The Dagger, followed by the candidates’ unedited written responses.
Q1. School board members are often called upon to make decisions in areas where they may not have experience or expertise, such as the school curriculum or the capital budget program. Briefly describe how you would make decisions in areas outside your personal expertise.
Bob Frisch:
Board of Education members cannot be expected to be experts in all topics brought before them. That said, I intend to do whatever is necessary to reasonably educate myself on those issues pertinent to conducting school system business. Knowledgeable Board members who understand the many aspects of operating a large school system is a requirement to insure the most productive and efficient delivery of services to the students of Harford County schools. When necessary I will seek advice from outside the school system to gain other perspectives. Being well versed on the relevant topics allows Board members to more accurately question and assess proposals and policy recommendations submitted by the Superintendent and his senior staff. Knowledge is the foundation of sound decision making which needs to start with Board of Education members. Previous management and current educator experience leaves me well positioned to immediately assume school board decision making responsibilities.
Jansen Robinson:
Facilitate community involvement in decision-making. Utilize the highly talented workforce at APG and the private sector that is closely aligned with the work being conducted at this facility.
Engage the Educational Community, starting with HCC.State Board of Education to determine how issue was addressed by other districts in the state.
US Dept of Education, to determine how issue was addressed by other districts in the nation.
Other education-related organizations such as the Unions, and non-profits groups
Q2. The State of Maryland has adopted new education reforms calling for 50% of a teacher’s evaluation to be tied to student performance. Baltimore City has recently begun to develop their evaluation criteria and all local school districts will have an opportunity to do the same. Other than test scores, what are some student performance measures that you would consider to be valid for the purpose of teacher evaluations?
Bob Frisch:
Test scores alone do not measure the value of classroom teachers. Federal and State education authorities have already recognized this flaw in the current legislation. A more appropriate yardstick would be to measure individual student progress. Such formulas are already being developed. Students entering a teacher’s classroom with significant academic deficits may well advance significantly but still be below grade level expectations at year’s end. Good teachers are not afraid to be evaluated. The issue is the equity of evaluations between academic and non-academic classes, or tested and non-tested subjects. What level of support and interest do students receive at home? Student attendance issues, poverty and factors beyond a teachers control need to be considered in any evaluation process to be fair to both teachers and students. To accomplish this all stakeholders (teachers, administrators, Board of Education members, and parents) need to jointly participate in developing an evaluation system that is both reliable and equitable for all.
Jansen Robinson:
Teachers should be part of the team that develops the measuring instrument. And, since 50% of a teacher’s evaluation is tied to student performance, we should measure those things that a teacher either controls/influences that contributes to student performance. Because whether or not a student achieves in school can be influenced by many different factors. Some factors include the student’s health, the degree of family involvement in school, the school environment itself, as well as the expectations that teachers have of each individual student.
Explore (with our teachers) the use of other performance evaluation methods, such as the “value-added” method of teacher evaluation. Value-added analysis uses standardized tests to estimate teacher effectiveness. This evaluation method employs advanced statistical techniques to project the future performance of individual students based on their past performance. The difference between the projected and actual performance of students determines the value added or subtracted by the teacher.
Simply stated we should measure how much each child improves over time, instead of simply how high they score, because it accounts for where kids started from. We should be measuring teachers by how much they help each child grows.
Other areas of measurement would include what the teacher controls that influences that growth, such as:
– Teacher Attendance
– Teacher Certification/Training
– Classroom Management
– Quality of Teacher/Parent Interaction
Q3. Maryland school boards are charged with many responsibilities. Among them are hiring the superintendent, setting both capital and operating budget priorities, formulating policies for school system operations, and establishing local curriculum guides and courses of study. Are there any previous decisions made by the Harford County Board of Education that you would seek to review or overturn?
Bob Frisch:
I have had the opportunity to speak with many parents, school system staff, and students about our school system. While most were pleased with the system overall there were some areas of common concern. The elementary school Every Day Math program and the high school Living In A Contemporary World course are just two examples of discontent. Another area of frustration is the mandatory four period block schedule for high schools. I am a firm believer that communities and relevant stakeholders should have a reasonable voice in determining the makeup and direction of their neighborhood schools. I believe it would be reasonable to at least take another look at these and other issues to determine if they are effective and serve the best interest of students and the affected community. The school system does not have all the answers and it is necessary to listen to what our parents, students, classroom teachers, and taxpayers have to say. Cooperation builds commitment between parties and leads to more successful outcomes.
Jansen Robinson:
· Review the proposed 2011 operating & capital budget with the County Council, and the Administration to collectively identify cost-saving measures. We can’t continue to conduct business as usual.
· Review teacher compensation package to include the Employee Health Insurance Decisions.
· Review the Extracurricular Activities Policy to determine the impact that this policy is having on the entire “School Community”. For example, we should be working with the law enforcement community to determine if this policy, as it is written, is aiding “gang” recruitment. Remember Schools are a Reflection of the communities that they serve.
· Review the Bullying Policy (with all stakeholders) to ensure that we have developed a Smart Policy. If it occurs in the community, it’s occurring in our schools. Schools are a reflection of the communities that they serve.
· Review Student Dress Code Policy. We must do what is reasonable-but necessary. This issue is closely aligned with gangs and bullying.
· Review Redistricting Plan to ensure that each community and law enforcement is seated at the decision-making table.
· Explore (with our teachers) the use of other performance evaluation methods, such as the “value-added” method of teacher evaluation. Value-added analysis uses standardized tests to estimate teacher effectiveness. This evaluation method employs advanced statistical techniques to project the future performance of individual students based on their past performance. The difference between the projected and actual performance of students determines the value added or subtracted by the teacher.
· Policy on Board Meetings: To help encourage community participation, we should hold our regular Board Meetings in the community, instead of asking the community to come to us. We should also encourage the PTA’s to do the same. The board must take the lead in developing a better understanding of the community that each school serves if it to enact effective policies.
· Community Involvement Policy: Create a vehicle that will facilitate more community involvement in the decision-making process. Effectively utilize the highly talented workforce at APG and the private sector companies that are closely aligned with the work being conducted on APG, to help us find solutions to education issues. Engage the Post-Secondary Education Community to help us conduct research and bring more information to the discussion of education issues, starting with our own Harford Community College.
· Last, but not least I would request a thorough Review of the Policy governing the tenure of School Board Officers. Specifically, what was the “Compelling Reason” for the change in the term of the current president?
Q4. Adequate funding is a perennial concern for school board members. Next year, HCPS expects to face an operating budget deficit, estimated at nearly $14 million, if additional funding cannot be secured. What cost saving measures would you be willing to consider as a member of the school board? Please name at least two specific examples.
Bob Frisch:
In tight economic times we must find ways to control the budget without jeopardizing the quality of education our children receive in the classroom. We must remember that the primary purpose of our schools is to provide students with an education that prepares them to pursue higher education or be workforce ready. All decisions must be made under the guiding principle of how does this benefit the students in our classrooms? We must be willing to look at all aspects of the budget not directly affecting students, from facilities to administrative staff to unnecessary academic programs. During a recent candidate forum I gave a specific example of where the school system was spending over one thousand dollars per classroom for new electronic Whiteboard technology. I was able to demonstrate that this same technology could have been obtained for under one hundred dollars per classroom. It is my everyday familiarity with the classroom that gives me the background and knowledge to recognize this and other cost savings opportunities.
Jansen Robinson:
Again, review the proposed 2011 operating & capital budget with the County Council, and the Administration to collectively identify cost-saving measures. We can’t continue to conduct business as usual. The overall goal has to be cost-saving without negatively impacting the classroom, and that is everyone’s responsibility. Nothing should be off the table to include County-Wide Cost savings measures, to free-up funds for local schools.
We must look down the road to the possibility of local governments having to pick up at least a portion of teachers’ retirement costs. Many of these measures should also be applied to the county-wide budget. The school board and county government should discuss cost-saving measures in public rather than behind closed doors.
Short-Term
– Ask the employees, of the school system and the community where we can save money.
– Explore an increase class size in areas that have minimal impact on teaching and learning.
– Reducing administrative positions
– 4 Day school-week (increasing the number of hours each day to compensate for lost classroom time (Reducing costs associated with the fifth day of school)
– Modification of the annual work schedule/ Employee Furloughs as a cost saving measure.
– District-wide hiring freeze
– Minimize travel and conference expenses
– Reduce the number of employees with take home vehicles.
– Elementary reconfiguration and more efficient tiering of our bus routes. If done right we could add students to full day kindergarten without out adding staff.
– Filling empty seats could result in adding students without adding staff.
– End school three-five days earlier and increase time to each day
– Reduce the number of Snow days and/or the number of staff development days.Long Range
– Get the Right Person for the Job. This is perhaps the most important step that we can take to ensure that we run an effective school system. In many school systems there is a tendency to elevate educators to non-teaching positions/management positions. Oftentimes these educators lack the appropriate education, training and experience to perform effectively in these non-classroom management functions, resulting in bloated school systems.
– Create a vehicle for continued employee and community involvement in the cost-savings process.
– Combine services/functions provided by both the County and School System (Share services)
– Take steps to control wasteful spending and explore opportunities to better use and manage its resources through privatization of some support services.
– Review eliminating special programs that provide minimal benefit to students
– Reduce Energy Costs
– Manage Workman’s Compensation Costs
– Use State Contracts to acquire goods and services
– Review Revenue Collections Process
– Control Overtime via Planning & Management
– Minimize Unemployment Insurance Costs
– Contain health insurance costs
– Credit Card Accountability to minimize the risk of error, misuse, overuse and fraud
– Develop a long-term capital plan to manage their capital assets adequately and efficiently. The plan should be linked to periodic needs assessment (what do we need) and the budgetary process (what can we afford).
– Explore electronic banking as a faster, easier, and more efficient substitute for paper transactions.
– Establishment and effective administration of a fleet management program can have a positive impact on the cost effectiveness and efficiency of a locality’s fleet operation.
– Evaluate Solid Waste Collection Options
– Going green may turn out to be the most affordable option for school districts
– Frequent auditing help ensure a prudent use of taxpayer dollars, provide a sound internal control structure and safeguard district assets, for the benefit of our children and our communities.
Vote Frisch!
Vote Robinson! He will fight for your kids and your schools! He knows Edgewood and Joppatowne as well as anybody, and has fought hard for those communities. Do not turn your back on Robinson district A, it is not often you will have a chance to vote for somebody like Jansen Robinson, a person that truly has worked hard for the people and the community. I only wish other people running for office could say the same…
Now I know what the “BS” stands for. What a crock. How much are you getting paid to work for him on Election Day?
Maybe BS is one of those people that Robinson is offering to pay $100 plus $25 (for gas) to go out and drive people to the polls on election day. He also offered to pay $20 to people who would act as supporters of his polling places for the primary election.
I also note that on the MD State Board of Elections web page (under campaign finance reporting) Robinson has indicated that he has not spent nor raised more than $1000 on his campaign. I find this highly unlikely when you consider the number and size of his campaign signs, and the literature is has been leaving on doors. So who is paying for Robinson’s campaign?
I’ll take Councilman Dion Guthrie for $100…
I’ll take Councilman Dion Guthrie for $100….
Watcher, I did like your letter in today’s Aegis supporting Bane.
Sorry. Neither of those letters was from me. Are you jealous that no one wrote one in support of Robinson?
There have been more for Robinson than Frisch. For someone who calls themself “watcher”, you don’t see too well.
I’ve never seen anyone so negative as Watcher. He is a bully and will start to personally attack you as soon as the facts support your debate.
I agree Sam!
Because I ask people to back up what they claim? The horror!
Ok, I’ll admit that I am a Frisch fan, but I seriously question Robinson’s plan for a 4-day school day. Think about the impact that would have on the parents. Sure school isn’t supposed to be babysitter, but it is nearly impossible to find a daycare for 1 day a week. They charge you for 5 days even if you only use them for 1.
But I will congratulate Robinson for finally presenting ideas.
The main point is “finally presenting ideas.” It only took him six months to do so. I guess he didn’t want to be asked about issues he knows little about, or have to support some of the ridiculous positions he takes in answering the questions. The writing alone tells you who understands the issues and can approach them with intelligence.
Agreed. There is zero chance that Robinson actually wrote this himself.
Less that zero. He was fired from Baltimore City Schools. There can be lettle doubt that someone else wrote his responses. He could not “speellllll” some of the words used in the text. I am amused by the phrase, “hire the right person.” Right is a relative term. What is right for the mafia is not right for monks. Soooo??? what is “right” to Robinson, some family or plitical friend. (Guthrie I suspect he would make a good solid waste collection guy)
Solid waste management collection options? Really, where did that come from?
Too late,
thats a little unfair. Both candidates have said that they do not know everything, or know how things work yet. But both have told us what they don’t know they will seek information on, and they have given us some new ideas to think about. I don’t know who I will vote for yet, but I think we are lucky to have two energetic and engaged candidates.
I would disagree. Mr. Robinson has had plenty of time to state his positions. He has a FB page for his campaign which says nothing. He made a video that says nothing other than of the community for the community. He could have posted here anytime other than the last two letters to the editor and those were only in response to Frisch’s letter complaining about Robinson’s campaign tactics. Frisch has had a web page for months stating his positions and has commented and answered questions asked on the dagger all summer long. Frisch is an educator and has first hand knowledge of the school system and his learning curve will be a lot shorter than Robinson’s.
As I said before I have serious questions about Robinson’s ideas. He says, “Nothing should be left off the table to include County-Wide Cost savings measures, to free-up funds for local schools.” This position is counter to his active support and desire to have charter schools. How can you free-up money for schools while at the same time taking it away? Makes no sense. I am sure the parents of Edgewood want to see money taken from their schools only to be given to some charter in Belcamp or Aberdeen. The school system did that once and it was a failure.
He wants furloughs for teachers and a 4 school day week but longer school days. Who will he get to teach on those days – substitutes?! We know they are just babysitters when the real teacher is out. What havoc would the 4 day week bring? Someone already commented about the problems this would create with child care, students with after school jobs, and school athletic teams.
And his idea to reduce snow days? How can he predict the weather, and what will he say when the school system is sued because children got hurt because of unsafe driving conditions? We all can think of times when the weather was not as bad as predicted, but the school system must always put child safety first, not be worrying about saving a few dollars at the risk of someone getting hurt.
Robinson wants to engage the unions in the decision making process. How will he do that when he has spent so much time bashing the teachers union by saying that Frisch should not be elected by claiming he is in the unions pocket. I am sure the union would embrace Robinson with open arms – not.
The problem is not just that so many of his positions are off the wall it is that they are disingenuous. If you really think about many of Robinson’s positions they either do not make sense, are not within the scope of school board authority, or are actually detrimental to the school system as a whole and students in particular.
Frisch’s positions are more relevant to the duties and responsibilities of the school board and based on experience of already working within the education system. Frisch is clearly the better candidate.
I don’t hear anyone saying anything bad about Frisch. I cannot say the same about Robinson. I know several people active in the Edgewood community who say that he is antagonistic and that his management style has driven many good people from the ECC, which they say has become nothing more that a stage for the Robinson/Guthrie show. Robinson has too many negatives to outweigh what he might (emphasis added) possibly bring to the school board. Under the circumstances Frisch gets my vote.
You have a good point. I’m not in this district so school board isn’t a vote for me but I can’t help watch the race because it rings volumes about Harford County politics. Robinson is a Guthrie puppet and was pretty much dipped in the waters that would get him in a political office (one of many I’m sure he hopes) and start up that ladder. Along comes a cop turned teacher who has insight and a ideas that he wants to share, and apparently people listened because he was the top vote getter in the primary. Robinson is expressing fear (at losing) through a tough exterior but doesn’t realize that he is quite transparent.
I can’t vote in that race but if I could I’d give my nod to Frisch. He doesn’t strike me as a professional politician (of politician wannabe).
I think it’s laughable that Robinson has any ideas for how to manage budgets when his own personal finances are a complete shambles. But that’s just me.
Jansen is dedicated, but this is probably not his forte. He wants to run for office and has sort of hemmed the line between the two parties trying to find an opening. Unfortunately this has landed him in a proverbial no man’s land.
Jansen is only dedicated to himself and his fledgling political career. Since Guthrie decided to run for County Council again, that left Robinson to deal with the leftovers. Namely, the School Board. He is no more qualified than I am (trust me, I’m so not qualified). His latest attempts to make this race into a partisan one are pathetic.
Luckily you only have one vote. You seem to know all about Jansen’s motives and political aspirations. Apparently you know about his financial status too. Your real name isn’t Bob Frisch is it?
No Elaine. I’m not Bob Frisch. I’m just a local resident who actually pays attention to the issues and facts so I can make an informed decision. Pretty simple stuff.
WOW WATCHER!
For one I agree with you 100% on something you said! You hit the nail right on the head when you said you are not qualified! Which also makes you not qualified to make posts on these blogs, because you have no clue what you are talking about! You sit at home all day and make countless posts on every topic, and know absolutly nothing about any of them.
Sorry, “For Robinson.” You see, that’s where you are wrong. Your misguided and blind loyalty brand you for what you are. Another one of the sheep that follow along without knowing anything. I, however, take time to educate myself about the issues and the community (ooops, there’s Jansen’s buzz word).
So please, enlighten everyone as to why you are so scary qualified to post/blog and why Robinson is such a pillar of the community (there I go again).
I can’t wait to hear from you.
Have a nice day.
If you are taking so much time to educate yourself, then why do you know so little? I have attended meetings in the community, I doubt you have ever attended more than 2 or 3. I would like to see you at the next ECC meeting and introduce yourself, and tell us how you think you know so much more than everyone else. But we both know you will never do that.
Please “For Robinson,” educate me. What is it that I don’t know? What am I missing? Please tell me three things that Robinson has done for this community. Just three. Not a heavy lift for someone with your supposed broad base of knowledge.
And trust me, I will be at the next ECC meeting.
Then you will have no problem introducing yourself to everyone. By the way, can you tell me 3 things Frisch has done for his community?Since you act like Robinson has done nothing, let’s hear what Frisch has done. Frich never attended a meeting in his community until he decided to run.
Nice job trying to turn it back around. But the difference is that Frisch isn’t walking around wearing an Edgewood Community Council t-shirt and running on a platform of being a community activist and helping the people of Edgewood. Robinson is. So again, I ask you to please tell me ANYTHING he has done for the community. Just anything.
And I don’t act like Robinson has done nothing, I know it.
Wait, I stand corrected. What he has done is make the School Board a partisan race, advised (poorly, I might add) a state Senate candidate, aligned himself with Councilman Guthrie, been fired from the Baltimore City School System and mismanaged what could be an excellent tool for community outreach in the Edgewood Community Council.
Wathcher,
Your pretty one sided. Name 3 things Frisch has done. Come on, these guys are both new at this. And for a good reason, this is the first time we have been able to elect someone for this position. People are taking a good look at both of them, and thats a good thing.
I agree that having a choice of candidate (as opposed to some of these unopposed races) is a good thing. But as I stated in an earlier post, Frisch has not campaigned on his record of helping the community. He has campaigned on what he wants to do. Robinson continues to talk about his Chairmanship of the Edgewood Community Council but what has that resulted in? Little to no results in any community improvements.
That was my only point. Robinson has distracted voters with his repeated use of the word ‘community’ and his allies on the ECC and his association with Guthrie.
Had Robinson published this extensive list of ideas and proposed solutions, I might have given him another look. But this last minute ‘hail mary’ pass to answer questions that he should have been answering all along reeks of desperation.
taking a look
According to his web page Frisch has lived in this community longer than Robinson. He has been active with many community organizations during that time. Just because he is low key, and doesn’t broadcast it like Robinson, tells me he is involved for the right reasons and doesn’t go around blowing his own horn.
You have proven me right Watcher, thank you! You have shown that you really can’t support your position. You couldn’t handle it when I asked you about what Frisch has done, you only know how to trash Robinson. All you have done is blwon around a lot of hot air!
Why did it take Robinson so long to take a position on any of these issues? It also looks like he just started throwing stuff at the wall to see what would stick. Some of his suggestions are illegal and plainly absurd. If he thinks like he writes I don’t want him having anything to do with making decisions about how my kids are taught.
How do both of you candidates stand on the BAHS hazing/bullying incident.
Robinson will respond as soon as someone writes his position for him. At the rate he’s going, expect an answer sometime next month.
Watcher you apparently have never had a lengthy conversation with Mr. Robinson. Much of what he answered are things he has been saying for years. It sounds exactly like him.
Mr. Robinson revived the Edgewood Community Council and got it organized. He got elected officials (most of them) to come to meetings because I was at one where I was extremely impressed with who was there. They wouldn’t be there unless they thought the ECC was going to hold them accountable. He made an evaluation instrument of elected officials. You can say that is nothing but no one else in this county can did that.
Oh, Elaine. So you were there when Governor O’Malley made an appearance? So was I. But remember, it’s an election year. How many times had O’Malley been there before? Zero. The only elected official that shows up is Guthrie and that’s only because he pulls Robinson’s strings.
The ECC is as likely to hold a politician accountable as the Boy Scouts. You need to spend less time drinking the kool-aid and more time with your eyes open and searching for that ever elusive clue.
That shows you don’t attend meetings! Sheriff Bane also regularly attends meetings, Dan Riley usually made it to 1/2 the meetings, and Nancy Jacobs comes 3-4 meetings a year.
Bzzzt. Not true. Riley was not at the last meeting. Neither was Helton, Jacobs or Bane. McGrady was there for a while. Frisch was also there as was Guthrie.
The meeting before that? That was the meeting where the Governor showed up so it was standing room only.
Want to know about the meeting before that?
I can prove you wrong all day and twice on Sunday. Give it a rest.
Not true but thanks for playing. The only elected officials/candidates at the last meeting were Guthrie, McGrady (who left early) and Frisch.
The meeting before that was the one where the Governor showed up so it was standing room only.
Want to know who attended the meeting before that one?
I could prove you wrong all day and twice on Sunday without even breaking a sweat.
Have a nice day.
The only elected officials or candidates at the last meeting were Dion Guthrie, Patrick McGrady (who left early) and Bob Frisch.
The meeting before that was the one where the Governor showed up so it was standing room only and even the elusive Mary-Dulany James showed up for that one.
Want to know who attended the meeting before that?
I could prove you wrong all day and twice on Sunday without even breaking a sweat.
Have a nice day.
What have you backed up? Oh, that’s right, nothing! People that actually attend the ECC meetings on any kind of regular basis all know you are telling one lie after another about Robinson.
In your own little world Watcher you are always right, but in the real world you are not. If you bothered to read my post you were responding to, you would know what you wrote was incorrect.
Just because I have a different opinion than you doesn’t mean I drink the Kool-Aid. Let us know what you drink because whatever it is, it has made you into a bitter nasty person. This is about 2 candidates but all you want to do is trash Jansen. Since no one around here knows anything about Bob Frisch except what he is saying, it is difficult to talk about what kind of job people think he is doing.
What would someone else have accomplished as the President of the Edgewood Community Council since according to you, Jansen has done nothing. Why don’t you run since you think you know what needs to get done.
Elaine,
Keep up your points. I’ve been watching “Watcher” constantly try to bully people on this site that disagree with him. He’ll eventually turn to personal attacks.
Paul Thong
Edgewood
Hardly a bully. Just not a lemming.
Right on Paul and Elaine!
For the record, Watcher = John Henkel. John, thanks for your input. For the most part, I agree with you.
Sorry, Johnny. You are incorrect.
There were only 2 people at the last ECC meeting that don’t support Robinson. Those people are Frisch, and Henkel (friends with eachother). So Watcher can only be one of those 2 if he was truly at the last ECC meeting. If Watcher isn’t one of those 2, then Watcher is lying about attending the last meeting.
So which is it? First you said I was Frisch, then I was the person that wrote letters supporting Sheriff Bane in the Aegis and now I’m Henkel.
You’re quite the super sleuth, For Robinson. Sadly, you are also out of guesses with the previous ones all being incorrect.
Tuesday will be here before you know it. I can’t wait.
I restate my point. Everyone here overestimates the importance of the ECC. In comparison there are plenty of other organizations that collectively do much more for their communities.
As for Robinson’s answers I had seen nothing from him during the campaign until now and judging from some of his answers I can see why. I think he would have a hard defending many of them.
Henkel, like Frisch only decided to get involved with the ECC when they decided to run, you can count on 1 hand the number of ECC meetings they have attended.
How did I get dragged into this?
That’s what you get, Henkel!!!! Oh, you darn candidates and the gall to seek the input of the community when seeking office!
How dare you!
It’s funny how John Henkel made no posts on anything for weeks, and as soon as someone questioned Watchers identity, that he got online so soon after to post. There were only 3 people who Watcher could have been, he has outed himself quite nicely for us all to see.
Just because I don’t post doesn’t mean I don’t read. I don’t appreciate being dragged into the Board of Ed. mudslinging and have no ill will towards Jansen.
John I never said you have “ILL WILL” towards Jansen, I said you support Frisch, which you have posted yourself on facebook. And as I said, there were only 2 people at the last ECC meeting that don’t support Robinson, you and Frisch. All the other people there were Robinson supporters, this I know is a fact. That makes a strong case that Watcher is one of you two if he truly was at the last ECC meeting. Otherwise this shows Watcher is a liar, and I apoligize to you and Frisch.
For Robinson- the ‘ill will’ I was referring to were in reference to previous posts from Watcher and others. I don’t know who Watcher is nor do I care. What I took issue with was being brought into a series of posts. That’s all.
On the rare occasion that I post on The Dagger, I have done so under my own name.
And yes, I have made my support for Bob no secret but that doesn’t mean I have issues with Jansen. It’s not personal. Not for me, anyway.
I’m going to go back to watching from the sidelines.
There is more to the Edgewood and Joppatowne communities than their respective community councils. Vastly more people are contributing to their communities without being members of these two groups. In reality the ECC and PCC are insignificant as only a few regulars attend each meeting. You place too much importance on membership in either. You are guilty of thinking too much of yourselves and have developed big heads. Your not that important. Get over it and talk about something else that is relevant to the school board for crying out loud!
Wow. This is certainly an interesting back and forth. I, for one, have not made my decision yet.
All these folks need to focus on the positive. Surely they can find someting good to say about each candidate. When they don’t the voters and ultimately the students lose. I can only imagine that these attitudes will translate into poor Bd of Ed contributions because they (who ever wins) will be determined to prove they were right. How will they get along with other members???? Very discouraging. Voters are tired of the negative stuff. Get over it.
Please don’t judge all of us by the the perceptions of a few posters. As for negatives Jansen’s email and door drop literature are the only mud I have seen in this race.
Today in my mailbox was mud slinging by Frisch. It is just one big lie by Frisch. I am not suprised at all. He sat on his high horse talking down about Robinson and what was said about him in his mailers, and how he was a better person than Robinson for not doing these type of mailers. So this makes Frisch a liar now.
I got one too. While not flattering about Robinson it is accurate. After all Robinson started all of this with that first email, which I thought that was over the top. Did you really expect Frisch to just sit back and do nothing?
The only thing new was the finance stuff. The other information has been out there for some time and already been commented on several times in different articles on Dagger.
If you look at the cases, 1 was dismissed, 1 is another person with the same name, different address, 1 is against his wife, and only 1 is actually for him. The sun article does not say he was forced to resign at all, and security was a risk because of a lack of staff.. the thing about him not running against Dion is a joke, him choosing not to run was a personal decision, not a community one.
for Robinson
Apparently staffing was the prerogative of Robinson and the officers were concerned enough to take a no confidence vote. This is highly unusual step even if union membership does not get along with the boss. Their concern must have been great for them to take such a severe action. There is also more than one newspaper article on the subject where Robinson states his side of the story. He did in fact resign. The fact that a case was dismissed does not necessarily mean there was nothing to it. Perhaps Robinson satisfied the claim before the complaint went to trial. His name is on the cases and addresses mean nothing because people move around. I don’t believe Robinson would have run for school board if Guthrie’s council seat had been open. Guthrie’s desire to run for state senate was well know and Robinson did publicly express an interest in running for the council.
I didn’t get the mailer but from the comments, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck….
Joppa Donkey
It looks like Mr. Robinson has been found out. It can be a shock to supporters when they find out their guy isn’t all he pretends to be.
for Robinson
“the thing about him not running against Dion is a joke, him choosing not to run was a personal decision, not a community one.”
You have got to be kidding. There was no way Robinson was going to run against Guthrie. That would be the same as the dog biting the hand that feeds him – not going to happen in this case. Without Guthrie Robinson has no political aspirations or future. This was always a calculated decision.
“too late” is almost certainly Frish himself; he was saying the same exact things to all that would listen when he barged into the New Harford Democratic Club meeting and all but yelled at the people there about his opponent. The truth is that Robinson is good for the people of Edgewood and Joppatowne, has the experience to represent them much more thoroughly than does Frish, and because he knows that Robinson is the better person for the job Bob has resorted to negative attacks that are baseless and immaterial.
I’m pretty sure those meetings are open to everyone. And second of all, it was Robinson who fired the first negative attack. As long as we’re keeping score.
Or maybe someone is lying about their support? I wasn’t there so have no clue. Just my two cents.
It does strike me as a conflict of interest to have a working teacher on the board. All of his signage says “supported by teachers,” and that in and of itself presents the conflict. The board of education has a civil responsibility to OBJECTIVELY evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum, the policies, and the communication between the school system and the community. The whole point of converting to an elected board was to IMPROVE the relationship between the district and the communities. Electing a school insider defeats the purpose. Maybe that should be his campaign slogan: Frisch – Defeating the Purpose of an Elected Board!
You have no basis to claim that this is a conflict of interest. Just being a member of a union does not mean that Frisch will automatically side with the teachers. Frisch has posted before that he was a member of the internal affairs unit of the Baltimore Police Department and OBJECTIVELY investigated complaints against members of the department resulting in actions taken against officers (including termination) who did wrong. This shows a person who can set aside membership in a group to do what is in the best of the whole group. He can do the same thing on the school board. His integrity has not been in question during this campaign. I cannot say the same for Robinson.
So to follow your logic Councilman Guthrie has a conflict of interest because he IS the President of a local electricians union, receives tens of thousnads of dollars in union contributions (in and out of state) and votes on budget matters before the council that can award contracts to companies with union workers doing business with Harford Co.
I also notice that Guthrie has no problem putting the “Teacher Recommended” label he received from the Harford County teachers union on his signs. Since you are a Guthrie supporter do you have a problem with that?
Please be consistent in your argument. If you prefer Robinson just say so but don’t make straw men for the sake of justifying your position.
Eaton is supported by teachers. The job description prevents any HCPS employee from holding the office. Additionally if Frisch is a member of TABCO that is an entirely different entity from HCEA!
I am a teacher, and Eaton is most certainly not supported by me. I cannot believe the union turned down an opportunity to support Cassandra Beverly (a lawyer that has long advocated for children and teachers) in favor of a man that fought against pay raises and reducing the size of classrooms (and who, at the NAACP forum last week, did not even know the basic names of social media, talking about a ‘MyFace’ campaign). What in the hell is the union thinking????
Perhaps the union leadership thinks more clearly than you by looking at the big picture instead of the narrow view you hold in support of a specific candidate. And don’t pick on Eaton’s linguistic slip unless you are also ready to point out Robinson’s lack of verbal skill and written spelling and syntax mistakes.
BSMeter is clearly a very partisan Democrat who will stop at nothing to bash other non-Dem candidates. His/her clear support of Robinson speaks volumes.
Open Minded: I agree.
I thought this was a nonpartisan seat.
Well, it was supposed to be. And then Robinson lost by a 2-1 margin in the Primary election. When it was an issues based race, Frisch clearly drubbed Robinson on the substance. Washington also got a beating from Helton leaving Robinson (and no doubt Guthrie) having to scramble to try and preserve whatever shred of a chance Robinson had. So then the negative attacks from Robinson started. My favorite was when Robinson proclaimed himself a Democrat and Frisch a Republican. Which is true but not an issue. Just like I don’t care about the party affiliation of the Register of Wills.
Robinson is clearly desperate and trying to distract from his own lack of record or ideas with this partisan nonsense. It makes me ill.
I forgot to mention. If you are going to take shots at least you could spell Frisch correctly. It is not Frish as you keep posting. Think before you write and embarrass yourself again.
A good teacher you are not. A good teacher would comment based on facts not emotion. You speak in verbose piffle uninhibited with facts.
Come on BSmeter where is your response to Robinson’s false claims of Craig’s endorsement? Just another lie put out there by Robinson. People are beginning to see the truth now.
all is quiet in BSmeter-ville.
Robinson is caught in another lie – makes false claim of David Craig endorsement. In a new web page designed by the “Washington & Robinson Consulting Group” Robinson writes “Another Republicans that have openly endorsed and shown support for Jansen is County Executive David Craig.” When informed about this claim the County Executive denied any endorsement occurred or was inferred. The County Executive has not endorsed any candidate running for any of the school board positions.
Robinson invokes God into school board race. Robinson sends letter complaining about mailers sent out by Frisch. Robinson’s letter starts with “God is Good: Say No To Dirty Tricks” My question is where was God in Robinson’s heart when he decided to throw mud with his first email? His letter ends with “Time to Make History …” Exactly what is he trying to say?
There is a big differce between “mud”, and the truth. What Jansen did was to point out some truths about him and Frisch. Remember, Frish has been unable to prover anything Jansen said about him was untrue. Frisch on the other hand went straight to the mud, and is now covered in his own muck. He condemmed Jansen for his mailings, and the does it himself, if that’s not the pot calling the kettle black……..
How do we know what Robinson said is true? I haven’t seen anything from the Robinson camp to prove these “truths.” At least you can verify what the other guy says.
Actually, what Robinson did was try and distract from not having any ideas and throw Frisch under the bus. Things like suggesting that Frisch doesn’t live in the community is complete nonsense.
If anything, Frisch was simply responding to what was said. Until then, it had been a relatively quiet and more importantly, non-partisan race. Robinson fired the first shot and is now crying about Frisch’s reaction.
He had better move out of that glass house.
If you actually check the facts, you will see Frisch is the one twisting the truth. Everything Robinson has said about Frisch is true, Frisch has not denied what Robinson has said, he is just upset Robinson has pointed out these truths. Only when Frisch decided to run for office did he get involved in the community. So in 47 years living in the community, he just now gets involved? Check out his website, there is nothing about him working in his community! At least Robinson has been involved for years, and knows his community! Frich didn’t care until he decided to run!
Please explain what ‘twisting’ has been done by Frisch. As stated in earlier posts, Frisch has provided documentation to back up what he has said. Robinson has simply said things like “he doesn’t live in the community” and “he’s a Republican.” Who cares?
This position isn’t solely about working in the community but about one’s ability to get things done on behalf of the children of Harford County. Robinson’s checkered (putting it lightly) past brings that ability into question (at least for me) in addition to his clear desperation to be relevant and a political force.
While I would love to be able to support all Democratic candidates, Robinson has proven his inability to get things done and actually provide concrete ideas and solutions.
Frisch has spent a lifetime caring and being involved in his community, just in different ways – PTA, parks and rec, scouts, through his church. What is wrong with that? The ECC or JCC are not the only ways to be involved, he just does it without bragging about it. Why would he comment about Robinson’s bogus information anyway? I have not seen anything from Robinson that substantiates anything he said about Frisch. At least Frisch has the documentation to back up what he put out. You’re just angry because Frisch beat Robinson at his own game. Like the others have said Robinson started all of this. Open Minded Dem hit it right on the head with his/her assessment.
Actually Frisch doesn’t back up what he wrote. If you actually take the time research what Frisch wrote, instead of taking his word, you’d see that.
Can you please be more specific?
Guess not….
From what I can see everything Frisch said is documented and what Robinson said does not meet the same standard. You might not like what was said but it does have validity. It might be negative but it is not mud if you can support it, which Frisch appears to have done.
When a candidate has one incident or lawsuit in their past, that may be understandable. When you’re in public life, thing happen that may not be you fault but you end up in court. Robinson’s past seems to indicate a pattern of skating on the edge of the law. From what I’ve read, he seems to think that the rules are made for other people, not for him.
Face it, the man is a token; he got hired for a lot of quasi-governmental positions to let the agencies check off a box on their equal opportunity forms. He seems to have no real talent, just good connections, an opportunist who made a living by filling a slot and not performing. Is this the kind of person we want on our school board? Who knows what he’ll get up to there.
I would like to appologize for my intemperate and nasty remarks about Mr. Robinson.
You are frustrated like many of us. Robinson entered this race because he is the political opportunist you describe. His motivation is self interest not for our children. His past record shoots holes in his credibility and qualifications to hold office especially the school board.
The Board of Education position is too important for vooters to make a mistake by putting someone in there that is not qualified. I’m an African American and would love to be able to support an African Amerian candidate because I think Harford County is under represented in this area. (Diversity Makes Us Stronger) I must ask the question,how can we support Mr. Robinson when he is unable to effectively express has positions on issues? Look at the responses to the questions by both candidates. If you are honest with yourself and realize this is about kids and not popularity, I’m confident you will join me in supporting Bob Frisch.
A question for Robinson’s over educated, but not so SMART campaign manager, who is the “community endorsed” candidate now?
Just got a mailer from Jansen Robinson… wish I had gotten it before the election, but oh well. On the plus side he was endorsed by a lot of people, on the other side, there are a lot of grammar mistakes on the people… the headline is “Elect for Jansen Robinson for Board of Education”
The headline says it all. The mistakes are indicative of the quality of the candidate.
Sounds like the story of his entire campaign: Too little, too late… He got absolutely smoked.