Marty Chavez wants to go to the head of the line.

There are a lot of people who are stakeholders in the decision regarding the next superintendent of the APS.

The board, if the really do intend to represent stakeholder interests, must some how figure out what the community really wants. I suspect the answer to that question is one of the direction that the district will take, more than it is one of what kind of superintendent they want.

In either case, the board is charged with expressing the will of the community; they are not expected to represent the will of a mayor. If fact, if they did so, it would be a betrayal of the public trust and of the public interest.

According to Susie Gran's article in the Trib tonight; the mayor thinks he should be part of the process; serving as part of an advisory group. He believes that he is entitled to have conversations with board members to discuss the criteria and characteristics of the next superintendent.

What Marty Chavez would really like is to appoint the majority of the school board.

Chavez believes it would be a positive step to give him more input in the decision than other stakeholders. He wants to step to the head of the line; because he is privileged.

He is no more qualified than any other stakeholder. His election to office does not carry with it any rights not specifically stated in whatever law applies his office.

Gran wrote that the school board will meet on Friday Aug. 10 to define the search and discuss options for community involvement. Ironically, the opportunity for actual community involvement in the discussion of community involvement is not provided.

The meeting will begin at 7:30, effectively denying participation to working stakeholders.

According to Gran, School Board President Paula Maes said. "I've always said we should have somebody from the Mayor's Office, the Chamber (of Commerce) and other community groups."

Apparently, she will tolerate the participation of the privileged class; but not of the great unwashed. Their thoughts and feelings on the future of the APS are of no concern to folks like Paula Maes, Robert Lucero, et al.