Who's on First?

I was trying to pry loose some information about the meeting at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. My questions to underlings were being routinely referred to overlings; so my questions were ending up on Monica Armenta's desk. I had gotten the impression that I was imposing on her time so I wrote; "I will have a few follow up questions. Am I correctly addressing them to you; or should I be addressing them elsewhere?"

She seemed to take offense and "yelled" back; "We answer ALL the questions we can ..."

Well, not quite "ALL" it seems.

I want the individual leaders of the APS to enter into the public record their positions on the scope of the upcoming audit. So I asked Armenta; What is the justification for insisting that the upcoming audit, not audit the individual conduct and competence of public servants in the administration of the public schools?"

She said; "Your question was forwarded to Brenda Yager as it concerned the Board of Education."

So I asked Ms. Yager; "Are there lines drawn between who speaks for the board, who speaks for administration, and who speaks for "APS"?"

Her reply was; "I referred this question to Monica (Armenta)."

Although I have repeatedly ask Ms. Armenta to acknowledge that she has received my emailed questions; she steadfastly insists on denying me that common courtesy. She is maintaining "plausible deniability" apparently.

The closest thing I have gotten to an answer to the question; What are the intentions of individual board members concerning the scope of the upcoming audit? is; "Since definite decisions have not been made about the audit, it is premature to make any statements about the direction or what the board will or will not allow at this point."

Apparently we are to wait until a decision has been made, in order to find out in which direction the decision is leaning.

This makes it very difficult for the public to have input with their representatives on the board. It is also the way Board Members like Paula Maes and Robert Lucero like it.

During the policy committee meeting where it was decided whether or not APS Police Officers would be armed while on duty; Paula Maes had already made her motion to keep them unarmed, and the motion had been seconded, before public input was allowed.

Public input apparently means; "We will do whatever we want to do; and then "listen" to what the public thinks."