the incumbent advantage

The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education is set
to appoint a replacement for Gordy Rowe.

Whomever they appoint now will enjoy an incumbent advantage
when the seat comes up for (re)election on February 4th, 2009;
some four months from now.

Whomever they appoint now will also enjoy support of the
school board as by then, whomever they appoint now
will have become an indispensable asset.

In likelihood, the incumbent will be re-elected.

The Journal will ignore it all;
witness their coverage of this process heretofore.

And witness their support of the cover up of the ethics and
accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS.

And their coverage of Bill Richardson's testimony that the
lack of standards and accountability in the leadership of the
APS had earned the APS

"... a statewide earned reputation
for their lack of financial accountability."

And their coverage of Marty Chavez' testimony that the
lack of standards and accountability in the leadership of the
APS merited his personal appointment of school board members.

And their coverage of their former Chief of Police, Gil Lovato,
who said that when the truth gets out, there won't be a single
APS senior administrator left standing.

And their coverage of the Meyners Audit, which pointed out
that the leadership of the APS, with a billion dollars a year
lying on the table; has never gotten around to
writing down financially sound policies and procedures,
or following them,
or keeping books on it.

And their coverage of the promotion of subordinates who
should have reported the scandal, but did not,
to APS Chief Financial Officer, and APS Director of Internal Audit.

If there is a cover up of missing millions of tax dollars,
it makes a certain amount of sense for the good ol' boys
to put a couple of good ol' boys in positions to cover it all up.

Nor will the Journal report upon the fact that no one in the
leadership of the APS will stand on the record and answer
legitimate questions candidly, forthrightly and honestly.

Nor will the Journal report that Paula Maes said that
she will never allow any audit that individually identifies
corrupt and incompetent good ol' boys.

Nor will they report that Paula Maes' husband's law firm
is making millions of dollars litigating against the public interest.

Nor will they report that District Attorney Kari Brandenburg,
and Congressional Candidate Darren White are sitting on credible
evidence of felony criminal misconduct by senior APS
administrators and board members.

Nor will they report upon any of the other incontrovertible
proof of public corruption and incompetence in the leadership
of the APS; the need for an immediate full scale forensic audit
of the entire leadership of the APS and Winston Brooks' refusal
to begin the audit,
or explain, defend or deny his refusal.

Were any of the leadership of the APS accountable to the
standard of conduct that they enforce upon 89,000 of
our sons and daughters,

they would have to stop stonewalling, and start answering
legitimate questions; all of them.

The Journal does not find any of this, at all newsworthy.

Either that, or there really is a privileged class here in
River City, and they really do cover each others asses.


There are five people running for the empty seat.

The board would like to appoint the replacement.
Just like it used to be done. link.


Winston Brooks was hired without ever having to answer
the question;

Are you willing to be held honestly accountable
a sa role model of the student standard of conduct;
are you willing to be held honestly accountable
to meaningful standards of conduct and competence,
by an impartial system powerful enough
to hold you accountable even against your will

even for the measly few hours a day that
you enforce that standard of conduct upon students?

The leadership of the APS intends to appoint another crony
to the board, a crony who will not have to answer the question
either.

When I was running for the board,
my answer to the question was yes

and the Journal wouldn't print it.