In fairness to Marty Esquivel

When school board head honch, Paula Maes said that
she would never allow any audit which identified corrupt and
incompetent administrators individually,

Marty Esquivel voiced an immediate objection.


The Journal chose not to report upon the exchange,
denying Mr. Esquivel any constituent support for his
objection.

That is still the choice of the Journal.

And here we are.


Paula Maes has so far, successfully thwarted any audit
which individually identifies the corrupt and the incompetent
in the leadership of the APS,

including members of the school board.

Hector Balderas cannot ask for our vote

If Hector Balderas, by the time he asks for our votes,

has not surrendered to the public record,
a candid, forthright, and honest accounting of
what has happened in the APS Financial Division,

he has no right to ask for our trust, our confidence, or our vote.

According to the Meyners Audit, the APS Finance Division
is spending a billion dollars a year

• without adequate, written, financially sound, policies and procedures, and
• without adequate accountability to what polices and procedures there are, and
• without keeping records complete and accurate enough to send anybody to prison.

Subordinate administrators who did not blow the whistle on the corruption and incompetence, have been promoted to positions from which they can cover up the whole thing.

Unless there has been a miracle of biblical proportion,
millions of tax dollars have been lost to corruption and
incompetence. And taxpayer stakeholders will never know
the truth.


Before Hector Balderas can ask for our votes,

he will tell us about the miracle,

or he will tell us the truth about the squandering
of our trust and our treasure,

by the leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools.


Fair enough?


cc Hector Balderas upon posting.

Naming names.

It is an essential difference between good ol' boy accountability
and real accountability.

How can you argue that a public servant is accountable for their
conduct and their competence, if the names of the corrupt and
the incompetent are kept deliberately secret, even in violation
of the law?


School board head honch, Paula Maes, said,
on the record and in front of reporters, and on videotape,
that she will never allow any audit
which will name the names of individual corrupt
and incompetent APS administrators.
(or board members)


How does this fly?


Why aren't voters and taxpayers screaming their heads off?



It is because the Journal, a newspaper of record, wikilink

won't tell them what she said.

The line between good and evil in the APS

There are APS administrators who welcome an impartial
standards and accountability audit of the entire leadership
of the APS.

There are APS administrators who stand four square against
any audit that will individually identify the incompetent and
the corrupt in the leadership of the APS.

Between them, is the line between good and evil.



The worst part?
As far as I can tell, they are all standing on the same side.

Why won't Jon Barela defend his honor?

He has been accused of violating NMRP rules, and is apparently part of an effort to deny a principled resolution of the ensuing complaint.

He has been accused of lacking the character and the courage to participate in a public discussion of administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct,

even though he is one of the seven senior most role models of the student standard of conduct.

And still he has nothing to say.

For what reason except that,
I am correct in pointing out that the only reason he won't
defend his actions and his honor in these circumstances,

is that he has no defense for either?

And because stonewalling is the only defense of his
indefensible position.

cc Jon Barela at barela_jon(at)aps.edu, upon posting.

"APS Brass Could Use Transparency Training"

According to an editorial in the Journal this morning. link

Editors are still upset about the blatant Open Meetings Act
violations manifest in the school board's trip to Houston
last month.

The editors are concerned about;

"... the lack of transparency in having the elected body
that makes district policy and the superintendent
get together far from the prying eyes of the media and
taxpayers."

Unfortunately for APS stakeholders, the editors still are not concerned about the lack of transparency that surrounds;

• The scandal in the APS police department, now two years old and rapidly approaching the the deadlines of statutes of limitation which will except corrupt and incompetent senior APS administrators from accountability even to the law.
  
• The scandal in the Finance Division, which was reported in the Meyners Audit, and which has likely cost taxpayers millions of dollars lost to corruption and incompetence in that division.
  
• The scandal implicit in the overall lack of ethics and accountability in the leadership of the APS as evidenced by their refusal to explain, defend, or deny their refusal to begin an immediate standards and accountability audit of the administration of the APS.
  
• The scandal surrounding the leaderships' refusal to even to discuss administrative rolemodeling of the student standard of conduct.
• The lack of transparency implicit in the refusal of the leadership of the APS, to set a time, a day, and a place, where they finally stand still and answer legitimate questions about the public interests, candidly, forthrightly, and honestly.

Why are editors who are supposedly concerned with a lack of transparency, not concerned that the leadership of the APS will not answer legitimate questions about the public interests in the APS?

The editors are confounded apparently, by the obvious
connection between any lack of transparency in the APS,
and their refusing to simply tell the truth.

It really isn't that great a stretch.

Do you know your school board member?

If you passed them on a sidewalk, would you recognize them?

It is at least arguable that these people have as great an effect on our community as any other public servant. Who is your child learning more from; the school board or the mayor?

How does your representative to the APS Board of Education
comport themselves at a board meeting?

Are they one who hides their face when character and courage are on the table?

Does the lack of character and courage on the school board
trickle down to your kid? And by your kid, I mean our kids.

Where does the trickle stop?

Where is the line between character counts, and character doesn't count?

Your kid is told that their character depends on their moral courage.

They are required to model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts!

Are their teachers? their principals?
then all manner of mid level administrators and hangers on?
and then directors? then deputy superintendents?
then superintendent? and finally the school board,
required to model and promote
the Pillars of Character Counts!?

Students are accountable. Arguably, teachers are accountable.

Nobody else is.

Not the principals, not the directors, not the the deputy superintendents, not the superintendent, and not the school board.

Not one of whom will stand on the record and answer legitimate questions about administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct.

Not one of them would replace in their own code of conduct
the following phrase;

In no case shall the standard of conduct for an adult
be lower than the standard of conduct for students.

This is not acceptable.

Larry Barker lacks follow through

Mr Barker uncovered an $43,000 scam involving APS good ol' boys.

And he is done.

The corruption and incompetence didn't even make the news the next day.


And the real story; that;

the system enables this, and no heads will roll

will never see the light of day.

Ignorantia juris non excusat, or, Ignorantia legis neminem excusat

"ignorance of the law does not excuse" or
"ignorance of the law excuses no one" wikilink

"... is a public policy holding that a person who is unaware
of a law may not escape liability for violating that law
merely because he or she was unaware of its content;
that is, persons have presumed knowledge of the law"

except for good ol' boys in the leadership of the APS.

An APS administrator cut a sweet deal for the husband of
another APS administrator. The deal cost taxpayers $43,000.
link

The principles claim that they didn't know that APS facilities couldn't be dedicated for their exclusive use, or that there were fees involved with that use.

No one has even been put on administrative leave with pay,
the usual consequence for good ol' boys who really screw up.

It sounds like a felony.

It will be investigated, no doubt, by a police department that reports directly to, and only to the leadership of the APS. Or, it will be investigated by a private investigator, who reports directly to, and only to the leadership of the APS.

The investigation will continue until what ever statutes of limitation that apply, have expired.

Just like they are doing with the investigation of felony criminal misconduct and conspiracy in the leadership of the APS Praetorian Guard, now almost two years ago.


How they continue to get away with this crap, dumbfounds me.

APS taxes teachers

The Journal reports that APS is cutting supply budgets in
an effort to make ends meet. link

As a former APS teacher,
I can tell you that though supply budgets may disappear,
the need for supplies doesn't,
and teachers will be forced to dig into their own pockets
to buy the supplies they need.

No mention was made of any supply budget cuts
at 6400 Uptown Blvd.

They apparently, will have all of the paper they need.

NMRP Chair, Allen Weh's replacement.

Joe Monahan link reports that Allen Weh is looking for his
replacement as the state chair of the NM Republican Party.

According to Monahan, Weh said;

"... I welcome a new chairman...
(one) who has character and integrity ..."

That makes two of us who will welcome that change.

I too, am looking for a state chair who has the character and
the integrity to give due process to my complaint against
Jon Barela .

The current leadership of the NMRP, Allen Weh, and NMRP Rules Committee Chair Lou Melvin, have come up short in the character and integrity department; my complaint has been languishing in some secret hiding place for well over than a month now.

Lou Melvin is ignoring emails and refuses to explain what
she has done with my complaint.

I am told that it will likely be ignored completely.

Will my next complaint, when Barela runs against other
republicans in the February school board elections, and
again refuses to vacate his state office in the NMRP,
as required by the state party rules, be ignored as well?

Seems likely.

Character and integrity in the leadership of the NMRP;

talk is cheap.

My credibility has been questioned.

I aver that, Winston Brooks will not answer legitimate questions, candidly, forthrightly and honestly.

"Anonymous" claims to be a witness and avers that;
Brooks will answer questions, that my "facts" are wrong,
and I need to "update" my blog.

Always willing to do my part; an update on the truth.

The truth and the proof are on Winston Brooks' plate.

All he has to do to prove that
he is willing to tell the truth to stakeholders,
is to tell the truth to stakeholders.

All he has to do is publish on the APS website
the time, the day, and the place
were he will stand still and answer any legitimate question
candidly, forthrightly, and honestly.


cc upon posting superintendent(at)aps.edu

Another silent public forum

APS records APS school board meetings, and then gives an
edited version to TalNet in order to have the meeting broadcast to stakeholders.

They hardly ever seem to get it right.

The more damning the coverage, the more likely that an "accident" will keep the truth from the public.

Last Wednesday, at the public forum of a board meeting,
I repeatedly alleged that

there never has been, and there is not now,
a single member of the leadership of the APS
with the character and the courage to engage in
a public discussion of administrative role modeling
of the student standard of conduct.

And now a reader informs me that, the audio of the entire meeting was missing from the TalNet broadcast of that meeting.

Oops, there must have been another "accident".

Rigo Chavez continues to hide the truth.

A third email has been sent to APS Custodian of Public Records, Rigo Chavez.

First emailed to you October 28, 2008
the second on 11/5/08

Mr. Chavez,

I insist that you stop playing games and identify the private investigation firm that investigated the APS Police Department in late 2006 and or early 2007.

Additionally, I would like to know how many pages there are in their report.

Tax payers pay Rigo Chavez probably $80-90K a year to tell the truth, both as the APS' Director of Communications and as APS' Custodian of Public Records.

Rigo Chavez refuses to reveal the name of the private investigation firm that looked into the public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS Police Department.

For what reason, except to delay the release of the information until statutes of limitations expire on the criminal activity of senior APS administrators, and the good ol' boys go scot free?

Larry Barker covers another APS scam

KRQE investigative reporter Larry Barker has uncovered
what he calls a "sweet deal" in the APS that has cost
taxpayers more than $43K. link

KRQE says there are others who have used APS facilities
without paying $10K in user fees.

$53K would pay for half of an administrative accountability audit which would reveal the shortcomings in the system that allows these transgressions.

APS Superintendent Winston Brooks is opposed to such
an audit, in my opinion, to cover up for the good ol' boys who
allow and benefit from these and other sweet deals.

No other explanation for his refusal to begin an audit,
has been placed on the table by Brooks or anyone else in
the leadership of the APS.

Bottom line; there is no reason not to do an administrative accountability audit except to protect those whose corruption and incompetence would be exposed by such an audit.

If there were, Brooks and others would not be afraid to discuss the audit on the record, They would stand up and answer legitimate questions about the public interest, and

they steadfastly refuse to do so.

Robert Lucero's Tony Hillerman Middle School

A policy and instruction subcommittee meeting tomorrow morning will revisit the naming process for schools. link

There is a process in place for naming schools; School board policy F.02 link which Robert Lucero would happily ignore.

"Names of new facilities will be determined by the Board after public opinion has been solicited through a committee that includes representation from the Board and the administration, as well as the community, staff and student population of the proposed facility."

Lucero is spearheading an effort to name a middle school
after deceased author, Tony Hillerman.


What the heck, it is only a long standing past practice that protects the rights of stakeholders.

APS plans yard sale; proceeds could easily fund an honest audit.

APS is selling a bunch of used equipment worth $378,000 link
roughly three times as much money as they would need to pay
for a first class audit,

the net result of which would be a annual savings to tax payers
of perhaps millions of dollars.

Just me and the dead guys.

I place a great deal of importance upon role modeling.
Some would say that I place an inordinate amount of importance upon role modeling.

And yet, some would agree with me.

Example has more followers than reason.
John Christian Bovee

The best teachers of humanity are the lives of great men.
Charles H. Fowler

Very few men are wise by their own counsel, or learned by their own teaching. For he that was only taught by himself had a fool for his master.
Ben Johnson

No matter how lofty you are in your department, the responsibility for what your lowliest assistant is doing is yours.
Bessie Rowland James

My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.
Clarence Buddinton Kelland

We need to teach the next generation of children from day one that they are responsible for their lives.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Nothing is so infectious as example.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts.... A mother has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.
Sophia Loren

And that's just for starters.

These folks would go with me to a board meeting and stand up in favor of a public discussion of role modeling in the leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools.

Unfortunately, they are for the most part, dead.

There are at least two exceptions; Michael Josephson and United States Senator Pete Domenici. They are both founding fathers of Character Counts!. They sat together years ago and decided that, if we did not teach our children to hold themselves honestly accountable to at least six pillars of character, we will have done them a huge disservice.

Michael Josephson will not stand up at a APS school board meeting and demand a public discussion of role modeling of the Pillars of Character Counts! I have asked him.

I have also asked United States Senator Pete Domenici,
founding father of Character Counts!,
to stand up at a board meeting and defend his found-child.

Josephson and Domenici are not alone in their refusal
to stand up for the Pillars of Character Counts!

I have asked the APS Character Counts! Leadership Council
and APS Character Counts Directors Carole Smith, and
Dee Dee Stroud to stand up in defense of the importance of
role modeling of the Pillars of Character Counts!

I have asked Mayor Marty Chavez, who calls himself a
founding father of Character Counts! to stand up at a
public forum and demand a public discussion of administrative
role modeling of the student standard of conduct.

United States Congresswoman Heather Wilson was asked to step up.

And yet, at the next public forum, when it comes time to stand up and insist upon a candid, forthright, and honest discussion of administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct,

it will be just me and the dead guys.

The Rules Committee of the NMRP continues to disappoint

Lou Melvin, NMRPRC chair, is still in hiding.

She won't move on a hearing of my complaint against
Jon Barela, and she won't respond to my questions about
her failure. She won't explain to anyone else why the rules
committee has disappeared into secrecy on the issue of
Jon Barela's apparent violation of NMRP rules.

In the absence of a good and ethical reason to delay the
process, and in the absence of any explanation of the delay
at all,

it is fair to assume that Lou Melvin's process is corrupt.

And so is everyone else with their finger in this obfuscation
of justice, and the attendant cover up.

There is more than one reason that republicans were waxed
in this last election,

and this kind of conduct by the leadership of the NMRP
is one of those reasons.

Jon Barela challenged my standing.

I am told that Jon Barela's initial reaction to my complaint
that he violated Republican Party Rules when he ran against
other republicans, for the school board seat, without first
vacating his state office in the NMRP,

was to challenge my standing as a complainant,
arguing that I had "no right" to file a complaint.

This is exactly the good ol' boy behavior that I find so disgusting. Instead of stepping up to the complaint, he apparently wants to except himself from accountability to the rules, by dragging a red herring across the trail.

Well I do have standing as a complainant, and nothing that Jon Barela wants to do about that makes a wit of difference. My standing as a complainant does not play, at least not in any venue where character, and courage, and honor play.

Jon Barela's boat floats in many seas; one of them is the APS. In the APS, Jon Barela is one of the seven most senior role models in the entire district. More than a hundred thousand people look to him to set the example; 87,000 of them are students.

The example that Jon Barela is setting for students is worse than pitiful. Not only is he showing students that they should attack their complainant rather than addressing the complaint, but Jon Barela joins the eight most senior role models in the APS, without the character or the courage to talk about character and courage.

There is not one of them, with the character and the courage to model character and courage. They have all abdicated as role models, and they all steadfastly refuse to explain, defend, deny, or even acknowledge their abdication.

Jon Barela may be good for the good ol' boys,
but he is no good at all,
for 87,000 of our sons and daughters in the APS.

Those kids deserve role models,
those kids need role models;
role models of character, and courage, and honor

not of rule bending, cowardice, and other dishonorable
behavior,

there are more that enough role models of those already.


When George Washington was asked if he had chopped down
the cherry tree, should he have questioned his father's standing
as a complainant?

Is that why we tell the story to our kids?

Apparently, Jon Barela believes that it is.