If you visit the N-MUSD website you will see, front and center, a link to a video titled, “Superintendent Parent Message” dated Sept. 29.

OK, so far so good. I expected that I would see and hear a reassuring message from the super:

  • Providing details of all of the safety measures that the schools have undergone preparatory to the return of students
  • Reassuring parents that the schools are safe
  • Offering the phone number – a hotline – and/or dedicated link where parents can register concerns
  • Explaining the goals for the rest of the year

Unfortunately, none of that was in the 2:30 video.

The first minute was spent thanking the staff for their hard work. The remaining minute-and-a-half was spent talking about nothing – no substance of any kind – and winding up with an anecdote about something he heard a kindergartener say.

So that is the all-important message from the super that is occupying the top spot on the website.

Oh, and I know it could easily be just old school Steve talking here, but when the super addresses the community in this manner and in most others, I want to see a dress shirt and tie. Jacket optional.

The super’s message fell short on the most important component of the message he should have delivered, which is to set expectations. He should have made sure that parents understood that things are quite fluid right now and that they and their children should not expect the school experience as they knew it.

Another lost opportunity.

Where’s the money?

Candidate financial disclosure statements (FDS) were due on Sept. 24. Some candidates – the responsible ones – filed on time so that we could follow the money to their campaign.

As of today, only three trustee candidates have an FDS posted on the website of the Orange County Registrar of Voters. Those three are:

  • Dr. Leah Ersoylu (Area 1)
  • Amy Peters (Area 6)
  • Carol Crane (Area 3)

That’s it – no others have been recorded. For the newbies, those running for the first time, maybe there’s some wiggle room we could allow, though I believe this is Crane’s first attempt and she filed.

Maybe. But there is no excuse for someone such as Vicki Snell, who is in her third campaign. Snell does not have a single FDS posted for this election. Filing these things is not hard. I did them when I ran and I am math-challenged. It’s just a matter of being responsible.

You can see for yourself here: https://public.netfile.com/pub2/?AID=coc

A candidate drops a hanger

Coincidentally, our home received a door hanger pitch from Snell’s campaign today. Or last night. I don’t know for sure. What I do know is that the campaign wasted a few cents because our lawn features a sign promoting the candidacy of Dr. Leah Ersoylu here in Area 1. So either someone didn’t see the sign, or they saw the sign and dropped the card anyway, or someone thought they could change our minds based solely on the information on the card.

The card we received does not list one single accomplishment in Snell’s six years as a Trustee. Not one. The whole thing relies on a voter making a decision based on Snell’s past experience.

The absence of any accomplishments could be some campaign strategy, it could be an oversight, or it could be a rare moment of a politician exhibiting some refreshing honesty, because the fact is that there isn’t a single substantial project or program that Snell has initiated and which has provided benefits to our students, the taxpayers, or the community.

Everything that could be classified as such originated elsewhere. She just rubber-stamped it.

I’m pointing it out to highlight the lack of input from the board majority and to promote the concept that those days – the days of trustees sitting back and waiting for the staff to propose things – are over. And if they’re not over, they should be.

I don’t know why Trustees Martha Fluor and Dana Black are not running again this year. I truly hope that the reasons are not health-related and that all is well with them and with their families. Perhaps it’s just a matter of wanting to get off the merry-go-round.

The best scenario is that they chose not to run because they see what I see and what a growing number of mature officeholders see: It’s time to turn the reigns over to the generation behind us.

The audacity

Snell’s campaign card has the URL for her website, so I went there. As with most campaign websites and many private enterprise websites, it’s is copy (text) heavy. It’s a common mistake. People these days do not like to read big blocks of text, even older folks like me.

It also makes the common mistake of going on and on about her. (A note to business owners and candidates: I have been writing copy for websites for about 20 years. Got really good at it, too. Here’s one thing I know: No one cares about you. They don’t care about your experience, your accomplishments, or your family. What they care about is what you’re going to do for them.)

I’m a temporary exception here because I read the copy on Snell’s card. What really caught my eye was the first two lines of that big block of text that reads (make sure you’re sitting down):

“Vicki Snell fights for the schools in her area. When inappropriately-sized baseball poles were built at Estancia, she met with neighbors, listened, and demanded their removal.”

That is perhaps the most outrageous and disingenuous (a polite word for something else) political statement I have ever read.

Those poles were erected in the first place because Snell voted for them and voted for them without feeling the need to inform the residents along JoAnn St. over which they towered.

Snell voted for the poles because the solar panels in the Estancia parking lot were ill-placed (Yes, I just made up a word there) and foul balls from the baseball diamond were creating costly repairs.

Had the solar panels been properly placed, there would not have been a need for the poles, capiche?

But the poles were erected, residents shouted, and they came down. For Snell to claim this as some sort of victorious advocacy is outrageous. She didn’t demand anything, she caved. And to this day, she has neither acknowledged her involvement in the fiasco or offered a sincere apology to the residents or to the taxpayers for wasting hundreds of thousands of tax dollars.

I’d like to tell you who is paying for the door hanger, her website, and the rest of her campaign, but I can’t because as of 11:15 on Thursday, Oct. 1, Snell does not have a single 2020 campaign Financial Disclosure Form posted on the website of the Orange County Registrar of Voters.

More recklessness and irresponsibility.

Or, it could be on purpose. It could be that as in her 2016 campaign, she has been forced to give or loan her campaign a lot of money ($22,000 in 2016) and she doesn’t want voters to know about it.

Whatever, it would be nice to know.

We get letters

I don’t often publish comments and when I do the writers always remain anonymous to readers. Just catching up so here are a few:

1.”Are you going to send this to Costa Mesa Public Square. Please do.” [This was  in response to the post ‘But wait, there’s more!'” https://stevesmith714.wordpress.com/2020/09/22/but-wait-theres-more-9/

2. “Wanna know another huge waste of money??? Over the summer the Woodland parking lot was re done. Re slurried, re-surfaced and re-striped. Today I drove by and it is being torn up and redone because of water flowing on it and it collecting…isn’t that what the re-surface company should look at before they redo it? I could’ve told them where the water collects based on the color of ground and pot holes. Not rocket science. Ugh! SO MUCH WASTED TAXPAYER MONEY! Not to mention the noise all day!”

3. “BTW Mariners also had a bad leak damaging the main office maybe 2 years back. i was told that putting in the AC on the old roof put this event at risk to happen.

“Same thing…significant damage. Office staff’s equipment and work disrupted etc. Board is lax, lazy, and puts false trust in the admin’s hiring. Facilities Dept. has chronic, inept leadership issues.”

4. “Curious that you make no mention of Karen Yelsey’s involvement in getting this overturned, or the fact that she was opposed to it from the beginning because she listened to her constituents. You give all the credit to Russell, but she was actually instrumental in getting this repealed. Just ask a majority of the CdM HS parents.” [In response to 4×4 post]

5. “I think this is the first time I’ve disagreed with you. Ever. And I’m aware that the change of models is not great timing. However, NMUSD also does not have a virtual learning platform for distance learning, for example, Schoology. Also, why aren’t all stakeholders being heard? It appears as if the loudest voices are coming from CDM and maybe Newport Harbor. Furthermore, is this really best for ALL students? I will not stop asking that particular question until someone can answer it. All students: English Language Learners; College Prep students; Special Education students who are included; at risk students (those who are surviving not thriving); AP students; trauma identified students (those with 4 or more ACEs); etc. In my professional opinion, these students and their parents and/or guardians have not, been considered when the 4×4 model was revoked. Because I am a professional, I did do my due diligence in research and found evidence supporting the success for this model. I am disappointed that the district and the board changed their mind. Russell originally said the district would be unified in their decision. Perhaps he should have said they would discuss each sites unique make up of students. Finally, the AP students tirade is absurd. Those students will do well regardless. Besides, the nationwide test results indicate a median score of slightly above 3 on all tests but a few. In order to earn college credit the student must pass with a 4 or 5. If the student is attending, for example, Stanford, most tests need to be passed with a 5. In fact, UCLA does not accept AP college credit. So why are AP classes important? For the students GPA. Then why are they fighting about this model? And did they ask if it was best for ALL students?”

So there.

Steve Smith