Dist. 135, There Is Still Time To Make This Right

An open letter to John Carmody, President of District 135 School Board, from John Paul, former President of District 135 School Board:

John,

After hearing of the recent fiasco pertaining to the hiring and subsequent demotion of a secretary, Melanie Walsh, I had to think that there was some valid reason for the board to do something so outrageous. I spoke with one of your colleagues, Joe LaMargo, to see what I may have missed on this. I asked him if the board had been misled about her qualifications and he said they were not. Was she hired without a legal quorum of the board? Joe said that didn't happen either; her hiring was approved 5-0.

It was explained to me that another board member, who was not at the meeting where Melanie was hired, objected because she didn't like the "process." Apparently, there were three of you who agreed, yet none of you objected to the process BEFORE she was hired and here we are now.

I asked Mr. LaMargo what the objections were and he said that it was because the job was posted internally and not externally (do we need a statewide search for a $36,000 a year secretary?) and that she was related to Colleen Schultz who is Director of Student Services, the department where Melanie was hired. According to Joe, district policy says that the job must be posted internally, externally or both. I don't see a problem here, do you?

The second "problem" was that she was related to the Director. It was affirmed that Colleen removed herself from the hiring process because of that. Having relatives working in the district does not violate policy either, as there are plenty of examples of relatives who work in the district. No problem here.

John, you are the board president in District 135. Very few people have ever sat in that seat. Very few people understand all of the different directions that you are pulled in. Even fewer people have been president with a 4-3 split on the board.

John, I've been there. I know how important it is to keep your three political allies happy. One person flips on you and, while you still may be president, you will have less clout than the assistant janitor. So I get it when someone on your side wants to do something that may not be the best thing.

I wish I could stand on a pedestal and tell you that I was perfect as board president, but I can't. There are two roads you can go down. I know, I've gone down both of them.

Instinctively, you may want to dig in and hold your ground. Here's the reality: Melanie Walsh will get her job back, sooner or later. Maybe you thought she would just quietly give in. That didn't happen. Now the union is involved, the same union that you are now in a difficult negotiation with over the teachers contract. This is going to be a financial, public relations and labor relations disaster.

This eventually will end up in court. I don't know what the legal term is, but "no brainer" and "slam dunk" quickly come to mind.

John, as president, you will be the one who is going to take the blame when taxpayers see that the district spent several hundred thousand dollars in legal fees and back pay on a $36,000 a year secretary. You're a financial guy, right? How will you explain this?

There is another road (remember, I've gone down both). At the next board meeting, announce that there has been a great misunderstanding that led to a bad mistake. Apologize to Melanie and give her back the job that you voted to give her in the first place. Mr. LaMargo said that he wants to work with you on putting in place new policies to tighten up the district's hiring process to ensure that this does not happen again. Announce that you'll be working with him to make that happen. In two weeks, this will all be forgotten.

Your cohort may not like you, but several thousand taxpayers will respect you.

C'mon John, do the right thing.