In the last week, there have been three candidate fora
Oct 3, Olathe Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum, Bacon was a no-show.
Oct 3, Candidate Forum in Osawatomie, no Bacon
Oct 5, Candidate Forum in Ottawa, no Bacon
As Don Weiss tells me "One might think he doesn't care."
You'll have a chance to help Don at a fundraiser on October 19th from 4:30 – 7:00 PM. The reception is at the home of the Andersons, 15927 W 161 Terrace, Olathe, KS 66062.
And as a special bonus people who pony up the $15 contribution, the astoundingly popular Governor Sebelius will swing by to talk to the crowd at approximately 5:30 PM.
Don is a great guy, a businessman, educator and administrator, who would bring a lot to the Kansas Board of Education. More importantly, helping him win will remove John Bacon, one of the most aptly named people I've met.
This seat is one that moderates can hold for a long time once they take it. Johnson County and the rest of the 3rd Board district are pretty accepting of moderates (they keep electing Dennis Moore, and a lot of their politicians have switched parties this cycle). The 5th, where Tim Cruz and Sally Cauble are running for the seat Connie Morris is vacating, will always be a tough one to hold, and I expect that the 9th, where Jana Shaver and Kent Runyan are running to fill the seat Iris Van Meter vacated, will be hard to hold in 4 years also.
Taking the 3rd will give us a buffer against whatever happens in two years, and will make it harder to reverse these results in 4 years. We're on the cusp of an historic election this year, and now is the time to step up.
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Even when Bacon *does* show up, physically, he doesn't contribute much. Consider these excerpts from the minutes of the August 2006 KSBE meeting:
p. 18: Mrs. Waugh moved, with a second by Dr. Wagnon, that the Board include in its FY 2008 budget recommendation $24 million for the first year of a three year phase-in of universal all-day-K for those schools wanting to offer it. Chairman Abrams asked if the $24 million would be on top of the $149 million included in SB 549. She indicated it would. The motion failed on a vote of 5-4-1, with Dr. Abrams, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Van Meter and Mr. Willard voting �no� and Mr. Bacon abstaining.
p. 18: Dr. Wagnon moved, with a second by Mrs. Rupe, that the Board increase the mentor teacher program by $1 million to fund the second year for new teachers. Dr. Wagnon noted that in light of the problems with teacher attrition, it would be a minimum amount for a proven program. Chairman Abrams asked if the $1 million would be on top of the $149 million included in SB 549. Dr. Wagnon indicated it would. The motion failed on a vote of 5-4-1, with Dr. Abrams, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Van Meter and Mr. Willard voting �no� and Mr. Bacon abstaining.
p. 18: Mrs. Waugh moved to amend the motion to include $460,000 for Parents as Teachers to add 1,000 children. Dr. Wagnon seconded the motion. The motion to amend failed on a vote of 5-4-1, with Dr. Abrams, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Van Meter and Mr. Willard voting �no� and Mr. Bacon abstaining.
p. 18: Dr. Wagnon moved to amend the motion to increase the at-risk weighting by 1% to fund actual costs. Mrs. Waugh seconded the motion. Mr. Bacon asked if the money would be on top of the $149 million included in SB 549. Dr. Wagnon and Mrs. Waugh indicated it would. The motion to amend failed on a vote of 4-5-1, with Dr. Abrams, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Van Meter and Mr. Willard voting �no� and Mr. Bacon abstaining.
Bacon abstained on 4 of the 7 votes. Is *this* what he meant when he said months ago that he's promoting abstinence?