Politics obscure reality

[Guest guest]

Politics obscure reality

Editorial Board February 17, 2006

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Easton Courier - Easton,CT

EASTON - Late last week, Board of Education Chairman Allan

distributed a memorandum opposing the Easton Republican Town

Committee's nomination of Beverlee Dacey for Board of Finance

alternate.

The Board of Selectmen was to act on the nomination during its

meeting tonight, though First Selectman Kupinse said

yesterday he may postpone the appointment because of an ethics

complaint he received that relates to this matter.

Allan alleged in his memo that Dacey's conduct as co-chairman of the

School Building Committee was unethical, and that she frequently

violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by not posting notice

of committee meetings. He also said he found her to be

argumentative, extremist and had a clear anti-education bias.

While we respected several of Allan's viewpoints regarding Dacey's

personal and professional behavior, we found that some of his

information was faulty. For example, Allan stated that indicted

mold " expert " Ron Schongar only sprayed isopropyl alcohol in the old

Staples Elementary School. In fact, the investigation is

still open - an investigation launched, by the way, after Dacey

persisted in trying to find evidence of wrongdoing regarding the

mold remediation.

In July 2004, Schongar was convicted of mail fraud, wire fraud and

violations of the Federal Fungicide Insecticide and Rodenticide Act.

According to an affidavit for that case from Leonard F. Borges of

the Environmental Protection Agency, Schongar said the substance he

sprayed " typically " consisted of isopropyl alcohol and " some form of

soap solution " he mixed together in his garage.

Shall we look to the future? After all, the Easton Board of

Education is requesting a $13 million budget for Staples and Helen

Keller schools in 2006-07, an 8.67 percent increase over the current

school year. We know how tough passing a budget can be in Easton.

How is town going to balance a significant percent increase with the

sizable needs of its schools?

Those are the questions officials should be asking. While we

appreciate Allan's concern regarding Dacey's nomination, we do not

like the way the issue has blossomed into a huge political football.

Officials may become so busy taking sides with this appointment that

they'll forget they were elected to serve the public's interests,

not defend their own.