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General Category >> General Board >> Here is a conflict on interest
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Message started by Bucsfan on 08/05/07 at 3:12pm

Title: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by Bucsfan on 08/05/07 at 3:12pm

Who is on the BOE and the one of the heads of the Spain park football booster club?

http://www.spfootball.com/content.asp?SID=1317&CID=82960

Read about 3/4 of the way down.

No way she can be objective when it comes making decisions.

Title: Re: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by ILuvHoova on 08/05/07 at 3:28pm

Sorry to see that, but Bill Veitch was bought by the HHS boosters long ago. He DEFINITELY has a conflict of interest, as does Defnall.

When Veitch was up for reappointment to the Board, the HHS Boosters sent out an e-mail asking everyone to come out and support Bill Veitch because "he has been very good to our football program". I have the e-mail. It even went to Superintendent Andy Craig because he's a member of the HHS Boosters, too.

They posted a notice on their web site with the same information.

The night he was reappointed, there were 40 members of the HHS Boosters sitting in attendance to support their buddy, Bill. Never before have I seen such a blatant show of arrogance and power.

Bucsfan, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Mrs. Baker might be helping out, but she isn't sending messages to the SPHS boosters to fill up meeting rooms.

Title: Re: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by aka_deplume on 08/05/07 at 4:19pm

Interesting posts from both of you. If 40% of the BoE and AC are members of their kids' booster clubs, is that a conflict? If so, why? Truthfully, how much weight to the boosters hold? I am asking these questions in all seriousness because I don't know.

Bucs, you are inferring that by SB being on the BoE AND a booster for SP, this is a conflict. ILH, you're saying that it is OK (or are you, I can't tell) because BV and AC are on the Hoover booster club, so they cancel each other out.

The only way this could be a problem is if the booster clubs carry any type of voting power or influence the vote (lobby). If they do, then out with all three. It's clearly a conflict. But if they don't, and it's nothing more than a club/fraternity that grownups that live vicariously through their children feel they must belong to, and their voice means nothing, then let them be.

The question to you both: how much power do the boosters have?

Title: Re: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by Walktall on 08/05/07 at 4:21pm

lets not forget that he is buddy buddy with the administrator and teacher who are the central focus of the grade changing scandal. And he was the one that said that there was nothing to it, he also voted against the investigation.

Title: Re: Here is a conflict of interest
Post by Bucsfan on 08/05/07 at 4:33pm

All of them have conflict of interest. I wish they had 5 people with that were neutral.

Title: Re: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by Walktall on 08/05/07 at 4:35pm

well 4 of them have conflicts of interest, the other one just goes out of town when a big decision is on the table.

Title: Re: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by JBH on 08/05/07 at 4:41pm

It would be great to have various facets of school/ community represented.

Title: Re: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by aka_deplume on 08/05/07 at 4:50pm

Walktall wrote:

well 4 of them have conflicts of interest, the other one just goes out of town when a big decision is on the table.

But nobody has told me so far why there's a conflict, just that there is a conflict. Someone explain why. Thanks.

Title: Re: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by ILuvHoova on 08/05/07 at 5:04pm

BV always votes in the best interest of the football program. SB pushed through the artificial turf for the high school fields at a cost of $1.4 million. At SB's first BoE meeting, in June of 2006, she questioned "parity" for the two high schools. She and Dr. Williams got into a big argument, and A.W. really showed his a$$ by making some asinine comment putting Dr. Williams down.

When it came down to it, academics WERE on par, in fact, SPHS had a better student to teacher ratio than HHS had. Where the discrepancy was was in physical education units. SPHS ended up adding 11 PE teachers for 2006-2007. That translates into assistant football coaches.

They BOTH put athletics above academics. At least SB attempts to enter into the discussion about academics. She pushed through the academies for SPHS. BV has his head so far up RP's a$$ that he doesn't have a clue about academics at the high school level.

They ALL should be removed, IMHO.

Title: Re: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by Carmen Sandiego on 08/05/07 at 5:56pm

One of the problems for BV is his background. He came from rough and tumble, poor but proud. He was a Bessemer cop for years. His ex wife Janet put him through law school. He promptly dumped Janet for a girl who worked with him at the DA's office, said girl being the now Judge Jill Ganus.

So RP and Alex B. are huge power trips for BV. He sees being mayor of Hoover in his future, so he is sucking up to who he sees as the right people.

Sadly for Bill, he sucked wrong this time.

Title: Re: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by radar49 on 08/05/07 at 6:20pm

Thanks, Carmen, for the laugh. I am too serious most of the time and it takes something really good to get a laugh out of me. You won the prize today.
By the way, lots of Bessemer folks running our schools. AWB was born and raised and graduated from Bessemer, too. I think he's been sucking the same wrong people as BV.. Coincidence?

Title: Re: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by Carmen Sandiego on 08/05/07 at 6:31pm

Awww, thanks. :-)

I knew Bill a long while back, and while I didn't know him intimately, I always liked him. But the same reasons I liked him are the reason I think he is involved in this mess.

Title: Re: Here is a conflict on interest
Post by aka_deplume on 08/05/07 at 7:28pm

ILuvHoova wrote:

Good answer, as are the other ones, however, I don't see a real conflict. What I DO see is that the two, perhaps three, people that you are speaking of have a strong interest in the athletics program. This is not a conflict, just a like for one part of the many that they are responsible for. If all of them would abandon athletics, then we might hear someone shouting that athletics is not getting a fair shot.

What I wanted was a true conflict, one that could be run with and perhaps have reason for removal based on that conflict. SB and BV liking football doesn't get it, sorry. Of course that will influence them regarding this whole RP mess, but that's not relevant at this time. If and when the time comes for there to be a decision on RP and the BoE is involved in that decision, and it appears that there is bias toward him based on their affiliation with him then we take that on. In the meanwhile, I don't think anyone here has a problem with two of the BoE members enjoying a little football, now do they? The way I see it, the second half has just begun. They were ahead by three TDs. The other side has gone into the locker room and come out and is driving down the field. This game is long from being over with. How's that for a metaphor, Lament?