Excellent post Joan!

Ms. Maidstone, as your name implies, you are made of stone and as such you and the candidate you support seem to ignore the idea that the arts and athletics are needed for a comprehensive education. Your candidate seems only interested in criticizing the district. To me the only compliments she has offered are for the "generous taxpayers" and as such, her true interests are revealed. Joan Berndt eloquently stated the reasons for all the different components of a comprehensive education, yet all you take away from it is the arts. That is truly sad.

PS Joan, prepare for criticism.....the last time I used the word denigrate, I was accused of not understanding the meaning of the word. Clearly you understand the meaning and used it properly.

Wow. Joan Berndt considers the fine arts to be an integral part of a comprehensive education and that constitutes a "singular obsession." Jenny Greenwell, on the other hand, takes pot shots at athletics and the performing arts and somehow gets credited with having a "broader vision." I think Joan Berndt has the right vision for our students and their future and has shown her ability to focus on their needs in the midst of a contentious political season. She has my vote.

Ms. Berndt,
Thank you for the post and your commitment to public education. In particular, thank you for confronting the uninformed assertion that arts, humanities, and athletics are somehow distinct from other forms of education. I spend big parts of my working day with scientists, engineers, social scientists,etc., many whose national grants fund significant parts of higher education in southeast Michigan. I don't know of a single one who would break down education in the odd form Ms. Greenwell and many of her supporters do.

Ms. Maidstone, Would you be willing to correct your false assertion that Mr. Baron claimed to manage a 5 billion dollar project at the candidates forum? It is one thing to use a pseudonym -- it is another thing to use that pseudonym to spread falsehoods and not correct them.

Ms Maidstone, whoever you are, when I quoted Jenny and said "we do need a better board of education" I was referring to making it better by returning me, Joan Berndt, to my seat on the board. This is not to be taken as a lack of endorsement for anyone else.

Neither Joan Berndt nor Rob Herner are group thinkers. It is simply not the case that everyone who does not think like Jenny Greenwell is not an independent thinker.

I have also never seen any disrespect for taxpayers from either of them. I have seen significant disrespect for any number of people, including Bloomfield voters, from Ms. Greenwell, who spearheaded the recall effort and even sent GET OUT NOW!!! email to a standing Board member.

Clearly, since you are their campaign treasurer.

I'm sure the Patch is not the definitive forum for community outreach. And, yes, their willingness to talk to taxpayers one-on-one is extraordinary. Ms. Day, in particular, has spent long hours talking and listening to those who claim not to have a voice.

I don't think you have been empowered by anyone to legitimize whose credentials are appropriate. You may have an opinion and that is all you are entitled to.

Every Board member is independent, fiscally conservative and concerned with the education of the students.

At the last board study session on the bond issue Mr. Moigis urged the board -- after more than hour long presentation on the topic -- not to lock in low interest rates on the bond. If we follow his suggestions in the Q&A we would lose quite a bit of money. Anyone interested in limiting the costs of the new high school should view at least the last 35 minutes of the discussion and get a sense of what Mr. Moigis thinks about the bond issuance. I don't want to run against the advice of financial experts and pay more than we have to. Look at the tape. If you are uncomfortable with bond complexities Ms. Day, Mr. Bank, and Mr. Herner's questions will walk you through it -- a terrific presentation.

Thanks, Ken. I just watched the last half hour (http://bhstv.bloomfield.org/2116), and am impressed at the quality of the financial analysis by Tina, the competence of the outside bond person, the questions asked by the Board members, and the fact that this meeting was available for me to watch online.

Hi Mr. Fellin! Good to hear from you. With all due respect, however, I think Ms. Maidstone does a better job correcting bloggers for not liking your candidates. If you hear from Ms. Maidstone please ask that she or he correct the comments about Howard Baron. All voters should take a look at the candidate forums and the latest study session to get a sense of folks. You want transparency? You got the tape. (thanks Mac, for posting)

Mr.Charness,
I can't say that much about reading Patch on the BHSD school board has been fun but Ms. Robovitsky's charitable suggestion to end some nastiness and watch the Tigers lightened my usually dark mood. Looking at goofy pseudonyms actually cheers me up. As fate would have it, we all have tics or what poker players would call "tells (sp?") in our prose styles. In short, some habitually string prepositional phrases together linked by to be verbs, others can't not create a comma splice, some like 4 dots for ellipses instead of 3 -- more thematically, some fancy themselves orators, some think they have a knack for parody...you get the idea. That is, there is more in our writing than our most common emotion (some just can't type without releasing anger). It isn't finger printing and, to borrow some wisdom from JG, it isn't an exact science (although some like Donald Foster try), but you can get pretty close with enough prose to work with. Also, you were once a 14 year old boy like I was; I suspect you were kinder than I was. But if you think like a 14 year old boy again -- one who thinks himself clever and funny and skilled and so on -- much comes in to focus.

Mr. Fellin,

It is interesting to see that when Mr. Moigis filed his Statement of Organization Form with Oakland County, he checked the box asking to be waived from filing Campaign Finance Reports. If Mr. Moigis were truly as independent as you claim, why would he do this from the very onset of his attempt to be elected? It implies of course that he isn't independent, and that he knew he would have the full support of your latest PAC-- Back to Education.

This is also true for Mrs. Greenwell. When she filed to be a candidate on the day of the filing deadline of August 14th, she checked the same box to be waived from filing campaign statements. Why would she do this?

Back to Education, your newest PAC didn't file a Statement of Organization until 8/28/12. Once the required campaign finance forms are filed it will be public record who contributed to BTE. I am fairly confident that it will be many of the same people who contributed to Bloomfield 20/20, Bloomfield 20/20-2010, Bloomfield Voice, Bloomfield Taxpayers for a Reasonable Plan, and to Mrs. Greenwell’s past attempts to be elected.

Why does a CANDIDATE Committee check Box 10 ?
From Oakland County website: http://www.mertsplus.com/mertsuserguide/index.php?n=MANUALS.AppendixC
"To become eligible for a reporting waiver, the committee must check Item 10 on its Statement of Organization. This tells the filing official that the committee does not expect to receive or spend more than $1,000.00 in the calendar year or election as is applicable. "
" A Candidate Committee or Ballot Question Committee that does not expect to receive or spend more than $1,000.00 in an election is eligible for a Reporting Waiver. A committee that qualifies for, and receives, a Reporting Waiver is exempt from filing detailed Campaign Statements until it exceeds $1,000.00 in receipts, expenditures or debt."

So, I assume they did not expect to receive or spend more than $1000 when they filed.

As to the Chris Fellin PAC, of course you will find supporters of both Jenny Greenwell and Vic Moigis as contributors. Just as you will find supporters of the other candidates giving donations to their committees.

Mr. Fellin started his PAC two weeks after the candidates filed. It was his decision to support these candidates in his own way. Surely, Ms. Greenwell and Mr. Moigis have appreciated that support and those that donated to that PAC. Ms. Greenwell and Mr. Moigis may also receive money or in-kind donations to their own Candidate committee...not exceeding $1000...as they originally stated, or they must file a report.

Mrs. Robovitsky,

Thank you for supplying the entirety of the wording. I won’t dance around the point which is that based on the actions of both of the candidates, Moigis and Greenwell, it is my belief that they went in to the campaign full well knowing that their funding would be funneled through Mr. Fellin’s PAC and hence the reason they checked the box. Mr. Fellin’s claim that they are “independent” therefore lacks veracity. Mrs. Greenwell from her vast experience of campaigning full well knows the cost of signs, flyers, and postage. It doesn’t matter that Mr. Fellin filed on August 28th.

It is interesting to observe that when looking at the filings of the various “NO” PAC’s as well as the filings of the various “anti” candidates since 2004, that there is no independence. The same people who contributed money to the “anti” candidates like Jenny Greenwell are the same people who contributed to the “NO” PAC’s. This includes Jenny Greenwell.

Continued....

An interesting observation was that the treasurers of these various “NO” PAC’s are people who have time and again posted here on the Patch supporting her candidacy. This would be another reason not to label her an “Independent Candidate”. There isn’t anything independent about her candidacy. The “new” names who have come on and spoken are just posters who have “renamed” themselves. It was curious to see where Bloomfield 20-20 took a donation from Bloomfield Voice, which then had to be returned since that isn’t allowed. Would anyone like to know the names of the two treasurers of those PAC’s at the time the mistake occurred?

And yes, I have looked at the finance filings of the “yes” candidates and the “positive” PACs.

Linda, if I understand election protocol correctly, neither Mrs. Berndt nor Mr. Herner are considered "incumbents" since both were appointed, not elected. Appointed seats are not "owned" and must be filled with duly elected trustees at the next scheduled election, in this case, November 6. While I applaud both Berndt and Herner for their excellent work to date and thank them for their desire to continue their service, I am disappointed that they are running against each other. In this election there is no "yes crowd" as you call it. Comments like that only perpetuate the divide.

Linda,
Thanks for pointing that out! Yes, your candidate has a shot if the two year votes are split between the serious candidates (Berndt and Herner); if Mr. Roach can convince enough folks that Mr. Baron is running on a slate when he isn't, thus linking votes to Mr. Baron's good citizenship; and if Mr. Fellin's PAC can generate enough money for the "fiscally conservative" and "independent" Mr. Moigis to post enough signs and expensive postcards to confuse folks who this senior citizen will save them money. A little strategic "plunking" and throw in JG's constant and inaccurate attacks on people for trying to help their community and you have a heckuva campaign -- for a schoolboard! This would be some win wouldn't it for kids and people in BHSD???!! I see how you can only glimpse the "moral high ground." The Oxford Group may make the whole sad story of 2020 last years moot.

Ahh...the intricacies of election jargon. You are right Joan. Incumbents are folks currently in office that may have been elected OR appointed. Thanks for clarifying.

Linda, just an FYI, BHSD had 4 year board terms until 2008. Even during those years, trustees resigned from their board seat mid-term for a variety of reasons...job transfer, taking a job in the district, moving out of district/state, illness, etc. I believe our VOLUNTEER public servants enter their election with the intent to see their term to the end. As with everything, life sometimes gets in the way.