Todd Paris, Associate Editor and Salisbury Attorney
♦ “They are violent – violent I tell you!” from “Our Ant Farm at the Group Home” by Josef Lodtz
In responding to a recent Salisbury media article, I write:
If Josh Wagner and his Superintendent Lynn Moody wanted to speak to citizens, his superintendent would not have blocked the meeting at Faith School Thursday by the PTA groups and forced them to contact me for help in securing an alternative venue. They and the BoE could have spoken to citizen-taxpayers at Faith School.
Wagner’s claims of “violence” are false. He called the Fairgrounds Association and tried to convince them to take this second venue as well away from the tax-payers Wednesday afternoon. Thank goodness for Johnny Love, Randall Barger and the Fair Association and their refusal to be intimidated. There was no time to get security for the meeting and the BoE and school staff were not invited. They had their chance at Faith and by cancelling this event, waived their opportunity to speak.
They created their own problem and now Josh Wagner complains that they can’t come. This is abuse of political power in its most base and destructive way. The acts to close the venues sounds like something banana republic dictator would do. The Facebook page against the decision to close rural schools and bus students inwards now exceeds five thousand members just a few days after it’s creation. The “Salisbury Post” Poll is over 70% against this.
Spending over 100 Million dollars to build “consolidated” schools, when we have EXCESS CAPACITY is nothing short of crazy. It takes a 1 cent county-wide property tax increase to generate 1 million dollars. What about persons on fixed incomes? Let them eat cake! The “Blunder-dome” on North Main is “off the rails.”
Citizen-tax-payers have a right under the NC and US Constitution to peaceably assemble, assert their rights to free speech and organize to oppose the BoE’s bad policies. Wagner and the Superintendent, by using the political power that WE gave them to quell dissent is not American, and it violates the constitutional and civil rights of Rowan Citizens to peaceably assemble and speak. These are not “public servants”, but “public masters.” They both should resign immediately.
See you all at the Rowan County Fairgrounds Thursday at 7 p.m.!
