Answering Questions

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Tom Long

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May 27, 2014, 8:14:41 PM5/27/14
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Jay Wheeler wants me to tell everyone why I "Supported Cindy Hartig as School Board Chair for two years" and "Once more please explain to us all about why you deserve any credibility for supporting Cindy Hartig TWICE for school board Chair."

I gave the answer several times and the answer is a matter of public record. But, I will answer it once again. Since, as Jay says, my "constituents and everyone else in Osceola county deserves an answer." So here's the answer.

At our initial re-organization meeting, November 2010, I nominated Cindy Hartig for Chair. This made perfect sense to me. First, I could not motion, support or vote for myself or Barb Horn as Chair. We were both brand new and the learning curve was horizontal. Almost the same could be said of Julius Meledez. He had been out of County for a long period, serving in the military. This only left Cindy or Jay.

There is no way I could accept Jay for Chair, as I had knowledge he had violated multiple school board policies, by handing out his campaign material at schools and bragging about it. He also hung his paid political advertisement banners at two high schools.

I filed an Ethics complaint due to Jay’s policy violations. There is a dedicated website, providing all the public details. You can see this information by clicking on “Misuse of Position?” half way down, on the left hand column of the website http://therealjaywheeler.com

On that “Misuse of Position?” page, you will see the Ethics Commission finding of no probable cause, as well an email from the Celebration booster club, informing Jay they couldn’t place his campaign sign on school property, followed by his repeated demand of why.

You will also see part of one of his blasts, in which he bragged about handing out his campaign material. I submitted his email blast with the complaint. I only wish I had possession of the email to the booster club. Maybe the outcome would have been different.

The first thing Jay will say is this is Cindy Hartig’s website. That may or may not be true, but I have not found one entry, document or reference that I researched and not found to be true and accurate. I suggest everyone visit http://therealjaywheeler.com to see if everything documented there is true.

The one irrefutable fact remains, Jay approved the school board policy he saw fit to violate by placing his campaign signs on campus and was ordered to remove by the Superintendent and board attorney. What message do you think students learned from that?

Tom Long

Tom Long

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May 28, 2014, 1:46:14 PM5/28/14
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There isn't anything Jay can reply to here. That's why he has someone else stand up for him on another entry.

This topic was to answer Jay's question of why Cindy Hartig. A question he demanded I answer. My rationale was sound and reasoned.

He violated policy, got caught, then was forced to remove paid political banners. Try hanging paid political advertisement on school fences and see how long they last.

I do not believe Jay to be a good example of honest leadership or a good example for the students of Osceola County.

Stacy McCland

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May 28, 2014, 1:58:40 PM5/28/14
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Cindy is a very nice, well-meaning person with a little more New Jersey in her than Osceola could handle. She was not a bad school board member. She thought Jay and Grego were her friends, and when she realized they were just using her, she wasn't very happy about it. Not only that, she became noncompliant with their demands. She began acting like the independent thinker a school board member should be. She also quickly realized that Grego was not her boss, and that she was in fact, part of a whole that was his boss. From that point forward, both Jay and Grego had a vendetta against her and fabricated stories left and right. She did some crazy things and maybe didn't always act like the southern belle expected of an Osceola County school board member, but she did not create the discord that resulted in such a dysfunctional board during her tenure.
 
Stacy



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Jay Wheeler

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May 28, 2014, 1:58:50 PM5/28/14
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How about the second time you supported her to be Chair, what's the rationale for the second time? Also how was it good for the district to be a party to running off two superintendents, two deputy superintendents, assistant Superintendents, several principals? Finally please explain why you block phone calls and emails from constituents who have children attending public schools in Osceola. JW

Jay Wheeler

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May 28, 2014, 2:54:40 PM5/28/14
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Vendetta? Never had one. Mike Grego is the best thing that happened to public education in Osceola County ever. Attack me all you want. Mike Grego is among the most talented honorable people I have ever had the honor to work with. Losing him did not do anyone in Osceola any good. He has been Superintendent in Pinellas County since 2012, and as expected is doing a great job there. Mike Grego is arguably the best Superintendent in FL and maybe the entire country. What he accomplished in Osceola in less than three years was/is nothing short of a miracle. We were blessed to have had him here, to bad we have been unable to keep and appreciate real talent in Osceola. Mike Grego remains a terrific educational leader, to bad he is no longer here. Blame me for anything you like if it makes you feel better. Attacking Mike Grego is just wrong and cowardly.JW

 

From: harm...@googlegroups.com [mailto:harm...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Stacy McCland
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 1:57 PM
To: harm...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Answering Questions

 

Cindy is a very nice, well-meaning person with a little more New Jersey in her than Osceola could handle. She was not a bad school board member. She thought Jay and Grego were her friends, and when she realized they were just using her, she wasn't very happy about it. Not only that, she became noncompliant with their demands. She began acting like the independent thinker a school board member should be. She also quickly realized that Grego was not her boss, and that she was in fact, part of a whole that was his boss. From that point forward, both Jay and Grego had a vendetta against her and fabricated stories left and right. She did some crazy things and maybe didn't always act like the southern belle expected of an Osceola County school board member, but she did not create the discord that resulted in such a dysfunctional board during her tenure.

 

Stacy

Stacy McCland

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May 28, 2014, 3:36:16 PM5/28/14
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Well, I guess he pulled the wool over your eyes Jay, just like he did to Cindy at first. She is a very smart lady, put two and two together to come up with four, and pulled that wool right off. Everything was peachy before that.
 
I would never venture to guess that someone is "the best in the country" unless I had a complete picture of the qualifications and successes of every other superintendent in the entire country. I don't think that says much for your credibility Jay. Besides, Grego has been a superintendent for only a few short years -- there are superintendents across the country who have decades of experience and have proven themselves successful repeatedly.
 
I would like to add that when I first met him, he introduced himself to me as "the prior superintendent of Hillsborough County." I said, "THE superintendent, or A superintendent." He was visibly uncomfortable, and said, "THE superintendent". I then said, "Oh, I did not think you held that position, I thought you were a deputy superintendent or in a similar position to that". He never corrected me and as time went by, I met several people who believed he was the "top" Superintendent of Hillsborough County. He even had a story (I heard more than once) about coming to a smaller town to have a less stressful schedule. As it turns out, I was right, and he was only a deputy. He insinuated a lie to me, I gave him a way out, and he didn't take it. His ego is either way too big or way too small, in my opinion, to hold a position of leadership. I value honesty, but I understand not everybody does.
 
Stacy



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George Schiro

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May 28, 2014, 7:52:33 PM5/28/14
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Stacy wrote:
 
    From that point forward, both Jay and Grego had a
    vendetta against her and fabricated stories left and
    right.
 
To be honest, I really have no idea what goes on in anyone else's mind Stacy, and to be fair, I don't think you do either. No doubt Cindy thinks I had a vendetta against her too. Yet I hope you understand that my purpose was simply to write what I personally witnessed or researched and verified.
 
IMHO, it is quite unfair to use such strong phraseology unless you have documented evidence to support your claims. Do you?
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: harm...@googlegroups.com [mailto:harm...@googlegroups.com]On Behalf Of Stacy McCland
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 1:57 PM
To: harm...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Answering Questions

Tom Long

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May 28, 2014, 9:22:50 PM5/28/14
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Sorry I couldn’t add a little more a little quicker. The Board was invited to the open house for the parent center at Ross Jeffries and I believe it’s important to show support, even if there are no voters there.

Later, I felt it my responsibility to attend the School for the Arts graduation. Those young adults deserve the same level of attention and congratulations as Celebration High School. The same can be said for the Principal, staff and all the teachers. Too bad Jay doesn’t feel the same way.

School board members represent the entire County, not just their own voting district. If Jay can make it to Celebration graduation, he can make it to others. He just chooses not to. Zenith, Liberty and Harmony graduations are tomorrow (the 29th) and I don’t suspect Jay will attend any of them. They are not in his district.


Since jay felt he should post someone's opinion that it's a good reason to vote for a board member that violates school board policy, here are just a few of the comments I received. Some asked me not to share their opinions as they work for the district and fear retribution from Jay.

"This guy is not what we need here or anywhere. He will have a HARD time beating Leah. Let's get behind her 100%."

“sounds like a real PUKE to me.. just my opinion!”

“In an interview recently on channel 9 Jay stated that for profit charter schools were the solution to over-crowding in Osceola County. This is not a solution for our kids! Some of his biggest campaign contributors are connected to charter schools. Coincidence ?”

"Both him and tom greer ruined us at the school board. I was a bus driver. Thing that went on within the school board was good old boys at its best. I am retired now . Dont care any more ."

"No accusations of anything being false.. It made me shake my head.."

"I learned a lot reading it.. Shameful.."

“Keep up the good fight. Your rewards are in the knowledge that You are doing the right thing. From my first contact with Mr. Wheeler I have found him to be arrogant, duplicitous & disingenuous. People like that will always be there, on the attack with no more conscience, about there deeds, than that of sociopaths. The only real consolation is at this point he has reached the pinnacle of his political career.”

George Schiro

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May 28, 2014, 10:13:25 PM5/28/14
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Jay wrote:

Here is an eye opener for you buckaroo, staff jokes
about you [Tom Long] every time you pontificate about
transparency. Saying, "yeah he's transparent, we all
know how phony he is" they usually crack themselves up
after that.

Sadly, Jay included no names and no documentation to support his claims.
This is unacceptable.

Jay also wrote:

Is Tom serious? This is even more of a reason to vote
for you.

Robbi Zeper

At least Jay included an attribution this time (which I assume can be
verified).

Tom wrote:

"sounds like a real PUKE to me.. just my opinion!"

"In an interview recently on channel 9 Jay stated that
for profit charter schools were the solution to
over-crowding in Osceola County. This is not a solution
for our kids! Some of his biggest campaign contributors
are connected to charter schools. Coincidence ?"

"Both him and tom greer ruined us at the school board.
I was a bus driver. Thing that went on within the
school board was good old boys at its best. I am
retired now . Dont care any more ."

"No accusations of anything being false.. It made me
shake my head.."

"I learned a lot reading it.. Shameful.."

"Keep up the good fight. Your rewards are in the
knowledge that You are doing the right thing. From my
first contact with Mr. Wheeler I have found him to be
arrogant, duplicitous & disingenuous. People like that
will always be there, on the attack with no more
conscience, about there deeds, than that of sociopaths.
The only real consolation is at this point he has
reached the pinnacle of his political career."

Sadly, while offering many more examples than Jay (and far nastier ones at
that), Tom attached not a single name to any of his quotations.

IMHO, the tone and style of writing sounds an awful lot like the phony
chatter made up by Mark Rosenbauer. This is what goes on in his anonymous
blog where he has never ending conversations with himself while pretending
to be several different people. Of course, as Mark would say, this is just
my opinion and I have no time or inclination to try to prove it.

Sorry guys, this won't cut it here anymore. So-called comments from others
will no longer be tolerated unless you have names of real verifiable people
attached. Opinions are your own. Posting purported comments from others will
not be permitted here without documentation (or at least without full name
attributions).

If real people have real comments, they are free to post them here
themselves. I encourage you to invite them do so anytime. We will all hold
our collective breath while waiting in eager anticipation.


-----Original Message-----
From: harm...@googlegroups.com [mailto:harm...@googlegroups.com]On
Behalf Of Tom Long
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 9:23 PM
To: harm...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Answering Questions


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Stacy McCland

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May 29, 2014, 6:19:54 PM5/29/14
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Yes George, I have documented evidence, however, due to attorney client privilege, I am not at the liberty of sharing. When Dr. Grego started running people out of the school district, people began calling me asking for legal advice on how to handle their particular situation. When I first started counseling people, I would explain their rights and tell them how to go about handling the situation properly. After a bit of time, I soon learned that Grego did not play by the rules. Instead, I had to tell people what their rights should be, and then explain that if they try to assert their rights, they will likely lose their livelihood. The legal system (including the protection of government employees) unfortunately only works when you are dealing with honest leadership.

Stacy



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George Schiro

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May 29, 2014, 6:44:51 PM5/29/14
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Are you saying you have specific evidence of a vendetta by Jay Wheeler against a current or former school employee Stacy?

Stacy McCland

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May 30, 2014, 6:28:54 AM5/30/14
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No, what I have documented evidence of is Dr. Grego treating people in a manner that was vindictive and a violation of school policy and some laws.

As for Jay Wheeler, people in the school district who were being treated poorly by Dr. Grego were terrified of Jay Wheeler. They knew that he supported Grego, despite all evidence that he was not following school board policy, and would not support them in their positions.

There is not always "documented evidence" to every account of bad behavior in the world George. Sometimes you have to use your critical thinking skills and intuition. Jay started publically attacking Cindy, coincidentally, at the same time that Cindy started changing her mind about Dr. Grego being such a fantastic person. I personally shared some information of what was going on with Cindy because I had my clients' permission to do so. Jay went on a rampage as soon as this happened, and I believe it is because Cindy started asking uncomfortable questions about Grego's behavior.

Stacy 



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George Schiro

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May 30, 2014, 6:48:15 AM5/30/14
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I am unaware of the conflict between Cindy Hartig and Mike Grego. So I can't comment on that. If you say one existed, then I must take you at your word. That said, wouldn't you agree that it is only fair for Mike Grego to be given the opportunity to defend himself on such charges? Bear in mind that irrefutable first person evidence exists that Cindy Hartig lied to all of us, publicly and repeatedly. So how do we weigh that against her conflict with Grego?
 
Stacy wrote:
 
    There is not always "documented evidence" to every
    account of bad behavior in the world George. Sometimes
    you have to use your critical thinking skills and
    intuition.

I fully understand the need for critical thinking skills Stacy, but I'm not so confident in the value of intuition in a public discussion where accusations against people are flying. The use of intuition makes sense in private, when you are trying to form an impression of something or while you are trying to formulate a hypothesis. But, IMHO, applying intuition and guesswork when publicly discussing the integrity of public figures is questionable at best.

Tom Long

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May 30, 2014, 11:57:07 AM5/30/14
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As for me running off staff and Principals, does anyone remember the stink Jay made regarding the termination of the Celebration football coach? It was reported in the Gazette and can be read by visiting http://therealjaywheeler.com Look on the right side under, Wheeler supports the potential loss of $6,130 at Celebration H.S.

Jay doesn’t want anyone to remember how he demanded the state leave Osceola without investigating the matter, but http://therealjaywheeler.com remembered and linked the WESH news story titled Wheeler attempts to Block DOE Investigation. You can see him at his bullying best. Celebration Principal, Dr. Laura Rhinehart, finally had enough and moved on.

George writes, “Sadly, while offering many more examples than Jay (and far nastier ones at
that), Tom attached not a single name to any of his quotations.”

As to me proving names, I did not share the bulk of the replies, as they were even nastier. Also, I did not include many that were from district employees, as they fear retribution from Jay. They have witnessed firsthand how he has treated people he should be more civil to, over many years.

"Tom thanks for the info and up dates concerning Jay. He has to go!" - John Rallis

"like a real PUKE to me.. just my opinion!" –Kathy Madiea

"In an interview recently on channel 9 Jay stated that for profit charter schools were the solution to over-crowding in Osceola County. This is not a solution for our kids! Some of his biggest campaign contributors are connected to charter schools. Coincidence ?" –Colleen Buckley Schmidt

"This guy is not what we need here or anywhere. He will have a HARD time beating Leah. Let's get behind her 100%." –Tonya Small Weisbart

"What a total yahoo that guy is. Simply cannot fathom how anyone would vote for him, and completely dumb-founded as to how he could ever be re-elected."–Travis Horn

"Every time he hits the airwaves I tell anyone around I'm from Seminole County" –Bill Nagy

"Trust me, it is him and what he does that upsets people" - Cathy Asher Landram

"Both him and tom greer ruined us at the school board. I was a bus driver. Thing that went on within the school board was good old boys at its best. I am retired now . Dont care any more" - John Douglas Lakin

" It made me shake my head..I learned a lot reading it." Shameful –Chadwick Hardee

"Keep up the good fight. Your rewards are in the knowledge that You are doing the right thing. From my first contact with Mr. Wheeler I have found him to be arrogant, duplicitous & disingenuous. People like that will always be there, on the attack with no more conscience, about there deeds, than that of sociopaths. The only real consolation is at this point he has reached the pinnacle of his political career." –Jeff Krotts

"God willing, the Wheeler drama will end very soon!" –Betsy Middleton

"Only an idiot would vote for him again" –Beverly Orris

I hope George will accept this as enough and not demand to know if these people are real, then demand to see the actual replies, birth certificates, drivers license and proof of residence, then require I set up a meeting with them.

Jay will follow his normal pattern and attack each of them personally.

As to Stacy's claim of Dr. Grego's treatment of employees, I have seen documentation also. We may be witnesses to the same instance.

Stacy McCland

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May 30, 2014, 3:16:38 PM5/30/14
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Those comments sound so similar to the ones I have heard, and a few of them from the same people. I wouldn't be surprised if Tom doesn't have additional comments from school district employees who are too afraid to share them in public.

George, our entire legal/judgment system is based on jurors (or judges) using their intuition as fact finders. They are given a set of allegations from witnesses, documents and other evidence, and they decide (with their intuition) what they believe to be the real truth. Consider yourself a juror. I have given you my opinion of the facts and you must weigh that against  the information given to you by others. I would love to hear Dr. Grego's side of things. When the situation started getting too hot for him, and people started asking real questions about his behavior, he fled. Yes, I know he blames Cindy. I just don't buy it -- maybe I am wrong, but that is my opinion. It is my experience that innocent people don't normally flee the scene of a crime, figuratively. They normally don't even know a crime has been committed or otherwise wish to defend themselves properly. From what I know of Grego, he was not the kind of person to run away unless he truly thought he was in over his head.

There was a time when I supported Jay Wheeler even though I knew others did not like him. I still love the fact that he initiated the use of uniforms. He was a bit quirky, and people did not appreciate his candor, but I really thought he meant well. But, when I received an message a couple of years ago from an email address that was named "tomandbarbaredumb", I thought, whoever sent this is an unprofessional jerk with whom I would never want to associate myself. I was absolutely shocked to find out that Jay Wheeler not only created the email but was proud of it. That's just awful. What kind of person does that? Jay defended himself by saying he is just telling the truth. Really? Well, I would argue that the word "dumb" can be used to describe many different things, including the sending of an email such as that. I would hope a student would be suspended if he or she created an email address that said another student was "dumb" and sent it out to other students. Most HR departments of large companies would severely punish or even fire an employee for doing that to another employee. How can we expect our students to learn to act like responsible, professional adults, if the leaders of the school district so blatantly choose not to?

Stacy




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Jay Wheeler

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May 30, 2014, 4:52:19 PM5/30/14
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Stacy, easy to be an armchair quarterback. Walk a mile in my shoes. Yes I created the email address you mention, and you are entitled to think and/or say what you wish. These are people who censored my emails and comments. Personally I find censorship un-American, and am a big fan of the first amendment. Any elected official in the country who attempts and enthusiastically embraces & engages in censorship is dumb. But then some people might never get it. With them it’s kind of like trying to teach a pig to sing, it’s a waste of time and it annoys the pig.

 

Insofar as Longs misguided comments about the CHS football coach investigation. Ed Meierkort was the head football coach there. An assistant coach who was a rival for the head coaching job was in charge of the mishandled fund raiser. No money was stolen, some fund raising discount cards were lost by the Asst. Coach. Being a responsible leader the head coach took full responsibility for the actions of his assistant coach. Ed Meierkort got a community excited about a team that didn’t win one game. His team was the number one team in Florida division 7A in GPA, a feat never done before in Osceola by any football team. This assistant coach went around telling people he was going to head coach at CHS, and the state relied on his testimony which was at best insincere. When the community, players and other assistants learned of this and confronted this assistant coach, he hurried to leave Celebration and now is an asst. coach in Orange County.

 

Like Mike Grego, Ed Meierkort is a good man who is good for kids. Ed still lives in Celebration and is held in high regard in the community, while the Asst. Coach who lived in Celebration for many years is left with his tail between his legs. Yes I thought the FL Dept. of Education was wasting their time investigating, because they only wanted to interview people to support their position. Staff who were interviewed who made statements contrary to the outcome they were after were conspicuously left out of any final documents. Plus the state refused to interview several people, including myself who knew the facts. The state department of education is inept in to many ways to count and abdicates its role to testing companies more interested in having outcomes to meet a revenue model, that not only does not help students it penalizes them for results on a test that is rigged.

 

If Board members would take the time to truly understand public education instead of squandering their time on unproductive endeavors they might actually join in to improve public education. Which has always been my number one priority. My agenda is simple, better opportunities with better outcomes for our students. To bad others don’t focus on students. JW          

 

From: harm...@googlegroups.com [mailto:harm...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Stacy McCland
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2014 2:40 PM
To: harm...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Answering Questions

 

Those comments sound so similar to the ones I have heard, and a few of them from the same people. I wouldn't be surprised if Tom doesn't have additional comments from school district employees who are too afraid to share them in public.

Nancy Smith

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May 30, 2014, 5:50:44 PM5/30/14
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At the church school where I volunteer every week, the use of the word "dumb" or "stupid" is not allowed. Those form can be a form of bullying.

Stacy McCland

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May 30, 2014, 5:50:44 PM5/30/14
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Jay, when I was a kid, my Mom was on the school board as Chair. I was the one who primarily answered the phone in the evenings repeatedly, with parents, teachers, and others upset about redistricting, sexual harassment, you name it, I heard about it. You didn't live here yet, but I can assure you the infighting was actually worse during that time. When the Celebration school was being built, we had people hiding in our bushes spying on us. Have you had that happen yet? It's pretty weird. So, while I have not had your specific experiences, I know what it's like to live in the spotlight. And yet, we never called anyone "dumb". That was out of the question.



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George Schiro

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May 30, 2014, 6:56:14 PM5/30/14
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No disrespect is intended ladies. So please don't take this the wrong way. I think your animus for Jay is blinding you. IMHO, you are missing the much bigger picture here.
 
While you focus on childish behavior like name calling and Jay being forced to remove his political signs from campus and his staunch support for a superintendent you obviously did not like (perhaps you had friends or family at odds with Grego's policies while employed by the school district?), do you ever think about how all that compares?
 
Consider the manipulation of a sham superintendent selection process for the purpose of appointing an unqualified personal friend of at least one board member. Consider these same board members (blind to the truth obvious to Jay and the public) then realizing their mistake and forcing their own hand-picked Grego successor to resign (this after previously forcing Grego to resign).
 
Consider people who lie to the school district's public information officer. Consider people who withhold public documents. Consider people who sneak around like weasels to work behind the scenes with an anonymous blogger for the purpose of espousing publicly what they are otherwise only willing to say amongst themselves safely in private.
 
Have you considered the scope of all that in 4 years compared to whatever mistakes Jay has made in 12 years?

Nancy Smith

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May 31, 2014, 10:17:49 AM5/31/14
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When my Mom was on the Broward County School Board, and Chair for several terms, the telephone was the biggest enemy to us kids. I sounded just like Mom, so I heard lots of things--mostly people wanting special favors. Once, during a rezoning debate, a huge, delicious coconut cake was delivered to our home with a note card. Mom was there, but her three children decided that we would not read the note as that would be wrong. We did eat some of that cake--it was there, and we did not yet know about that side of politics. When Mom got home, she had a fit. She wanted to send the cake back because it was from a parent who had begged her to vote a certain way, which, after study and talking to many parents, is the way Mom voted. The note said "Thank you for your vote." Boy, she was mad at us, and we all were punished. She never accepted gifts from constituents, and she call that gifter and told her to never do that again and that she would send the remains to her home. And she did! Wouldn't it be  great if we had the confidence today that all elected officials can't be bought--at least not by a coconut cake? Anyway, that story I tell is to illustrate that the families of elected officials also are involved in the goings on and the behaviors of their parents, or whichever relative is elected. We must stop the lack of civility in discourse, the blaming of others when a vote doesn't go your way, and the demonizing of fellow board members.  Mom was later elected to the Fort Lauderdale City Commission and was Mayor for some terms. She was also President of the Florida School Boards Association and on the Board of the National School Boards Association. She was smart, she did her homework, she worked with other board members, some of whom she did not like (that's putting it civilly), and she earned a reputation for honesty and caring about kids, about the city, and about improving the city for all its residents. Some loved her, others did not, but everyone respected her. She earned that respect, and she did not call people liars or stupid or dumb. She just showed them the truth and let them make up their own mind.

 

If you want to read name-calling George, then just take the time to reread all these posts. Laying blame is a form of name calling and bullying, too.

 

I hope you all have a nice day in this beautiful FLorida weather. Thank God we are so privileged to live here. Nancy Smith

Stacy McCland

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Jun 1, 2014, 1:18:03 PM6/1/14
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George, our school district and county are riddled with past transgressions of elected officials and other government employees. To belabor them won't change anything. The things you write about are very minor compared to other situations that have occurred. But there is nothing that can be done about them either. I am trying to focus on the future and what we can do to make sure history does not repeat itself. That is the only thing actually within our control.

Jay is currently running for another term in office. I believe his cooperation with Dr. Grego, and the way he allowed him to force/coerce people out of the school district, is telling of how he will act in the future. (Yes, Osceola County is small -- it included family members, friends, and past teachers of mine. I should also note that I have other family members, friends and teachers who took Dr. Grego's side, not because they thought he was right, but because they are the type of people who go with the majority no matter the circumstances. Oh, and one family member in particular saw it as a way to advance their career, and it worked. He also made Debra Pace a "fall guy", and we lost her from this county. She would have been great superintendent material.)

I simply do not trust Jay. This is just one example of many: years ago, he gave my Mom a bunch of documents concerning how poorly the charter schools are built. I believe it was the one built by the Foundation, but I may be wrong. He was upset that they used such cheap building materials -- they were residential and not commercial. What did he do about it? Nothing, he wanted my Mom to make a fuss. But he was on the school board at the time, not her. Why didn't he make a fuss himself? I don't know, I have no documented evidence, but my hypothetical guess is that he did not want to upset his campaign contributors, who were the builders. How many other times did he think something was wrong, but instead of bringing it forward himself, he asked someone else to do the part of his job that he does not particularly like? That is a weak person to me, and not someone who belongs in a position of leadership. I want people who, when they decide to take a position of leadership, stand up for what is right, even when it may have negative personal consequences. Jay has not proven to be that kind of person.

Stacy



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Jay Wheeler

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Jun 1, 2014, 2:49:50 PM6/1/14
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To continually insert Mike Grego into this is unfair. He left (was ran off) in 2011. What he accomplished in less than three years for our community was beyond anyone’s expectations. Many including myself are grateful for him and what he did in Osceola. He is among one of the best people I have ever been honored to work with. Mike Grego made no one his “fall guy”. Mrs. Pace left because Cindy Hartig, Tom Long, and Barbara Horn rejected her as interim Superintendent in favor of their hand- picked successor Terry Andrews (who in short order they turned on-but that is there nature). To bad I wasn’t among the Board members who scammed everyone on a National Superintendent search (or is this another of my diabolical schemes at misdirection?).  

 

Bash me all you like, just leave others out of it. Yes I consider Harmony and its development team good people, certainly this will get twisted around. Invoking the Attorney/Client privilege in an online forum borders on the ridiculousness. Now that all are so concerned with who contributes to me re-election (another good source for bashing). Interesting how some are so suddenly enamored with Cindy Hartig, who along with a willing Tom Long took their best shot at dismantling and wrecking the Osceola school district. Cindy Hartig is contributing to more than one current Osceola School Board candidate, anyone who would take her support should be far more worrisome than anyone who I associate with. No one supporting my campaign has attempted to do damage to the Osceola School District. But then I am sure it is easy to overlook that she hacked into my School District Email, and upon losing her bid for re-election filed for unemployment. Facts can be persnickety things.

 

Easy to overlook my achievements to improve education in Osceola, (which I have done), certainly this will get twisted around to. As far as Long is concerned, he hasn’t cared about improving education since being elected-hew has zero credibility with me. For some perspective he has spent his time on the school board working to attack me. Because of him and his pals we have gone backwards. But the this is a guy who could not pronounce exemplary when reading a letter from US Congressman Bill Posey, and recently when pontificating at a Board meeting inserted the term “frutation”. We can only guess he meant fruition. One thing you and I do agree about Stacy is that I also hold Debra Pace in very high regard, she was a terrific educational leader in Osceola, and is flourishing as an educational leader in Brevard County.

 

So are you all being earnest or just being malcontents?

 

But then this group is convinced that Tom Long and Cindy Hartig are suddenly pillars of the community and I am responsible for everything from 9/11 to Benghazi. Interesting how a re-election brings out the absurdity of people. Success breeds jealousy among others.  "You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life." Winston Churchill  

Nancy Smith

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Jun 1, 2014, 2:56:04 PM6/1/14
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Wow. George is really a Jay fan. Who could tell!

Stacy McCland

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Jun 1, 2014, 3:34:40 PM6/1/14
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Jay -- Cindy and Tom are not running for office. What they have done in the past, whether it be good or bad, is neither here nor there. As for Grego, you are the one who brought him up. I only followed with my opinion after you changed the subject from an elementary school built near a gas pipe line to Dr. Grego in your effort to attack Tom Long. If you did not want others to talk about Grego, then you probably should not have opened the door.

I am sorry you find attorney client privilege to be a joke. It is a good you are not a lawyer. That would be grounds for disbarment. I am sure you expect your attorney to keep your private conversations to him or herself.

You keep changing the conversation back to anti-Tom and Cindy when all I really want to talk about is the fact that you took campaign contributions from a company who asked you to vote for an elementary school to be built next to a pipe line, and you in fact did that. You don't seem to want to talk about it. That speaks volumes to me.

Nancy -- I agree, it is really starting to seem like Jay is okay no matter what he does as far as George is concerned.

Stacy







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George Schiro

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Jun 2, 2014, 6:58:01 AM6/2/14
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Nancy, some of what you have written makes sense and is on point. Yet occasionally you have thrown out something seemingly random and unrelated to the post you are responding to.
 
For example, in response to my post about "Pipeline Propaganda" (see http://tinyurl.com/m3sko6b ) you responded:
 
    My goodness, can't you all communicate
    without calling names?
 
I then asked:
 
    Please be specific Nancy. What name-calling
    are you referring to?
 
which you completely ignored. FYI, I looked at my post again and could find no "name-calling". Perhaps we have different definitions of the term.
 
In response to something Stacy posted, you now write (which really seems to have no bearing on anything):
 
    Wow. George is really a Jay fan. Who could tell!
 
Would you mind clarifying your meaning Nancy? How does what you wrote relate to what Stacy posted?
 
FYI, I am a supporter of whomever tells the truth and whomever focuses on those aspects of political decision making I think benefit Osceola school children the most (mine included).
 
There have been actions and non-actions of Jay Wheeler that I have supported and actions and non-actions of Jay Wheeler which I have opposed. Likewise, there have been actions and non-actions of Tom Long which I have supported and actions and non-actions of Tom Long which I have opposed. I think such nuanced political positions are normal for most adults. Wouldn't you agree Nancy?
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/harmonyfl/005701cf7dca%24be0b6f80%243a224e80%24%40rr.com.

Stacy McCland

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Jun 2, 2014, 7:08:39 AM6/2/14
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I apologize for answering for Nancy in advance, but I don't think she was answering my email. I think she was answering a previous post. When I view these emails on my phone, I haven't always received the most recent message posted.

As for name calling, again, I don't think she was talking directly to you George.

Stacy



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Nancy Smith

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Jun 2, 2014, 7:17:28 AM6/2/14
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Liar is as specific as I choose to be. You do read well, and yet must discern that what you have become engaged in is a bunch of blame game name-calling. No need to clarify further. You do get it. You are not the inquisition. I have not asked for specifics, as I understand what is going on. It is really enough on the issue you seem to be exploring. My comments go to the general tone and behavior of the participants and not to your comments except that you seem to get roped in by Jay's obvious hatred for Tom and Cindy. Say what he will, it shows.

George Schiro

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Jun 2, 2014, 7:24:17 AM6/2/14
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I think I understand Nancy. Here's a tough one for you.
 
If a public official lies to the public (and such lying is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt), would you consider the phase "she lied" as name-calling or the phrase "she is a liar"? (or both or neither)

Tom Long

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Jun 4, 2014, 8:29:01 PM6/4/14
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I had to go back to look for questions I may have not answered. Let us start with Jay's, "How about the second time you supported her to be Chair, what's the rationale for the second time?"

Jay, You should know the answer. Terry Andrews gave the answer and maybe you were not listening or had already walked out or didn't show up. i did not vote yes or no. You may recall you did not vote on several issues.

As this may be an incomplete answer, let me off my reasoning.I do not support anyone serving two consecutive years as Chair. As I recall, Barb Horn nominated Ms. Hartig and I had assumed she would not want it. I also recall Mr. Melendez was going to run for US congress. There was no way I was going to nominate myself.

This again came down to Jay or Cindy Hartig. There is no way possible I could vote for Jay. He pled to 21 of 44 election law violations, was fined $17,000, announced within months of swearing in he would resign to run for County Commissioner (which I must assume he will do again this coming January), raised his voice, skipped meetings, refused to take part in expulsion hearings, called the other four names, which have been repeated here, etc.

So I sat silent.

Tom Long

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Jun 6, 2014, 4:28:50 PM6/6/14
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District 1 school board re-election candidate, Jay Wheeler wrote, “Bash me all you like.” I don’t consider revealing Jay’s true, public record, bashing. After all, any career politician must run on his record. Not just the one he invents, but the truth.

I will not call him an idiot, dumb, incompetent, dysfunctional, or any one of a dozen or so names he has called me publicly. Nor will I call him crazy as he did a past chairman, immoral, as he called the rest of the current school board, or dysfunctional and inept, as Jay did the Department of Education.

Those are not valid arguments and considered “bullying” by any standard. Instead, I will produce every negative public document and factoid Jay is personally responsible for as a school board member.

Jay Wheeler likes to brag on his achievements, which he does every chance he gets. He certainly has twisted around most of the facts. I wonder how much more we could have gained, without his public rants against fellow board members and the State Department of Education.

Jay wrote he believes a group is convinced he’s responsible for everything from 9/11 to Benghazi.”

No, Jay, but you ARE GUILTY of multiple election law violations and paying $17,000 in fines! The highest fines ever levied in Osceola County.

Jay, you ARE GUILTY of relentless attacks on other board members, refusing to work with them, then, bragging about it, your continuous violation of the Code of Boardsmanship Resolution, and being censured for conduct unbecoming a school board member.

Jay, you ARE GUILTY of walking out of multiple meeting, like a childish bully and being censured for abandonment of position.

Jay, you ARE GUILTY of repeated personal attacks on your fellow School Board Members; and other inappropriate behavior and were censured for disregard of school board policy.

Jay, you ARE GUILTY of violating school board policy by hanging your paid political advertisement on school fences, ordered to remove them and playing dumb as to the policy you voted on.

Jay, you ARE GUILTY of repeated failure to live up to your word regarding the Code of Boardsmanship Resolution, you signed multiple times, making your word worthless.

All these facts are part of Jay Wheeler’s record and have been printed in the press, reported on local news programs and documented, for everyone to verify at http://therealjaywheeler.com

Interesting how a re-election brings out the absurdity of the career politician. Jay is hoping voters never learn of his true record.
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