January 8th, 2019 by WCBC Radio
In what one person in attendance described as a “train wreck”- the first public meeting of the new Allegany County Board of Education was held Tuesday and it featured heated discussions; a series of split votes and a general butting of heads on most of the issues on the agenda. It was a rough start for the board in public session as it was revealed at the start of the meeting that the election of officers- Robert Farrell as President and David Bohn as vice president- had already been decided during a brief, earlier afternoon session. It was also revealed that in the earlier closed session, a decision was reached to remove longtime board attorney Gary Hanna, and to replace him on an interim basis with the firm of Geppert, McMullen, Paye and Getty- represented Tuesday by Mike Llewellyn. Those actions and the manner in which they were handled did not sit well with many of those in attendance including NAACP President and former school board candidate Carmen Jackson…
The major piece of business that was handled, the change in legal counsel, was done so, according to Farrell, based on how Hanna dealt with the December resolution requesting that the state removed Wayne Foote from the board…
Despite objections from board members Deb Frank and Tammy Fraley, Foote was granted permission to vote on the change in attorneys- even though the new council will be looking into the resolution against him. Tempers flared on a few occasions, with Farrell becoming frustrated when Frank and Fraley interjected…
The level of discourse, combined with the somewhat disorganized approach to dealing with the agenda, led to Frank apologizing to those who sat through the nearly three hour session…
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January 08, 2019 at 11:16 pm, kevin said:
“Don’t you love farce? My fault I fear, I thought that you’d want what I want, sorry my dear. But where are the clowns. Send in the clowns. Don’t bother, they’re here. . . .
January 08, 2019 at 11:36 pm, jackblack said:
SOUNDS LIKE WE NEED ANOTHER B O E ELECTION,BUT FIRST QUALIFY THE CANDIDATES WITH A 6TH GRADE EQIVILANCEY TEST.THE BOGUS INCIDENT CONJURED AGAINST WAYNE FOOTE–WAS JUST THAT–CHARACTER ASSASINATION–ESQ.G. HANNA SAW THROUGH IT AND ACTED LEGALLY AND APPROPRIATELY.
January 09, 2019 at 2:10 pm, Jeff said:
The majority has spoken. Now let the board govern. Smells like fresh air to me.
January 09, 2019 at 5:29 pm, Joe White said:
Sounds like more of the Donald Trump Syndrome: can’t follow an set agenda and do things legally, just bully your way through the meeting process.
January 09, 2019 at 9:21 pm, Jack said:
How can the board have Geppert, McMullen, Paye and Getty represent them when they also represent board member Bob Farrell in his lawsuit against the BOE? That doesn’t smell like fresh air as much as what you smell out around the stables.