Letter To The Editor /  I just had a long telephone conversation with Bobby Highsmith

 

Friends:

 

I just had a long telephone conversation with Bobby Highsmith regarding my suggestion that the Board postpone consideration of the Facilities Planner position until its next meeting when he would be available to participate.

 

Bobby told me that a number of people had called him regarding the position and the salary and that he had some questions as well.  He called Superintendent Porter today to request that creation of the Facilities Planner position be delayed two weeks.  That was not acceptable to Porter who now dictates the Board agenda, not the Board members.

 

Porter dispatched his aide, Pat Lefere, to Highsmith’s office to persuade Bobby of the need to move expeditiously and vote on the position tomorrow.  Without going into any specifics, Bobby told me that he was in fact persuaded. 

 

I responded that that was nice, but why was the public being denied the persuasive argumentation of Lefere and that only Bobby was benefitting.  I went on to say that I did not believe that the haste involved passed the smell test.

 

Bobby did go on to say that he thought that there were alternative means to address the District’s needs when it comes to construction and renovation, means other than hiring a six figure employee.  I told him that I agreed entirely and that those means, which we discussed briefly, deserved a full and complete public hearing. However, if the Facilities Planner position is created tomorrow, any discussion of alternatives is moot and academic.

 

In their conversation, according to Bobby, Lefere did assure him that he did not have anyone in the wings to fill the position.  To the contrary, Lefere told Bobby that he believed that the demands of the position were so great that the District would find it difficult to fill.

 

Regardless, I repeat my concern.  As Mom used to say, “Haste makes waste.”   In this instance, $100,000 projected over x number of years.  As Everett Dirksen used to say, “A million here, a million there, before you know it, it’s real money!”

 

Larry Murray

 

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