In Your Opinion: Setting the record straight on Board Ethics Complaints

Julia Presley, Board of Education president.

By Julia Presley

No determination on any of the ethics complaints filed against me by Mr. Trautmann, Mr. Seamon, Mr. Burton, and/or Ms. Abreu has been found to have any merit.  That is Mr. Trautmann’s opinion.  It is Mr. Trautmann’s intention to mislead and misinform the public; I find this to be disingenuous.  It is also disheartening to publicize their false allegations (in some cases misquoting their own complaints).  I have always been taught that the problem with a lie is that it has to be remembered – the TRUTH stands on its own.

Although I will not speak specifically to the pending allegations because they are in litigation, I will say, according to my attorney, as to the School Ethics Decision recently released, the Commission made no substantive determinations but rather applied a broad standard determining generally if the complainants’ can prove their allegations before an administrative law judge in a full hearing, then there maybe a potential violation of the code of ethics.

Operative statements and words, “If the complaints’ can prove their allegations”, and “there may be.”  So you see, the allegations pending against me are just that, allegations, until heard and adjudicated by the OAL.  There is still a long way to go before a decision is made concerning any of these false complaints.  It could take up to two years to determine if and when they rise to the level of probable cause.  So, until that time, the allegations against me have NO MERIT! And when all is said and done can be determined to have no merit and be dismissed.

Mr. Trautmann, who is a Litigation Attorney, should know this and not mislead the public.  If he was not aware of this himself, then, Ms. LaCorte should have advised Mr. Trautmann that such complaints can take up to two years to resolve based on her own experience of having a formal ethics charge filed against her in the past while previously serving on the board.  “Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!” Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto vi. Stanza 17.

With regard to Mr. Trautmann’s statement concerning conduct on the board, to determine conduct on the board all that needs to be done is for those public who have not been to board meetings or had the opportunity to view the board meetings on cable TV, to examine the Board of Education (BOE) meetings themselves beginning with our second meeting held on January 10, 2013, where the second public comment session set the stage for the current behavior being demonstrated.  It saddens me that merely because the previous public BOE election/and subsequent president and vice president majority vote board election did not go the way some planned, subsequently causing ongoing problems.  Just look and listen closely and compare what you hear to what has been done all year long.  You be the judge.  In my opinion, listening to their OPINIONS is only intended to negatively influence the public’s opinion.

Information pertaining to what the BOE insurance deductible, per complaint filed, and the amount pending to date can be obtained through the business office.  This issue was addressed at the October 17, 2013 BOE meeting and can be viewed on the DVD of the October 17, 2013 meeting as well.

Also, to my knowledge, no substantive information about any pending lawsuit against the district has been shared by the administration, so it is unclear to me how Mr. Trautman and Mr. Seamon can say that the basis of such lawsuits has been caused my board mismanagement where I’ve received little to no information to date.  Again, this LIE/Allegation is in the opinion of Mr. Trautmann and Mr. Seamon.  One might ask where they are getting this false information.

Lastly, I have nothing to hide.  GOOGLE me!  The only negative you will find will be these meritless allegations.  For that matter GOOGLE all the candidates.

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