I read with great amusement Peggy Wolff’s letter to the editor last week. Why? Because the very things she is accusing others of doing, in my opinion, is exactly what she has been doing and has allowed to happen in the school board since she was elected.
She, as President, is responsible for not allowing all public voices to be heard at school board meetings by cutting off public comment. And why are the “chosen few” comments read by staff instead of having the commenters speak their own words? While not mentioning my name, she implied I was a racist when I objected to the district spending money on Spanish translations for their slick public relations piece instead of putting money towards a videotaping system for School Board meetings.
That’s pretty much the worst name you can call someone. She closes down discussion on issues without fully listening to all sides. “Let’s just vote,” she says knowing that she has a majority. As President, she determines the agenda items that are presented—funny how parent requests are seemingly ignored. She mentions “grievance candidates.” I would call them concerned parents who are being shut out of a very tight circle holding all the control. How else are their voices to be heard since they are seemingly shut down at every instance?
She calls one school board member “toxic.” To know Dee Perry is to know that she is the very opposite of toxic. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. In my opinion this school board will not work with her and I believe she has conducted herself with the utmost of decorum under the constant onslaught of the rest of the board.
It is also interesting to note that Peggy had 43 references to herself (I, me, my) in her brief letter. That, in my opinion, shows a high level of self absorbed importance. What happened to worrying about the students and your concern for them? I didn’t see any reference to them in her letter.
I am thrilled that we will have the opportunity to vote for two concerned parents, Sheri Morgan and Amy Kramer, who will join Dee in fighting for kids and parents. It’s time the school board understand who their constituents are, kids and parents, not the superintendent and his administration. These two candidates will change the true toxic environment that is the current school board. So, sorry Peggy, we won’t miss you.
Michele Monda, Laguna Beach
Michele Monda’s mean-spirited letter in response to school board president Peggy Wolf’s decision not to run for re-election is a good example of exactly why Wolf is choosing not to run again after one term. Over the last few years the tone of political, and just social, discourse, has taken on a sharper and uglier edge most visibly at the national level, but sadly, also here in our town. The most obvious example of this locally is City Councilmember Peter Blake, who Michele Monda and the Laguna Beach Republicans worked very hard to elect to Council in 2018. Then, ironically, she was shocked and angry when he turned his usual attack-mouth on HER! Because people like that will attack anyone who disagrees with them on any issue…even people that helped them get where they are. (Note, our current president) One would have thought that Ms Monda would have learned her lesson. Good and decent and hard-working, thoughtful people can disagree, and there is no excuse for gratuitous insults even as they leave office. It’s up to all of us to change this, before it is no longer possible to get good and decent people to run for office.