Editor,
The recent vote on the proposal to install streaming video in Laguna Beach school board meetings has tragically put one of our own in a negative light. Board members voted 3-1 in favor; the lone nay was Bill Landsiedel.
Bill is an elected official whose only platform to logically lay out his argument to keep cameras out of the meetings is in front of the relatively few people who physically attend board meetings. Ironic, yes, but I will go ahead and decode where I think Bill is really coming from on this one.
First people need to remember that Bill is a workers compensation attorney whose life centers on keeping his clients from being liable for things that happen in the workplace. Bill is simply doing the same here.
By not wanting cameras in the school board meetings, he is simply protecting people against liability. Okay, in this case it’s himself he’s protecting, but at least he is staying in character.
Bill is concerned that having web-cams in meetings will lead to constant technical problems that will be a big hassle for him. This is understandable for someone who thinks cameras are manually propelled by running hamsters. We are in a drought, how will they get water?
Bill should not be blamed for not realizing (caring) that these cameras will make it easier for parents and the community to see and hear how the decisions are made that affect everyone’s children. It’s like blaming the captain of the Titanic for ramming the ship into the iceberg. If the passengers were upset they should have gone to “ship captain school” and jumped behind the wheel themselves.
It’s sad that Bill is under attack for basically standing up and saying, “I don’t care how creepy it seems. No cameras!” The voters of Laguna Beach need to understand that Bill doesn’t appreciate prying eyes or input. You elected him, now butt out.
John Marks, Laguna Beach
