Who knew there was a monthly magazine dedicated to public servants? I didn't. However, governing.com certainly does exist, and they have a monthly print magazine as well.
Their year end issue presents -- SURPRISE! -- the public officials of the year.
The major aspect of these stories is not what they do, but how they do what they do. There's leadership in their actions.
Keeping some measure of restraint, what about Morrisville's public officials? Who gets placed on Santa's list of good kids, and who gets put on the naughty list?
Putting aside the "I'm getting nothing but coal for Christmas" list, what does Santa's good list looks like in Morrisville?
I'd like to start off with some nominees to Santa's good list. From the Borough side, Mayor Tom Wisnosky, Code Officer Robert Seward, and Borough Manager George Mount.
From the school district side, the late Ed Frankenfield certainly deserves praise, but I'm holding off on naming any other current board members to either list. Dr. Beth Yonson is also on that good list.
How about those non-public official public people? There's really too many to list by name at the Rotary. Ditto at the Ivins House. There's compassionate civic leadership in action day after day.
Do you have any others? Tell us the people who make Morrisville not just a place to live, but HOME.
Every campaign season brings a raft of candidates who boast that they will take office ready to ask the tough questions about why their states, cities and counties stick to the same policies and strategies, instead of finding ways to perform better. They promise to poke into the dark corners of government and get the answers needed to improve the system. Unfortunately, a promise that looks simple in October becomes difficult to implement in January. More often than not, the toughest questions end up near the bottom of a long to-do list.
For a public official, asking tough questions is rarely fun. But it's doable, if somebody with brains and courage and persistence demands answers. Our eight Public Officials of the Year possess all those qualities. Their efforts have brought real results that have improved the lives of the people they represent. Governing is proud to honor their accomplishments.
“I think I gotta get a lot smarter between now and then!”
Country singer Tim McGraw, dismissing with a joke reports that he wants to run for governor of Tennessee in 2010 but saying that "if the time comes where there's something available and I think I can do some positive things, I'll be glad to do it"
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Responsibility
From the BCCT
Team comes first
“Once in a lifetime” is one description we heard for the Phillies World Series parade. And, indeed, thousands upon thousands of people used that as justification to attend the festivities, blowing off work, school or who knows what other commitments so they could be there in person.
For some high school athletes scheduled to play that Friday night, going to the parade or not going may have been a difficult decision. The PIAA has a rule that an athlete who misses school the day of a game can't play that night.
We don't think the choice should really be too hard for an athlete truly dedicated to his or her team. The team comes first, and if that means missing a so-called “once-in-a-lifetime” event, well, that's part of the sacrifice of being a team member.
Ten Hatboro-Horsham football players picked the parade over school that day, knowing that, under state rules, they would be ineligible for that night's game against Central Bucks West. But in their case, there was more than just the one game involved. Head coach Tom Butts had told all of his players that if they went to the parade, they would be kicked off the team. The 10 went anyway, and Butts followed through with his directive.
North Penn head coach Dick Beck told his players the same thing.
Good for them and every other coach who taught a valuable lesson that goes way beyond Xs and Os. This was a lesson about responsibility.
Any player or parent who thinks dismissal was too harsh a punishment simply doesn't get it. Respect for team rules is part of what makes a team a team. What Butts, Beck and other coaches decided about school attendance was hardly unreasonable.
Butts is allowing all 10 players who were cut to try out for the team next year, giving them a chance to demonstrate that they've learned their lesson.
As for right now, none of the coaches who demanded a little more from his players should have any second thoughts about his decision. They all did the right thing.
Team comes first
“Once in a lifetime” is one description we heard for the Phillies World Series parade. And, indeed, thousands upon thousands of people used that as justification to attend the festivities, blowing off work, school or who knows what other commitments so they could be there in person.
For some high school athletes scheduled to play that Friday night, going to the parade or not going may have been a difficult decision. The PIAA has a rule that an athlete who misses school the day of a game can't play that night.
We don't think the choice should really be too hard for an athlete truly dedicated to his or her team. The team comes first, and if that means missing a so-called “once-in-a-lifetime” event, well, that's part of the sacrifice of being a team member.
Ten Hatboro-Horsham football players picked the parade over school that day, knowing that, under state rules, they would be ineligible for that night's game against Central Bucks West. But in their case, there was more than just the one game involved. Head coach Tom Butts had told all of his players that if they went to the parade, they would be kicked off the team. The 10 went anyway, and Butts followed through with his directive.
North Penn head coach Dick Beck told his players the same thing.
Good for them and every other coach who taught a valuable lesson that goes way beyond Xs and Os. This was a lesson about responsibility.
Any player or parent who thinks dismissal was too harsh a punishment simply doesn't get it. Respect for team rules is part of what makes a team a team. What Butts, Beck and other coaches decided about school attendance was hardly unreasonable.
Butts is allowing all 10 players who were cut to try out for the team next year, giving them a chance to demonstrate that they've learned their lesson.
As for right now, none of the coaches who demanded a little more from his players should have any second thoughts about his decision. They all did the right thing.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Board of Education Leadership Award
I found this link to the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) where they highlight their Board of Education Leadership Award. The selections are based on community relations, board operations and policies, board member professional development and related organizational leadership.
Want to see if our leaders in Morrisville would compare well? Here's the criteria for nomination.
Want to see if our leaders in Morrisville would compare well? Here's the criteria for nomination.
Monday, September 22, 2008
How Would I Know?
From Epitome, a leadership blog, answering the question, "What Does a Leader Look Like?"
Leadership Attributes
How do we suitably define the role of leadership? We cannot. Like wisdom, truth, love, and life, leadership cannot be adequately defined in a library full of books. But what we do identify with, having been subject to good leadership, is the following eight (8) characteristics that surely speak volumes in the study of leadership:
1. Leaders ooze authenticity:
Good leaders are genuine and their integrity is beyond question. They lead in transparent what-you-see-is-what-you-get ways. They can’t be second-guessed because their thinking is based in the moment with the exact information at hand. They only deal covertly for the overall benefit of the team i.e. for instance, when a time calls for temporarily keeping one’s cards close to the chest.
2. Leaders conform:
This may appear to be wrong but it paradoxically isn’t. We might say, ‘Don’t leaders set the pace, not merely ‘following’?’ Uh-huh! Leaders work for organisations. Organisations have macro-objectives. Leaders must not only conform to organisation’s agenda, they must also believe in it; they’re active advocates for it. Now, there’s a selfless commitment required right there. Leaders who do not conform weaken organisations. True leaders don’t have a problem re-setting their priorities to align with the organisation’s provided their core values aren’t compromised.
3. Leaders are models (for safety, values etc):
Leaders are role models of the positive variety through and through. They’re examples that stand out to the casual observer and particularly to the impressionable. Integrity has already been mentioned, but good leaders know the effect they have on others and they appreciate the privilege of leadership; they don’t take their role of model to others lightly. They will staunchly model the best behaviours.
4. Providing context and alignment:
As the environment inevitably changes, the leader provides the necessary flux to assist in clarifying specific targets and goals. Whilst they elucidate the bigger picture and the ‘must do’s,’ they also identify clearly the smaller critical issues determining milestone success. And they do all this in a way that fits back into the organisation’s strategy lattice, as they always seek feedback from senior personnel in the organisation and persistently look for cues toward alignment and re-alignment.
5. Provide coaching and empowerment:
Leaders of note are great one-on-one, but not only that, they can influence individuals in the collective environment, embracing opportunities to provide feedback and encouragement. They don’t overdo supervision and they trust their charges. They genuinely value the ability for the team to diversify and delegation is a key tool in their kit. In this way again, like the captain of a successful sporting team, they’re selfless for the greater team gain. Their leadership cultivates more leadership and the acceptance of responsibility.
6. Leaders develop their team:
Going on from above, exceptional leaders know the value of team multiplicity. They don’t see the investment in people as a threat and they don’t become disconcerted when well-developed team members go on to better things; they simply wish them well, and have the ability to be genuinely thankful for their contributions. They know that other leaders also develop their people and they have faith that they too will certainly benefit directly from this. It’s a free exchange with no regret and everyone’s a winner.
7. Leaders communicate well and broadly:
Understanding is difficult to achieve and the outstanding leader is constantly wary of this; their communications are imprinted with care. They pitch their language, pace, tone, and media for the situation, and they also recognise the impact of broadening the message so everyone can benefit. They’re champions of promotion and feedback and in this way their courage and faith are continuously on display.
8. Leaders show empathy and care:
Finally, leaders are people who care for people. They have the ability to experience joy and sorrow at appropriate times in appropriate ways. For this reason they’re often popular and are ‘around’ things that people discuss. Team members of great leaders have no problem sharing their concerns, frustrations, and disappointments, as well as their successes.
Leadership is many things. Ultimately, I believe it’s inspirational and motivational or nothing at all.
Leadership Attributes
How do we suitably define the role of leadership? We cannot. Like wisdom, truth, love, and life, leadership cannot be adequately defined in a library full of books. But what we do identify with, having been subject to good leadership, is the following eight (8) characteristics that surely speak volumes in the study of leadership:
1. Leaders ooze authenticity:
Good leaders are genuine and their integrity is beyond question. They lead in transparent what-you-see-is-what-you-get ways. They can’t be second-guessed because their thinking is based in the moment with the exact information at hand. They only deal covertly for the overall benefit of the team i.e. for instance, when a time calls for temporarily keeping one’s cards close to the chest.
2. Leaders conform:
This may appear to be wrong but it paradoxically isn’t. We might say, ‘Don’t leaders set the pace, not merely ‘following’?’ Uh-huh! Leaders work for organisations. Organisations have macro-objectives. Leaders must not only conform to organisation’s agenda, they must also believe in it; they’re active advocates for it. Now, there’s a selfless commitment required right there. Leaders who do not conform weaken organisations. True leaders don’t have a problem re-setting their priorities to align with the organisation’s provided their core values aren’t compromised.
3. Leaders are models (for safety, values etc):
Leaders are role models of the positive variety through and through. They’re examples that stand out to the casual observer and particularly to the impressionable. Integrity has already been mentioned, but good leaders know the effect they have on others and they appreciate the privilege of leadership; they don’t take their role of model to others lightly. They will staunchly model the best behaviours.
4. Providing context and alignment:
As the environment inevitably changes, the leader provides the necessary flux to assist in clarifying specific targets and goals. Whilst they elucidate the bigger picture and the ‘must do’s,’ they also identify clearly the smaller critical issues determining milestone success. And they do all this in a way that fits back into the organisation’s strategy lattice, as they always seek feedback from senior personnel in the organisation and persistently look for cues toward alignment and re-alignment.
5. Provide coaching and empowerment:
Leaders of note are great one-on-one, but not only that, they can influence individuals in the collective environment, embracing opportunities to provide feedback and encouragement. They don’t overdo supervision and they trust their charges. They genuinely value the ability for the team to diversify and delegation is a key tool in their kit. In this way again, like the captain of a successful sporting team, they’re selfless for the greater team gain. Their leadership cultivates more leadership and the acceptance of responsibility.
6. Leaders develop their team:
Going on from above, exceptional leaders know the value of team multiplicity. They don’t see the investment in people as a threat and they don’t become disconcerted when well-developed team members go on to better things; they simply wish them well, and have the ability to be genuinely thankful for their contributions. They know that other leaders also develop their people and they have faith that they too will certainly benefit directly from this. It’s a free exchange with no regret and everyone’s a winner.
7. Leaders communicate well and broadly:
Understanding is difficult to achieve and the outstanding leader is constantly wary of this; their communications are imprinted with care. They pitch their language, pace, tone, and media for the situation, and they also recognise the impact of broadening the message so everyone can benefit. They’re champions of promotion and feedback and in this way their courage and faith are continuously on display.
8. Leaders show empathy and care:
Finally, leaders are people who care for people. They have the ability to experience joy and sorrow at appropriate times in appropriate ways. For this reason they’re often popular and are ‘around’ things that people discuss. Team members of great leaders have no problem sharing their concerns, frustrations, and disappointments, as well as their successes.
Leadership is many things. Ultimately, I believe it’s inspirational and motivational or nothing at all.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Exceptional Leadership Inspires the Best Effort in Others
Musings on leadership from the Leaders on Leadership blog.
Their masthead quote is a thought provoking quote from that often-quoted President, Theodore Roosevelt: "People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. . . . The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives."
Check out the entry titled "Exceptional Leadership Inspires the Best Effort in Others. Exceptional leadership, therefore, is leadership that inspires people to give their best effort. Although, for a leader, being productive and having good time management skills are important and necessary, they are not sufficient. Having good judgment becomes increasingly important the higher in an organization we rise, however it too is insufficient for truly effective leadership. Exceptional leadership is about relating to people in such a way as to inspire them to give their best effort – for themselves, their organization, their community, their family, and/or their world."
Think about of board of education, our borough council, and our other leaders. How many of them are leaders, and how many of them are drivers?
Their masthead quote is a thought provoking quote from that often-quoted President, Theodore Roosevelt: "People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. . . . The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives."
Check out the entry titled "Exceptional Leadership Inspires the Best Effort in Others. Exceptional leadership, therefore, is leadership that inspires people to give their best effort. Although, for a leader, being productive and having good time management skills are important and necessary, they are not sufficient. Having good judgment becomes increasingly important the higher in an organization we rise, however it too is insufficient for truly effective leadership. Exceptional leadership is about relating to people in such a way as to inspire them to give their best effort – for themselves, their organization, their community, their family, and/or their world."
Think about of board of education, our borough council, and our other leaders. How many of them are leaders, and how many of them are drivers?
Friday, August 1, 2008
Leadership 101
Leadership 101...Let's go down the list and tick off the the items that are being omitted and are ticking us off.
Leadership 101, by Colleen Kettenhofen
“If…you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.” Catherine Aird
Do people willingly want to follow you? The real test of leadership is influence. Would your subordinates describe you as an effective manager, supervisor or team leader? Be honest with yourself. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you want to work for YOU?! If your employees’ pay, perks and benefits were not dependent on doing what you ask, would they still want to follow you? If the answer is yes, you are truly a role model of leadership.
In conducting leadership training around the world for over a decade, here are the key traits I hear over and over that employees want to see in their leaders. And most of these employees are managers themselves.These traits will sound familiar to you. Yet, we need to be reminded of them. Many managers confide to me that they’re so overloaded they forget about practicing many of these qualities on a regular basis.
1 ) Supportive/Good listener: It’s been said the average person listens to what you have to say only 25% of the time. Yes, that’s right. Much of the time we’re caught up in our own “stuff” and we’re not always listening. Listen. Think before you speak. Some people just need to be allowed to vent. Vent within reason of course. Then, they’ll be more likely to listen to you.
2 ) Open-minded. It’s hard to listen without an open mind. At least acknowledge what your employees have to say. It doesn’t mean you necessarily have to agree. In order to gain respect and get your team members to follow you, sometimes you first have to show respect.
3 ) Honest. Do you possess personal integrity? Your team members will look to see if you do what you say you are going to do. This sounds like common-sense and it is. Yet, many in a leadership position forget this important trait. The minute you can’t deliver on your promises you lose all credibility. It will be the one thing your employees will always remember. As the saying goes, “They remember your last act.” Under promise and over deliver. Always do what you say you are going to do.
True Leadership = Inspiration:
4 ) Inspiring. True leadership = inspiration. Real leaders have a passion for what they do. They are able to transfer that enthusiasm to their employees. People want to follow someone they respect and admire. In my leadership training, a lot of managers tell me they also want a leader “who is balanced in their personal as well as professional life.” They see a balanced leader as someone who walks their talk. Employees want to follow someone who has what they want.
5 ) Intelligent. I frequently hear the comment, “In our organization, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.” Or, “My manager really has no idea what I do for a living. What my job entails, the challenges and the time constraints.” Please educate yourself on each of your team member’s responsibilities. It’s the only way you can speak intelligently to them and gain respect.
6 ) Future-oriented. Upper management should put their organization’s five year, three year, and one year plan in writing and pass it out to every employee. A lot of employees don’t know their organization’s overall goals and objectives. An integral part of leadership is having vision, and being able to convey that vision in a way that excites and inspires team members. A great way to motivate most of your employees is to show each and every one where they fit in with the organization’s big picture. Most of them want to know their purpose and how they make a difference.
Effective Leadership = Effective Social Skills:
7 ) Excellent communicator. Many people are promoted to leadership positions based on their “hard skills” or technical skills. Yet, most managers describe true leadership as demonstrating good interpersonal skills. Excellent leaders and managers aren’t just good communicators in terms of what’s expected on the job. They also make it a priority to take a sincere interest in their employees. Little things go a long way. For example, know your employee’s birthdays, whether or not they have children, and acknowledge their length of service on their anniversary.
8 ) Fair-minded. Employees and managers alike respect leaders in an organization who are fair, objective, and “don’t play favorites.” They want sincere recognition for a job well done. Most employees want to be judged on their performance, not on whether or not they’ve got friends in high places.
9 ) Flexible with change. An effective leader is open to change, new ideas and taking risks. A leader who is a good role model doesn’t take a “my way or the highway” approach. They’re confident enough in themselves that they can give explanations for WHY a change is being made. Employees always want to know why. Managers and leaders who are secure within themselves don’t need to say, “Because I’m your supervisor and I said so.”
10 ) Leadership starts with service. Effective leadership involves rolling up your sleeves and helping others. The term “servant leadership” was coined in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf, former AT&T executive and founder of The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership. He wrote, “It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.”
“A good example is the best sermon.” Anon.
Copyright (c) 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen
Leadership 101, by Colleen Kettenhofen
“If…you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.” Catherine Aird
Do people willingly want to follow you? The real test of leadership is influence. Would your subordinates describe you as an effective manager, supervisor or team leader? Be honest with yourself. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you want to work for YOU?! If your employees’ pay, perks and benefits were not dependent on doing what you ask, would they still want to follow you? If the answer is yes, you are truly a role model of leadership.
In conducting leadership training around the world for over a decade, here are the key traits I hear over and over that employees want to see in their leaders. And most of these employees are managers themselves.These traits will sound familiar to you. Yet, we need to be reminded of them. Many managers confide to me that they’re so overloaded they forget about practicing many of these qualities on a regular basis.
1 ) Supportive/Good listener: It’s been said the average person listens to what you have to say only 25% of the time. Yes, that’s right. Much of the time we’re caught up in our own “stuff” and we’re not always listening. Listen. Think before you speak. Some people just need to be allowed to vent. Vent within reason of course. Then, they’ll be more likely to listen to you.
2 ) Open-minded. It’s hard to listen without an open mind. At least acknowledge what your employees have to say. It doesn’t mean you necessarily have to agree. In order to gain respect and get your team members to follow you, sometimes you first have to show respect.
3 ) Honest. Do you possess personal integrity? Your team members will look to see if you do what you say you are going to do. This sounds like common-sense and it is. Yet, many in a leadership position forget this important trait. The minute you can’t deliver on your promises you lose all credibility. It will be the one thing your employees will always remember. As the saying goes, “They remember your last act.” Under promise and over deliver. Always do what you say you are going to do.
True Leadership = Inspiration:
4 ) Inspiring. True leadership = inspiration. Real leaders have a passion for what they do. They are able to transfer that enthusiasm to their employees. People want to follow someone they respect and admire. In my leadership training, a lot of managers tell me they also want a leader “who is balanced in their personal as well as professional life.” They see a balanced leader as someone who walks their talk. Employees want to follow someone who has what they want.
5 ) Intelligent. I frequently hear the comment, “In our organization, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.” Or, “My manager really has no idea what I do for a living. What my job entails, the challenges and the time constraints.” Please educate yourself on each of your team member’s responsibilities. It’s the only way you can speak intelligently to them and gain respect.
6 ) Future-oriented. Upper management should put their organization’s five year, three year, and one year plan in writing and pass it out to every employee. A lot of employees don’t know their organization’s overall goals and objectives. An integral part of leadership is having vision, and being able to convey that vision in a way that excites and inspires team members. A great way to motivate most of your employees is to show each and every one where they fit in with the organization’s big picture. Most of them want to know their purpose and how they make a difference.
Effective Leadership = Effective Social Skills:
7 ) Excellent communicator. Many people are promoted to leadership positions based on their “hard skills” or technical skills. Yet, most managers describe true leadership as demonstrating good interpersonal skills. Excellent leaders and managers aren’t just good communicators in terms of what’s expected on the job. They also make it a priority to take a sincere interest in their employees. Little things go a long way. For example, know your employee’s birthdays, whether or not they have children, and acknowledge their length of service on their anniversary.
8 ) Fair-minded. Employees and managers alike respect leaders in an organization who are fair, objective, and “don’t play favorites.” They want sincere recognition for a job well done. Most employees want to be judged on their performance, not on whether or not they’ve got friends in high places.
9 ) Flexible with change. An effective leader is open to change, new ideas and taking risks. A leader who is a good role model doesn’t take a “my way or the highway” approach. They’re confident enough in themselves that they can give explanations for WHY a change is being made. Employees always want to know why. Managers and leaders who are secure within themselves don’t need to say, “Because I’m your supervisor and I said so.”
10 ) Leadership starts with service. Effective leadership involves rolling up your sleeves and helping others. The term “servant leadership” was coined in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf, former AT&T executive and founder of The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership. He wrote, “It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.”
“A good example is the best sermon.” Anon.
Copyright (c) 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership
From TIME Magazine. Eight great leadership lessons from former political prisoner and South African President Nelson Mandela.
- Courage is not the absence of fear — it's inspiring others to move beyond it
- Lead from the front — but don't leave your base behind
- Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front
- Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport
- Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer
- Appearances matter — and remember to smile
- Nothing is black or white
- Quitting is leading too
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Optimism, Vision, and Leadership! Oh My!
I know for a fact several members of the school board and the borough council are repeat readers and contributors to this blog, some openly, and some anonymously.
Here is a comment that was entered last evening that deserves its own posting. No one expects our elected leaders to be perfect. We just expect them to do what's right.
Some town in Virginia is going to be mighty lucky very soon. And the loss is all Morrisville's.
George Bolos has left a new comment on your post ""Pretend this meeting never happened"":
Peter,
I voted for you last year and I would support you for school board again! As you said a few days ago, we may not have always agreed with one another (although, I have come to better understand, appreciate and agree with most of your positions on the school)but we were able to communicate constructively and without animosity or hard feelings for one another's position. We both found that we did not have to rip each other's throats if we disagreed with each other's ideas. We talked, listened, evaluated and then decided if it made sense. As a community, all our leaders seem to know how to do is "slash and burn", crush each other and take no prisoners in the name of control and power. It's not working.
The responsibility for the governing and building of our community's future by both the school board and borough council has descended to what I consider to be an all-time low. Whatever happened to people with optimism, vision and most of all, leadership skills. Currently, we have very few leaders and mostly retreads from the past. It didn't work with them at the leadership helm then and it certainly is not working now. We do have a small nucleus of elected leaders to build from who are willing to work together, but overall I give most members on both boards a vote of no confidence. I am extremely upset to see what is happening to our borough schools and the lack of business development in our community. As long as we have people who bully, who proclaim to know what is in the best interest of our community, detracting from smart, steady growth, our community will be deprived of a business base and void of well-paying jobs. We will continue to lag behind the rest of the region, sooner or later falling into decay and becoming one large blighted borough; never to recover.
The problem is and has always been simple-It's not the teachers, the administrators, the students, our borough employees or the borough manager. It's the elected officials who were voted to represent the borough and the leadership left in charge to make these things happen! It's our lack of any semblance of a local economy or people with enough horse sense to make it happen. Borough Council has had the ultimate responsibility of generating the opportunities to bring in business and have failed miserably at this task, period! They have scared away most viable opportunities and are too stubborn to accept this responsibility. Without the needed tax base achieved by supporting our current business owners and developing a more vibrant, robust business community, both the borough and its school district will soon not exist.
The residents of Morrisville should evaluate the people who have been elected in these past elections. There are two options: If you are satisfied with the direction in which the borough is going, then simply keep the same people that currently hold leadership roles in place. If you have decided that you have had enough and want to start with some fresh faces and ideas, ones that better represent your vision, then find residents who will better represent your wishes and organize now!
Good luck and Godspeed!
-George
Here is a comment that was entered last evening that deserves its own posting. No one expects our elected leaders to be perfect. We just expect them to do what's right.
Some town in Virginia is going to be mighty lucky very soon. And the loss is all Morrisville's.
George Bolos has left a new comment on your post ""Pretend this meeting never happened"":
Peter,
I voted for you last year and I would support you for school board again! As you said a few days ago, we may not have always agreed with one another (although, I have come to better understand, appreciate and agree with most of your positions on the school)but we were able to communicate constructively and without animosity or hard feelings for one another's position. We both found that we did not have to rip each other's throats if we disagreed with each other's ideas. We talked, listened, evaluated and then decided if it made sense. As a community, all our leaders seem to know how to do is "slash and burn", crush each other and take no prisoners in the name of control and power. It's not working.
The responsibility for the governing and building of our community's future by both the school board and borough council has descended to what I consider to be an all-time low. Whatever happened to people with optimism, vision and most of all, leadership skills. Currently, we have very few leaders and mostly retreads from the past. It didn't work with them at the leadership helm then and it certainly is not working now. We do have a small nucleus of elected leaders to build from who are willing to work together, but overall I give most members on both boards a vote of no confidence. I am extremely upset to see what is happening to our borough schools and the lack of business development in our community. As long as we have people who bully, who proclaim to know what is in the best interest of our community, detracting from smart, steady growth, our community will be deprived of a business base and void of well-paying jobs. We will continue to lag behind the rest of the region, sooner or later falling into decay and becoming one large blighted borough; never to recover.
The problem is and has always been simple-It's not the teachers, the administrators, the students, our borough employees or the borough manager. It's the elected officials who were voted to represent the borough and the leadership left in charge to make these things happen! It's our lack of any semblance of a local economy or people with enough horse sense to make it happen. Borough Council has had the ultimate responsibility of generating the opportunities to bring in business and have failed miserably at this task, period! They have scared away most viable opportunities and are too stubborn to accept this responsibility. Without the needed tax base achieved by supporting our current business owners and developing a more vibrant, robust business community, both the borough and its school district will soon not exist.
The residents of Morrisville should evaluate the people who have been elected in these past elections. There are two options: If you are satisfied with the direction in which the borough is going, then simply keep the same people that currently hold leadership roles in place. If you have decided that you have had enough and want to start with some fresh faces and ideas, ones that better represent your vision, then find residents who will better represent your wishes and organize now!
Good luck and Godspeed!
-George
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Leadership
Wow! What a district in distress this is. There a "brain drain" as teachers and administrators leave, and a general arrogance toward the staff and community. At least here in Morrisville, the superintendent is on the ball and getting the job done. The school board? Not so much...
On the same day that the board slapped her in the face and shortened her contract, Dr. Yonson presided over a meeting with her staff and told them that "they would all get through this together." There's inspirational leadership for you.
SV school board, superintendent take it on the chin
Written by Chuck Anderson | Press Banner
Thursday, 03 July 2008
It’s going to be a long, hot summer for leaders of Scotts Valley Unified School District.
School board members and Superintendent Susan Silver find themselves facing increasingly harsh criticism from teachers, parents and other area residents over several issues.
Although she wasn’t present, Silver took a verbal beating Monday, June 30, during public comment time before the board started its annual closed-door review of her performance.
Speakers told trustees that Silver is arrogant, has fostered a "climate of fear" among employees and told teachers they were to blame for last month’s failure of Measure Q, the $55 million school bond.
"There is a leadership vacuum centered around your superintendent," said resident Gene Scothorn. "She demonstrates arrogance toward your employees and the community."
"What good has she brought us?" asked parent Wendy Brannan. "There aren’t good relations with parents or the teachers."
"I have serious concern with Superintendent Silver’s leadership or lack of it in rushing the bond issue," noted Martha Montelongo, executive director of Santa Cruz-based Californians for Clean Government.
"She didn’t even pretend to hear the concerns of the community. I hope you hold back on any raises or an extension of her contract. The teachers ought to come first — they are the ones doing the job."
Resident Linda Santos told the board that because of Silver, "teachers were fearful to speak out against Measure Q" and then "she told the teachers it was their fault the bond didn’t pass."
The blunt assessments came after word leaked out that Silver’s second-in-command has left, the latest in an unusually high turnover of district teachers and administrators.
A district brain drain
Teacher Ann Codd, president of Scotts Valley Education Association, said Tuesday that 10 percent to 12 percent of teachers and administrators have left the district in the past year, a higher percentage than usual in the district. (See Commentary, Page 6.)
The association voted "no confidence" in the superintendent last year during long, bitter contract negotiations. Codd had sounded conciliatory last fall when she told the board it was time for a "new beginning," but things have changed.
"Teachers feel demeaned, discouraged, fearful of retribution should they speak up and overall they feel as though they are not treated in the professional manner which their position and credentials deserve," Codd said.
Silver acknowledged Tuesday that Mary Navarro, assistant superintendent for instructional services for just a year, no longer works for the district. Trustees had a closed-door meeting May 29 with an agenda item labeled "public employee discipline/dismissal/release," but it isn’t known whether the subject was Navarro.
Silver said she wasn’t free to say whether Navarro resigned or was dismissed because it was a confidential personnel matter, but that she wasn’t aware of Navarro taking a new position elsewhere.
Navarro, who had been director of a charter home-school program in Antelope, near Sacramento, was hired to replace Susan Walker, whom Silver had inherited when she was appointed in 2005. Silver and Walker reportedly didn’t see eye to eye on matters, leading to her departure.
In May, Liann Reyes, the district’s director of business services, left to become chief business official of San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District.
A serious split
The Measure Q failure appears to have exposed a serious split between the district leadership and much of the community.
The school bond had been heavily favored by Silver and the majority of trustees, even though numerous residents had warned the board at several meetings about the size and timing of the measure.
The board voted 4-1 on Feb. 26 to put it on the June ballot, with Jondi Gumz dissenting. She favored a November vote that would have given the community more time to learn about the proposal.
Resulting voter rejection of the measure was widespread. Final accounting shows that of the district’s 15 precincts, voters in only four cast enough "yes" votes to have provided the 55 percent majority needed for passage. In four others, there were more "no" votes than "yes."`
Overall, the measure lost with 3,020 "yes" votes to 2,617 "no" — a 53.57 percent margin.
Silver attributed the community dissension to "a handful of folks."
"There can be a faction that’s very loud and others out doing the work, and that gives a skewed view of what’s going on," she said. "It’s my wish that we would stay focused on the children and the progress being made, which gets lost in the politics."
Last year, after Silver’s performance review, the board gave her a "superior" rating and a raise equal to that agreed to with teachers — 1 percent retroactive to July 2006 and 2.46 percent retroactive to February 2007.
Board President Allison Niday said Tuesday’s closed session lasted about three hours and the performance review likely will continue in August.
When asked about the comments before the session, she said:
"I always take into consideration public input, but oftentimes the board has additional experience and understanding of how the district works that is just as important."
A board decision on any extension of Silver’s contract, which goes until 2010, or raise in her $135,867 annual salary will be discussed in public, Niday said.
On the same day that the board slapped her in the face and shortened her contract, Dr. Yonson presided over a meeting with her staff and told them that "they would all get through this together." There's inspirational leadership for you.
SV school board, superintendent take it on the chin
Written by Chuck Anderson | Press Banner
Thursday, 03 July 2008
It’s going to be a long, hot summer for leaders of Scotts Valley Unified School District.
School board members and Superintendent Susan Silver find themselves facing increasingly harsh criticism from teachers, parents and other area residents over several issues.
Although she wasn’t present, Silver took a verbal beating Monday, June 30, during public comment time before the board started its annual closed-door review of her performance.
Speakers told trustees that Silver is arrogant, has fostered a "climate of fear" among employees and told teachers they were to blame for last month’s failure of Measure Q, the $55 million school bond.
"There is a leadership vacuum centered around your superintendent," said resident Gene Scothorn. "She demonstrates arrogance toward your employees and the community."
"What good has she brought us?" asked parent Wendy Brannan. "There aren’t good relations with parents or the teachers."
"I have serious concern with Superintendent Silver’s leadership or lack of it in rushing the bond issue," noted Martha Montelongo, executive director of Santa Cruz-based Californians for Clean Government.
"She didn’t even pretend to hear the concerns of the community. I hope you hold back on any raises or an extension of her contract. The teachers ought to come first — they are the ones doing the job."
Resident Linda Santos told the board that because of Silver, "teachers were fearful to speak out against Measure Q" and then "she told the teachers it was their fault the bond didn’t pass."
The blunt assessments came after word leaked out that Silver’s second-in-command has left, the latest in an unusually high turnover of district teachers and administrators.
A district brain drain
Teacher Ann Codd, president of Scotts Valley Education Association, said Tuesday that 10 percent to 12 percent of teachers and administrators have left the district in the past year, a higher percentage than usual in the district. (See Commentary, Page 6.)
The association voted "no confidence" in the superintendent last year during long, bitter contract negotiations. Codd had sounded conciliatory last fall when she told the board it was time for a "new beginning," but things have changed.
"Teachers feel demeaned, discouraged, fearful of retribution should they speak up and overall they feel as though they are not treated in the professional manner which their position and credentials deserve," Codd said.
Silver acknowledged Tuesday that Mary Navarro, assistant superintendent for instructional services for just a year, no longer works for the district. Trustees had a closed-door meeting May 29 with an agenda item labeled "public employee discipline/dismissal/release," but it isn’t known whether the subject was Navarro.
Silver said she wasn’t free to say whether Navarro resigned or was dismissed because it was a confidential personnel matter, but that she wasn’t aware of Navarro taking a new position elsewhere.
Navarro, who had been director of a charter home-school program in Antelope, near Sacramento, was hired to replace Susan Walker, whom Silver had inherited when she was appointed in 2005. Silver and Walker reportedly didn’t see eye to eye on matters, leading to her departure.
In May, Liann Reyes, the district’s director of business services, left to become chief business official of San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District.
A serious split
The Measure Q failure appears to have exposed a serious split between the district leadership and much of the community.
The school bond had been heavily favored by Silver and the majority of trustees, even though numerous residents had warned the board at several meetings about the size and timing of the measure.
The board voted 4-1 on Feb. 26 to put it on the June ballot, with Jondi Gumz dissenting. She favored a November vote that would have given the community more time to learn about the proposal.
Resulting voter rejection of the measure was widespread. Final accounting shows that of the district’s 15 precincts, voters in only four cast enough "yes" votes to have provided the 55 percent majority needed for passage. In four others, there were more "no" votes than "yes."`
Overall, the measure lost with 3,020 "yes" votes to 2,617 "no" — a 53.57 percent margin.
Silver attributed the community dissension to "a handful of folks."
"There can be a faction that’s very loud and others out doing the work, and that gives a skewed view of what’s going on," she said. "It’s my wish that we would stay focused on the children and the progress being made, which gets lost in the politics."
Last year, after Silver’s performance review, the board gave her a "superior" rating and a raise equal to that agreed to with teachers — 1 percent retroactive to July 2006 and 2.46 percent retroactive to February 2007.
Board President Allison Niday said Tuesday’s closed session lasted about three hours and the performance review likely will continue in August.
When asked about the comments before the session, she said:
"I always take into consideration public input, but oftentimes the board has additional experience and understanding of how the district works that is just as important."
A board decision on any extension of Silver’s contract, which goes until 2010, or raise in her $135,867 annual salary will be discussed in public, Niday said.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Leadership and Independence Day
Browsing through the holiday weekend editorial cartoons, I came across this one from Scott Stantis from the Birmingham (Alabama) News.
It speaks more to the state of leadership in our national government, but that empty dais looks suspiciously like the LGI during a board meeting.
It speaks more to the state of leadership in our national government, but that empty dais looks suspiciously like the LGI during a board meeting.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Leadership Resources
Joe Kemp mentioned in a recent posting that he's not always the most eloquent public speaker and that sometimes while sitting up there his head asplodes with thoughts and comments. That's OK. If you're doing the right thing, res ipsa loquitur. Keep up the good work, Joe. Leadership is easily recognized both in its presence and its, um..., clear and obvious absence.
Some new lessons on leadership.
Boards of Education: The Need for Effective Leadership. Kudos to Salt Lake City board chair John Crawford.
Working Together: The Collaborative Style of Bargaining. Sending in the storm troopers not recommended. Use The Force, Luke...let it flow through you.
Some new lessons on leadership.
Boards of Education: The Need for Effective Leadership. Kudos to Salt Lake City board chair John Crawford.
Working Together: The Collaborative Style of Bargaining. Sending in the storm troopers not recommended. Use The Force, Luke...let it flow through you.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Fortune Telling in Morrisville
The Morrisville School District is performing the same dance I've seen in business quite often, and even participated in a few times. The organization is making the transformation from a vibrant and viable entity to something we talk about from the dim mists of the "good old days."
Sometimes the death throes come in a blaze of glory, as we learned recently with Bear Stearns. The comet blazes mightily and flames out leaving everyone stunned and confused. No, MSD is not going to go out with a bang, but with the metaphorical whimper.
The board of directors (our intrepid Stop the School board, also known as the Emperor and his Accomplices) is providing uncertain and confusing direction for the future. Remember the Frankenfield question: "What is your plan?" In every single job interview and at least once a year in my annual reviews, the question is asked: "What is your plan? Where do you see yourself in five years?" Everyone works toward a goal. That goal has to be defined by the vision makers at the top.
Since the vision is undefined, we have to read between the lines, and the lines speak of destruction: Don't hire teachers or staff. Lower the taxes, no matter the cost. Close the schools. Tuition out the students. Treat the administration like untrustworthy lackeys. That attitude filters through the organization and sets off the alarm bells of self-preservation in everyone. When they start asking the "five years" question of themselves, they are faced with what the district is expected to look like in 2013. "It's the end of the world as we know it" is not an unexpected conclusion.
These people have families, homes, cars, and visions and plans of their own for their lives. They all depend on an expectation of continued employment to make these dreams come true.
So now, those who are able or willing will be making the circuit on Monster.com and sending out their resumes. We're going to see a drain of some of the best and the brightest from MSD leaving for other greener pastures.
That happens all the time, but the reverse side of the exodus is that replacements come in. Here's where the dynamics fall apart. The future of MSD is cloudy and murky, and even the medium on Pennsylvania Avenue can see that. I think Helen Keller would have had a 90% chance in seeing it.
Imagine an applicant coming into a board meeting to see what the district is like. I would expect that a cartoonish outline of the person would be left in the wall as they made the hastiest exit known to man since Bugs Bunny.
The first interview question would be, "Do you want to work for the Emperor and his Board of Accomplices?" How many of us would answer yes? Tends to cut down the interviewing time, doesn't it?
Let's fast forward a year from now. Who replaced any of the departed people? Were their positions left vacant and the "do more with less" slack taken up by the survivors? How many of these survivors saw the handwriting on the wall and lit out for greener pastures of their own? No disrespect meant to any future district hires, but what of the caliber of the people who came in? We're not paying the best wages and overall job security is pretty minimal.
It was easy to attract applicants to the RMS Titanic when it was the indestructible behemoth. When you hire on a crew to staff a doomed ship, the applicant flow diminishes slightly.
Can this still be reversed? Possibly. Without more parents and concerned taxpayers showing up to challenge the self-destructive behavior of this board, this is the future. The PDE or the state appointed undertakers will just sift through the wreckage. Let's remember that our kids are in that wreckage.
Sometimes the death throes come in a blaze of glory, as we learned recently with Bear Stearns. The comet blazes mightily and flames out leaving everyone stunned and confused. No, MSD is not going to go out with a bang, but with the metaphorical whimper.
The board of directors (our intrepid Stop the School board, also known as the Emperor and his Accomplices) is providing uncertain and confusing direction for the future. Remember the Frankenfield question: "What is your plan?" In every single job interview and at least once a year in my annual reviews, the question is asked: "What is your plan? Where do you see yourself in five years?" Everyone works toward a goal. That goal has to be defined by the vision makers at the top.
Since the vision is undefined, we have to read between the lines, and the lines speak of destruction: Don't hire teachers or staff. Lower the taxes, no matter the cost. Close the schools. Tuition out the students. Treat the administration like untrustworthy lackeys. That attitude filters through the organization and sets off the alarm bells of self-preservation in everyone. When they start asking the "five years" question of themselves, they are faced with what the district is expected to look like in 2013. "It's the end of the world as we know it" is not an unexpected conclusion.
These people have families, homes, cars, and visions and plans of their own for their lives. They all depend on an expectation of continued employment to make these dreams come true.
So now, those who are able or willing will be making the circuit on Monster.com and sending out their resumes. We're going to see a drain of some of the best and the brightest from MSD leaving for other greener pastures.
That happens all the time, but the reverse side of the exodus is that replacements come in. Here's where the dynamics fall apart. The future of MSD is cloudy and murky, and even the medium on Pennsylvania Avenue can see that. I think Helen Keller would have had a 90% chance in seeing it.
Imagine an applicant coming into a board meeting to see what the district is like. I would expect that a cartoonish outline of the person would be left in the wall as they made the hastiest exit known to man since Bugs Bunny.
The first interview question would be, "Do you want to work for the Emperor and his Board of Accomplices?" How many of us would answer yes? Tends to cut down the interviewing time, doesn't it?
Let's fast forward a year from now. Who replaced any of the departed people? Were their positions left vacant and the "do more with less" slack taken up by the survivors? How many of these survivors saw the handwriting on the wall and lit out for greener pastures of their own? No disrespect meant to any future district hires, but what of the caliber of the people who came in? We're not paying the best wages and overall job security is pretty minimal.
It was easy to attract applicants to the RMS Titanic when it was the indestructible behemoth. When you hire on a crew to staff a doomed ship, the applicant flow diminishes slightly.
Can this still be reversed? Possibly. Without more parents and concerned taxpayers showing up to challenge the self-destructive behavior of this board, this is the future. The PDE or the state appointed undertakers will just sift through the wreckage. Let's remember that our kids are in that wreckage.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Leadership Lessons
It only takes one. One person's leadership can make a difference.
This commentary appeared in the Sunday BCCT and brought back a lot of memories about those days in June when we started to ask the question, "Which Kennedy assassination?" and stood at the side of the train tracks to say goodbye to another political leader taken too soon.
The issue here is not if you agree or disagree with playing baseball on the Sunday following RFK's assassination, but the instructive example of one man who had a vision. The vision became a collaboration and then a reality.
You can protest all you want. "I'm just a...", and fill in the blank with ditch digger, french-fry cook, office worker, refuse-collection artist, or stay at home parent. That doesn't change the fact that you can exert leadership in your own little corner of the world in your own way. Position alone does not define leadership. Leadership is the measure of the person in the position.
You just need to be ready to step up to the challenge.
During tragedy, playing games took precedence
Jerry Jonas’ column appears in the Life Section every Sunday.
It’s often been said that games like baseball and football are basically children’s games played by grown men. Sometimes these grown men take their games far too seriously. A classic example of this occurred 40 years ago this weekend following the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy.
Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, June 5, 1968, after celebrating his victory in California’s Democratic presidential primary at Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel, Kennedy was shot by a 24-year-old gunman. He succumbed to his wounds early the next morning.
Saturday morning, Betty and I and our then-young children, watched the live telecast of Kennedy’s Funeral Mass from New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral. At its conclusion, we headed to the Levittown railroad station to stand alongside the tracks with hundreds of others and watch the senator’s funeral train pass on its sad journey from New York to Washington, D.C.
That afternoon, after listening to President Lyndon Johnson declare that the next day, Sunday, June 9, would be a national day of mourning, it suddenly occurred to me that the Phillies were in Los Angeles, the city where RFK had been killed, and, despite the president’s request, they would be playing a ballgame with the Dodgers.
Two months earlier, after Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered, all Major League Baseball clubs had been asked to postpone their games on the day of his funeral. At that time the Phillies were in Los Angeles to play the Dodgers — the only major league team unwilling to postpone their game. To their credit, and despite facing a fine and forfeiture, the Phillies refused to play.
Following King’s death, there had been rioting, looting, even killing in many major league cities, and there was good reason to fear what might happen had the games been played.
By contrast, at the time of RFK’s death, there was no fear of violence, and with the exception of two postponed games on Saturday in New York and Washington (where the funeral Mass and burial took place) all the games were ordered played. In opposition, the Major League Players Association urged the leagues to declare a day of mourning either Saturday or Sunday, but neither baseball’s commissioner William Eckert, nor the leagues’ presidents Joe Cronin (AL) and Warren Giles (NL) would do so.
Eckert released a condescending statement saying that baseball was paying tribute to Sen. Kennedy with no Saturday games to begin before the completion of the funeral, and that appropriate tribute be would be paid by all clubs at the Sunday games.
Not unexpectedly, many players were outraged and a few rebelled. Despite warnings from management, on Saturday all 25 Houston Astros players voted not to take the field against Pittsburgh, and the New York Mets, backed by their board chairman, refused to play the Giants in San Francisco. Since the Giants had sold 40,000 seats in advance, their owner said that he wanted indemnification from the Mets and insisted that they forfeit the game.
In Los Angeles, the Dodgers once again insisted on playing. This time the Phillies did not protest, and both teams announced that they would wear black armbands in respect for the late senator.
At the time, I was regional advertising and promotions manager for Ballantine Beer, then a major TV and radio sponsor for the Phillies. The thoughts of a ball game being played and telecast on a day of mourning depressed me. The thought of our happy-go-lucky beer commercials being broadcast that day disgusted me.
While I couldn’t stop the game, I could do something about the commercials. I would simply cancel them. I informed the TV and radio stations that we were removing our spots from the game and that one of the announcers should read the following statement: “Out of respect for the memory of the late Senator Robert Kennedy, and in keeping with the president’s request that today be a national day of mourning, Ballantine will not be televising any of its commercial messages during the game.” It was a subtle protest of baseball’s decision to play the game.
The station executives were now in a quandary. At first they insisted that it was too late to cancel the spots. Their argument was that there were two others sponsors, and that if we pulled our spots and they didn’t pull theirs, it would make them look bad. And since it was already Saturday afternoon, they weren’t sure that they could reach them. The station personnel also insisted that the three Phillies announcers would have difficulty filling-in the extra time.
A phone call to the announcers Byrum Saam, Bill Campbell, and Rich Ashburn (who ironically were staying at the Ambassador Hotel where Kennedy had been gunned down) assured me that they would manage to ad lib during the extra minutes.
Re-contacting the stations, I insisted that the advertising be canceled. Within 30 minutes another major sponsor agreed to follow our lead and cancel their commercials. Now it was up to the third major sponsor. Although they took some time to reach a decision, faced with being the only major sponsor to run their spots, they also agreed to cancel.
The next day the game went on complete with black arm bands. Our original message became a joint message from the three sponsors informing TV viewers and radio listeners that there would be no commercial advertising during the broadcast.
Although it didn’t completely make up for the lack of respect shown by Major League Baseball that weekend, the protests of many individual players and the cancellation of our commercials did add a small measure of dignity to an otherwise tasteless episode.
This commentary appeared in the Sunday BCCT and brought back a lot of memories about those days in June when we started to ask the question, "Which Kennedy assassination?" and stood at the side of the train tracks to say goodbye to another political leader taken too soon.
The issue here is not if you agree or disagree with playing baseball on the Sunday following RFK's assassination, but the instructive example of one man who had a vision. The vision became a collaboration and then a reality.
You can protest all you want. "I'm just a...", and fill in the blank with ditch digger, french-fry cook, office worker, refuse-collection artist, or stay at home parent. That doesn't change the fact that you can exert leadership in your own little corner of the world in your own way. Position alone does not define leadership. Leadership is the measure of the person in the position.
You just need to be ready to step up to the challenge.
During tragedy, playing games took precedence
Jerry Jonas’ column appears in the Life Section every Sunday.
It’s often been said that games like baseball and football are basically children’s games played by grown men. Sometimes these grown men take their games far too seriously. A classic example of this occurred 40 years ago this weekend following the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy.
Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, June 5, 1968, after celebrating his victory in California’s Democratic presidential primary at Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel, Kennedy was shot by a 24-year-old gunman. He succumbed to his wounds early the next morning.
Saturday morning, Betty and I and our then-young children, watched the live telecast of Kennedy’s Funeral Mass from New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral. At its conclusion, we headed to the Levittown railroad station to stand alongside the tracks with hundreds of others and watch the senator’s funeral train pass on its sad journey from New York to Washington, D.C.
That afternoon, after listening to President Lyndon Johnson declare that the next day, Sunday, June 9, would be a national day of mourning, it suddenly occurred to me that the Phillies were in Los Angeles, the city where RFK had been killed, and, despite the president’s request, they would be playing a ballgame with the Dodgers.
Two months earlier, after Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered, all Major League Baseball clubs had been asked to postpone their games on the day of his funeral. At that time the Phillies were in Los Angeles to play the Dodgers — the only major league team unwilling to postpone their game. To their credit, and despite facing a fine and forfeiture, the Phillies refused to play.
Following King’s death, there had been rioting, looting, even killing in many major league cities, and there was good reason to fear what might happen had the games been played.
By contrast, at the time of RFK’s death, there was no fear of violence, and with the exception of two postponed games on Saturday in New York and Washington (where the funeral Mass and burial took place) all the games were ordered played. In opposition, the Major League Players Association urged the leagues to declare a day of mourning either Saturday or Sunday, but neither baseball’s commissioner William Eckert, nor the leagues’ presidents Joe Cronin (AL) and Warren Giles (NL) would do so.
Eckert released a condescending statement saying that baseball was paying tribute to Sen. Kennedy with no Saturday games to begin before the completion of the funeral, and that appropriate tribute be would be paid by all clubs at the Sunday games.
Not unexpectedly, many players were outraged and a few rebelled. Despite warnings from management, on Saturday all 25 Houston Astros players voted not to take the field against Pittsburgh, and the New York Mets, backed by their board chairman, refused to play the Giants in San Francisco. Since the Giants had sold 40,000 seats in advance, their owner said that he wanted indemnification from the Mets and insisted that they forfeit the game.
In Los Angeles, the Dodgers once again insisted on playing. This time the Phillies did not protest, and both teams announced that they would wear black armbands in respect for the late senator.
At the time, I was regional advertising and promotions manager for Ballantine Beer, then a major TV and radio sponsor for the Phillies. The thoughts of a ball game being played and telecast on a day of mourning depressed me. The thought of our happy-go-lucky beer commercials being broadcast that day disgusted me.
While I couldn’t stop the game, I could do something about the commercials. I would simply cancel them. I informed the TV and radio stations that we were removing our spots from the game and that one of the announcers should read the following statement: “Out of respect for the memory of the late Senator Robert Kennedy, and in keeping with the president’s request that today be a national day of mourning, Ballantine will not be televising any of its commercial messages during the game.” It was a subtle protest of baseball’s decision to play the game.
The station executives were now in a quandary. At first they insisted that it was too late to cancel the spots. Their argument was that there were two others sponsors, and that if we pulled our spots and they didn’t pull theirs, it would make them look bad. And since it was already Saturday afternoon, they weren’t sure that they could reach them. The station personnel also insisted that the three Phillies announcers would have difficulty filling-in the extra time.
A phone call to the announcers Byrum Saam, Bill Campbell, and Rich Ashburn (who ironically were staying at the Ambassador Hotel where Kennedy had been gunned down) assured me that they would manage to ad lib during the extra minutes.
Re-contacting the stations, I insisted that the advertising be canceled. Within 30 minutes another major sponsor agreed to follow our lead and cancel their commercials. Now it was up to the third major sponsor. Although they took some time to reach a decision, faced with being the only major sponsor to run their spots, they also agreed to cancel.
The next day the game went on complete with black arm bands. Our original message became a joint message from the three sponsors informing TV viewers and radio listeners that there would be no commercial advertising during the broadcast.
Although it didn’t completely make up for the lack of respect shown by Major League Baseball that weekend, the protests of many individual players and the cancellation of our commercials did add a small measure of dignity to an otherwise tasteless episode.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
In Memoriam: Ed Frankenfield
I received this email a short time ago with some very sad news.
Ed died this morning. I don't know much more than that it was a relief to his family as he was in a lot of pain. Pat spoke with Dr. Yonson this morning and sent her thanks to everyone who shared their support. I'll think of a proper eulogy when I can think again.
The floor is open for any comments. We've lost a real leader.
Damn...
From the district website:
SAD NEWS
It is with a very heavy heart that we must inform you that Mr. Edward Frankenfield, member of the Morrisville School Board passed away this morning (5/28/08). Ed was a great friend of education and to our school district in particular. He served our district well in the four years on the school board, from raising money for band uniforms to reading to our children at Reiter Elementary to making sure the children and staff had the resources they needed. Ed was always there. The District's condolences are extended to Ed's family.
Ed died this morning. I don't know much more than that it was a relief to his family as he was in a lot of pain. Pat spoke with Dr. Yonson this morning and sent her thanks to everyone who shared their support. I'll think of a proper eulogy when I can think again.
The floor is open for any comments. We've lost a real leader.
Damn...
From the district website:
SAD NEWS
It is with a very heavy heart that we must inform you that Mr. Edward Frankenfield, member of the Morrisville School Board passed away this morning (5/28/08). Ed was a great friend of education and to our school district in particular. He served our district well in the four years on the school board, from raising money for band uniforms to reading to our children at Reiter Elementary to making sure the children and staff had the resources they needed. Ed was always there. The District's condolences are extended to Ed's family.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Leadership
This is nice. I'll usually get one unsolicited email on a particular topic of interest to the reader. Two unsolicited emails on the same subject are a rare occurrence. Today, I got three. I think that says more about the person than we can really put into words. Here's real leadership in action.
Get well soon, Ed.
Get well soon, Ed.
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