LETTERS

Partisan politics taint races for School Committee

Posted 11/3/16

To the Editor:

Someone once said, “When you mix religion and politics, you get politics.”

As a candidate for School Committee, I think we may need to revise that quote this election year to …

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LETTERS

Partisan politics taint races for School Committee

Posted

To the Editor:

Someone once said, “When you mix religion and politics, you get politics.”

As a candidate for School Committee, I think we may need to revise that quote this election year to say, “When you mix public schools and politics, you get politics.” In other words, politics and public schools do not mix.

The Warwick School Committee has been non-partisan for more than 50 years - and for very good reason. Yet, behaviors of some of our candidates for School Committee have left me very unsettled, as they should you.

On their social media pages, some candidates post that they’re canvassing with “Councilperson ‘X’’ or “State Representative ‘Y’’ or “Candidate for office ‘A.’’ Others post that they’re looking forward to attending various political fundraisers. Some express pride in accepting endorsements from sitting City Councilors who have led the effort to do away with the very elected School Committee office that the candidate is pursuing! Further, you’ll find other school Committee candidate’s political signs displayed at various campaign headquarters of Democrats and Republicans alike who are seeking elected office. Still others advertise that their fundraisers are being hosted by current sitting Congressmen, and State representatives and Senators. How this shows a respect for non-partisanship is beyond me.

I honestly don’t believe that one can respect the non-partisanship of a School Committee seat and engage in this blatantly partisan behavior. This School Committee election is one of the most critical we have had in a very long time and, while some may call me naïve, this alliance between non-partisan School Committee candidates and partisan candidates for other offices just has no place in a non-partisan School Committee race.

I’ll contrast all of the above to my own campaign for Warwick School Committee. I have very consciously and deliberately conducted my campaign to specifically avoid being cast as using political connections or influence to pursue a non-partisan seat. In fact, I have turned down gracious offers from elected officials precisely because of my belief in the non-partisanship of the seat.

On election night, I will be home with my family and some close friends following the day’s returns, not at someone’s campaign headquarters partaking in the festivities because, again, politics and public schools do not mix.

That said, I believe that we need to know just who it is that we’re voting for in this School Committee election and with whom those candidates are aligning themselves to get elected because it’s important. Elections matter and sometimes elections have consequences.

I invite you to visit my website, www.davidtesta.

com, follow me on Facebook, @DavidTestaforWarwickSchoolCommittee and Twitter, @DavidTesta4WSC – there you will find some of my priorities for our schools, my years of experience, testimony from fellow Warwick residents and more. You will not find any endorsements of me from any political candidates, or by me for any political candidates, their fundraisers, or anything else politically related. What you will find is information on substantive issues affecting our schools, thoughts and ideas on education, and even a few photos of my family and friends supporting my bid for office. Then I invite you to compare this to what the other candidates share on their social media pages and what they submit to the local media. My campaign has adopted the slogan ‘At the end of the day, someone’s schools have to be the best, why not ours?’ These are not merely just words to me– it’s my core belief. Together we can get this done.

Thank you for your consideration.

David Testa

A Warwick resident, parent of two in Warwick schools, Mr. Testa is an at-large candidate for School Committee.

Comments

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  • Flo5582

    Mr.Testa,

    I speak for many Warwick residents when I say, thank you, for running what is clearly a non-partisan campaign. You very obviously have only the best interest of our cities' children in my mind. This is much unlike your fellow candidates. In your article, you truly captured what I have thought of this race for school committee from the beginning. I have continuously been disheartened to see your fellow candidates flaunting their political friendships and clear alliances. I am equally as disheartened to see candidates driving the city with their own very large, and quite honestly, obnoxious political signs, behind their vehicles, or them showing up at community events, clearly only with the purpose of furthering their campaigns, touting their alliances and appearing very self-serving, taking the spotlight off of the community and shining it only on themselves, rather than actually supporting their community. This has been perceived very negatively by many many Warwick residents, regardless of the " great feedback" that these candidates say they receive in their door to door efforts. Mr. Testa, I applaud you in rising above the rest and really focusing on those that matter, our children!

    Friday, November 4, 2016 Report this

  • DannyHall82

    It's sad/pathetic when a volunteer from a campaign or a candidate runs a negative campaign. Statistics and history say when that happens it's typically because the campaign feels they are behind in numbers. This just show that candidates true colors... I'm no professional when it comes to these things but commonsence would say more knocking on doors and going to the local community events equals more votes. Who am I to say what's right or wrong? I'm doing what the Testa campaign has done most of the campaign...Sit behind a keyboard.

    Friday, November 4, 2016 Report this

  • Flo5582

    Correction... what is sad/pathetic is riding on the coat strings of your political "friends" as a means of garnering votes. I'm no expert on this myself, but common sense would say this is because a candidate may be lacking qualifications, knowledge and competency and most importantly, integrity.

    Friday, November 4, 2016 Report this

  • davet1107

    Danny,

    I have no idea who Flo5582 is, none whatsoever. But, I think you missed the point of the letter, which was that in a non-partisan School Committee there shouldn't be partisanship. And campaigning with current or prospective political candidates is, by definition, engaging in partisanship or at the very least, partisan behavior. You can call it negative campaigning if you choose, but that doesn't change the facts.

    Also, I don't sit behind a keyboard; it's my wife that actually does all of the social media, usually in the evenings after we have been campaigning or at the end of our family's day, not me. I have been walking many, many neighborhoods every weekend since August. I am (and have been) in attendance at SC Meetings, the City Council meetings when the schools are on the agenda, the Consolidation meetings that have been going on for years in our district, the Educational Outreach Committee, & the Parent Communication Advisory Committee, so behind a keyboard I am not.

    Additionally, I don’t know if I'm ahead, tied, or behind, but I do know what I said in my letter - that a non-partisan School Committee candidate should not be campaigning with elected officials. If we as a community want that, then let's change the Charter to allow SC candidates to run under the banner of parties. This isn't something that just started happening a week ago, it's been going on since all the campaigns began and appears to have ramped up significantly in the last couple of weeks. As I said in the letter, it's the principle for me, and some may call me naive for feeling that way. So be it. Many years ago, the late Bill Bowling, for whom the library at Francis is dedicated, ran for SC. He was a registered Republican but he disaffiliated before he ran because he respected the non-partisan nature of the seat. That’s a belief in non-partisanship.

    As far as community events go, as you know there are a lot of them at this time of year and because of family obligations, there are times when my family comes first (and I wouldn’t be inclined to take photos of myself at community events anyway.) But, there is also an abundance of public meetings and forums that deal with the pressing issues relative to our schools and I make sure that I attend every one of those make the effort to express my views and support our students and teachers.

    I can assure that I have canvassed a significant amount of the city, neighborhoods in every ward, and talked in depth with so many residents, listening to what’s concerning them and discussing what's going on in our schools - and those are not short conversations. But, I've done it all with the help and support of my wife, kids, nephew, and friends - none of whom hold, or are running for, a political office which, again, is the point of my letter.

    David Testa

    Friday, November 4, 2016 Report this