Dear Listmates:
I am supporting and working on behalf of Sean Garballey in this election. Why? I admire his ability to bring people together. I find him open, honest, and forthright without being the least bit arrogant despite his unusual accomplishments.
As you know, Sean Garballey is a graduate of Arlington High School. As you may not know, he himself received special education services, but none the less not only graduated high school but also is a graduate student in political science.
His record of service and experience in governance is remarkable given his age, and the challenges he has overcome. He was involved in student government. He was the student representative to the School Committee as early as 2001. He was elected to the school committee, where he has been a strong, independent voice for the children and families of Arlington. I fully support and appreciate that Sean did not vote to extend the contract of the current superintendent, and has been proactive in cleaning up the terrible record Arlington has in Special Education [Arlington “failed” both state and federal audits, and our own family suffered badly and left Arlington schools under the prior superintendent].
I really like and admirer Sean’s openness, hard work, service and management style. He has also been a town meeting member, despite the fact that he is largely working his way through college.
His experience in handling numerous complex tasks and keeping many personalities focused and productive during the National Democratic Convention was really impressive to me as well.
I also trust that Sean Garballey would serve long term in the legislature, rather than viewing being a state representative as a stepping stone and resume builder.
Arlington is fortunate to have a candidate raised in Arlington, familiar with both “Old Arlington” and “New Arlington” and able to bring them together like Sean Garballey!
Deborah Sirotkin Butler
1 781- 641-9939
19 Overlook Road
Arlington, MA 02474
Precinct 19, Arlington [in the 23rd Middlesex District]
The Arlington superintendent came in and found a failed federal and state audit on his desk, and corrected a huge mess in just one year.
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p>This 22 year old kid votes to not renew the superintendent who did this work, but supported the principal and teacher who were conducting their affair on company time.
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p>Sounds like a cute but immature kid who is willing to follow directions. Elect this child and you will be the laughing stock of the legislature.
Are you drafting him anyways?
They laugh at this kid. Let’s hope, for his sake, he doesn’t run,
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p>He can get away with it on the school committee. A state rep race – no place to hide.
I have close friends, I have known for 20 years who are backing Sean Garballey, and who totally agree with my view and words. And THEY are teachers. And I am no school mate of Seans but rather a 59 year old attorney who has reason to respect Sean’s work ethic, and commitments on issues I care about.
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p>Your rude, unsupported attacks are neither accurate nor well written. Dissmissive, condescending smears do NOT give you credibility with me!
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p>As I told Sean, though, do have a thick skin. Politics is not for those who cannot deal with baseless attacks, and snide comments.
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p>Your comments are untrue, without basis, and snide.
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p>And I assure you that many, many Arlington voters consider that the superintendent padded his resume – he was NEVER an assistant superintendent in Harvard as he claimed. And as for his choices and what he has done as superintendent, well, it is not the superintendent who is running for office!
My mother is a teacher in the Arlington public schools and has only nice things to say about Sean. Best of luck to him.
Sean dropped off a petition; he has pulled papers and I am one of the folk he asked to help him with signatures. He dropped off the petition and we spoke today as well – he is certainly running!
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p>Sean was originally committed to campaigning on behalf of another candidate who decided not to run, so Sean is running now himself, with a slower start then he would otherwise have had.
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p>I am glad to have an alternative to the other candidate, Jeff Thielman, who I would not be able to vote for based on my opinion of how Jeff conducted himself in certain situations in my town.
Sounds like your faction scraped the bottom of the barrel to come up with a candidate. Ha!
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p>This I gotta see!
I am not part of a “faction” – I live in a town I care about and choose whom I consider to be the best candidate. If that constitutes a “faction” is is a damn good one.
It seems you like Garballey because:
Thielman, meanwhile, voted to keep the superintendent.
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p>Seems the anti-superintendent faction was looking for a candidate to run against Thielman. Too bad you couldn’t recruit a better candidate.
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p>2. I do not have children in the Arlington schools, and whether or not someone wanted to extend the contract of a superintendent I view as under qualified and ineffective is NOT my most major issue. As for that, the superintendent padded his resume [in my opinion] and is not doing a good job [in my opinion].
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p>3. I was delighted Sean is choosing to run because he has been actively involved in governance and service for many years, including vision 2020 – and I respect his intellect, his manner of speaking and working as a team player, and the challenges he has overcome.
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p>4. Looking at the list of everyone who has “pulled papers” as policy wonks put it, Sean is my favorite. I have known him for several years and like him. I knew him long before the current superintendent was hired, and before he was elected to the school board.
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p>5. I have never attended a school committee meeting and doubt I ever will. I do not view myself as a member of a “faction” though from the report of this current school committee [in the Arlington Advocate] the school committee does not seem to be collegial or to function as well as one might like.
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p>6. I support Sean Garballey because we share views on many topics, and over the years have discussed many issues at significant depth. I like what I have seen in terms of his character.
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p>I understand you are trying to undermine the effectness of my endorsement and support given my own role as a volunteer advocate and involved citizen. Trying to tar me as a “factionalist” with regard to the current dysfunctional school board in my town is so far off the mark as to be ludicrous.
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p>2. You jumped all over Thielman because you didn’t like him on the school committee and
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p>3. You say you don’t follow the school committee, but you sure have a thing against the superintendent and
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p>4. I only started to pay attention to Arlington because of the senate race, anyway.
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p>I just think the kid is
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p>5. In way over his head, and
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p>6. I wonder what special interest is telling him what to do.
My beef with Theilman has to do with his judgment as to what he choose to comunnicate, and how.
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p>If he had not decided to play that act as “heroism” months later, I would have let it slide, I think.
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p>What was it – well – and it just happened to be in anonymously pulling passowrd protected e-mails he alone located in gmail and other private accounts, printing them out, distributing them anonymously, and then waiting months to own up that he was the anonymous distributer…in a matter that just happened to be school committee. If it had been town meeting or work related and he had behaved the same way, I would have questioned his boundaries and integrity in the same manner.
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p>As to any other interactions I have had with Jeff Theilman, outside anything having to do with the school committee, well that is between he and I. I do know him. Until he did this anonymous and nasty boundary violation, I thought I liked him albeit he was not someone I felt strongly I would like to have represent my town. Why?
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p>Some candidates resonate positively with me – some do not. It is a matter of personal chemistry.
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p>Also, I find anonymous snitches repellent. And that, Mr. Mauler and insult monger, is that.
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p>I don’t know why you are throwing slurs and slams about “special interests” at someone I have known for years – that you have never met.
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p>If you have ANY basis for your insults, do provide them. Otherwise, go sling your mud at someone who has actually done something to deserve it. You have no credibility with me.
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p>I do find your willingess to insult someone, with no basis repulsive.
Mr. Thielman did not access anyone’s private email accounts. He merely took a public document (a school committee packet) and shared it with the media. I, for one, think elected officials should share public documents with people who request them.
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p>The emails were distasteful. However, the court decision pertaining to the distribution of emails is posted here
The so-called “packet” was distributed anonymously in July. Months went by before the distributor went public about doing this. This was no business packet, these were e-mails purportedly sent from gmail and other private accounts.
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p>The court decision does NOT rule as to the e-mails accessed and printed from private accounts. I am accustomed to reading court decisions.
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p>I said “purportedly” for a reason. I also have experience in my work with dealing with the creation of real looking, but cooked e-mails, and without a forensic evaluation[there ARE experts I use], I don’t personally consider purported e-mails valid to prove anything. So, to me, disseminating purported e-mails that cast a negative light on anyone is something I find to be morally repulsive.
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p>I thought “Trickle Up” did a fair post. I hope that the Mauler is not a buddy of yours, Pablo.
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p>And John Worden [the former moderator for Town Meeting] who took out papers as a Republican will be a formidable opponent, no matter which Democrat gets the nomination. John is well respected in town, a true gentleman, and someone who was elected over and over for decades.
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Could you post a better link, one that actually goes to the full decision by Judge Gershengorn?
I’ve got no horse in this race yet but I don’t understand your random, un-supported attacks against “the kid.”
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p>Why do you think he’s in over his head? Too young? (Perhaps valid, though I’ve known people that age I consider extremely bright.)
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p>More importantly though, you’ve got this stuck in his head that some “special interest is telling him what to do.”
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p>Where does that come from? Do you have something to back that up or is it a random slur you concocted because you don’t like the guy (though from what I read earlier it seems as though you don’t even know him.)
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p>I’ve never met “the kid” and I’m forming my opinion on all the candidates but baseless attacks will only make me dislike whichever candidate you (Burlington Maul) choose to support.
Just wanted to give Amber’s candidate the same kind of welcome she gave to the other guy last week. Seems she can attack someone else’s candidate, but doesn’t want the negatives for the kid exposed on the list.
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p>She hates the other guy for voting for the superintendent, I can hate this guy for voting against.
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p>She hates the other guy for sharing public documents with the media, I can hate this guy for playing to the mob and backing the principal and teacher who were screwing around on company time and forging the superintendent’s emails.
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p>If she wants to go negative, she should taste her own fruits. Nuff said?
It didn’t matter who Amber was going to support. You were going to find some unsubstantiated basis to take a few swings at her candidate because “she did it”. Wow.
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p>Are we back in elementary school? That excuse never worked with my parents and I don’t think it is going to play well here. I suggest before attacking anyone again about being mature enough that you re-visit your posts on this thread.
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p>FWIW I’m not in the district and have no horse in this race.
I don’t “hate” Jeff Theilman. I do find anonymously leaking material which I do not consider reliable unsavory [which Jeff did do]. I am entitled to that opinion.
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p>I also do not consider that Jeff Theilman is somehow “owed” the nomination of the position. No one is.
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p>I also have fact based reasons for not finding the performance of the current superintendent such that I wanted his contract renewed. Again, I am entitled to my opinion. So, anyway, I am glad to have a candidiate [Sean] whom I have known for years, like, and am comfortable and pleased to support.
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p>Your admission that you made up dirt for which you had NO basis at all, and slung it at Sean, who you don’t know, because you were annoyed at me for sharing what I believe about a candidate based on a real data set – is truly juvenile behavior on your part – again, in my opinion.
I just wrote what I know. It’s really no secret that you just need to get a couple of people to speak at a school committee meeting and the kid is just so eager to please the audience, well, he’s yours for the night.
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p>I wouldn’t have written this if Amber didn’t get started with the negatives, but I hate people who go negative and then act surprised and injured when they get the exact same thing back in response.
I live in Arlington and have a generally good opinion of all the Democratic candidates who have taken out papers (that I know of at least). That includes both Jeff Thielman and Sean Garballey.
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p>Not that anyone should give Sean a free pass, but some of the responses to this post strike me as unnecessarily harsh and unfortunate.
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p>I hope Sean posts here and explains why he is running and what his candidacy is about.
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p>I am particularly interested in the claim that Sean might be a kind of bridge between the townies and the professional-managerial types. A townie progressive, like Charlie Lyons or Ed Cyr. That’s a tall order.
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p>I worry some that Jeff’s candidacy will end up being defined by his leaking some emails last summer. Fairly or not. This is of particular concern since the winner of the primary likely faces more than token opposition this time.
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p>I’m not going to say anything about the other Democrat I know of who is running–she should make her own entrance. They would each of them be outstanding legislators.