Friday, October 28, 2005
Facts, or smear?
By TERESA MCMINN
For the Daily Record/Sunday News
Thursday, October 27, 2005
In a mass mailing this week, members of the Dover Area School Board cited the ACLU’s representation of controversial groups as a reason to vote for them and against their challengers.
Wednesday night, some of those challengers, aligned with the group Dover CARES, said the incumbents had sunk to a desperate low.
In the letter to district residents, board members attacked their opponents for working with a group that has defended terror suspects and has defended a group that advocates sexual relationships between men and boys.
According to the letter, the American Civil Liberties Union defends special rights for terrorists and is defending the North American Man/Boy Love Association’s “right to put out information on how adults can lure young children into having sex with them.”
Dover school board member Alan Bonsell said the letter was sent because Dover CARES has put out negative notions and distortions during the campaign. The ACLU could not have come to Dover and sued the district unless it got someone from within the community to sign on to the lawsuit, he said.
Referring to some of the controversial cases in which the ACLU has been involved, Bonsell said, “I think the ACLU is a very terrible organization.”
In the Nov. 8 election, voters will choose four people to fill four-year term seats and three people for two-year term seats.
The biggest conflict in the race has centered on the ongoing trial over the mention of intelligent design in ninth-grade science class. The ACLU is representing 11 parents who are suing the district. One of those parents, Bryan Rehm, is running for a seat on the school board.
Witold Walczak, an ACLU lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the intelligent design case, said the incumbents are trying to stick the challengers with “whatever baggage they think the ACLU carries.”
“Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing,” he said. “But one of the consequences is irresponsible and misleading speech.”
Because the ACLU defends the rights of all citizens, Walczak said, attorneys at times must defend clients with unpopular, and even abhorrent, political views.
Some incumbents unaware of letter
Some incumbents were surprised when they were told Wednesday about the letter sent out by board member Alan Bonsell in their names.
“I know we have some groups doing mailings for us, but I haven’t been in contact with them,” said Dover School Board member Ron Short.
Board member Ed Rowand also was in the dark.
“I don’t have any copy of any letter, of any mailing,” he said. “I don’t know.”
And board member Sherrie Leber said, “I wasn’t aware of it . . . I didn’t realize it identified us as individuals.
“I really can’t comment because I haven’t seen it,” she said. “I don’t really know what research was done. I don’t know where it came from.”
Short and Rowand said they were comfortable with the letter and its content.
School board challengers Phil Herman and Larry Gurreri were disgusted by the letter.
“It makes me angry,” Gurreri said. “(Bonsell) is trying to intimidate people, and it’s not going to work. Everything we’ve done has been above board.
“I’d like to collect all of (the letters) and drop them in (the incumbents’) yards, starting with Bonsell. I don’t understand him.”
Herman agreed.
“I am very offended,” he said. “This has gotten blown out of proportion. I have nothing to do with the ACLU. It’s dirty tactics. It’s something they have been doing all throughout this campaign.
“Win or lose, I can’t wait for it to be over,” Herman said. “I was born and raised in Dover. I never in my 55 years have seen this community brought down as bad as it has been by this school board. I am dead serious about that.”
Leber said she did not want to comment on specific statements in the letter because she had not seen it but said she supported Bonsell for the creation, organization and issuance of the letter.
“If Alan said that he researched it, I trust and believe that he did,” she said.
Letter lists board accomplishments
The letter also lists a number of the board’s recent accomplishments, including holding the line on taxes, saving money on school renovations and the start of full-day kindergarten at no extra cost.
Short later said he received the three-page letter in the mail but overlooked it.
“I just set it aside,” he said. “I was aware it was coming. I had done some research. I just didn’t know what was going to be in (the letter).
“There was a meeting going on, but there were several committees going on at once, so I didn’t hear what was in the letter.”
Short agreed with Leber that, even without seeing the letter before it was mailed, he knew it would represent the consensus of the board.
“We trusted . . . it would convey our message,” he said. “I really don’t know who put the letter together.”
Did he approve of the final copy?
“Absolutely,” he said. “I fear the ACLU more than I fear al-Qaida.”
Daily Record/Sunday News staff writers Michelle Starr and Lauri Lebo contributed to this report.
For the Daily Record/Sunday News
Thursday, October 27, 2005
In a mass mailing this week, members of the Dover Area School Board cited the ACLU’s representation of controversial groups as a reason to vote for them and against their challengers.
Wednesday night, some of those challengers, aligned with the group Dover CARES, said the incumbents had sunk to a desperate low.
In the letter to district residents, board members attacked their opponents for working with a group that has defended terror suspects and has defended a group that advocates sexual relationships between men and boys.
According to the letter, the American Civil Liberties Union defends special rights for terrorists and is defending the North American Man/Boy Love Association’s “right to put out information on how adults can lure young children into having sex with them.”
Dover school board member Alan Bonsell said the letter was sent because Dover CARES has put out negative notions and distortions during the campaign. The ACLU could not have come to Dover and sued the district unless it got someone from within the community to sign on to the lawsuit, he said.
Referring to some of the controversial cases in which the ACLU has been involved, Bonsell said, “I think the ACLU is a very terrible organization.”
In the Nov. 8 election, voters will choose four people to fill four-year term seats and three people for two-year term seats.
The biggest conflict in the race has centered on the ongoing trial over the mention of intelligent design in ninth-grade science class. The ACLU is representing 11 parents who are suing the district. One of those parents, Bryan Rehm, is running for a seat on the school board.
Witold Walczak, an ACLU lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the intelligent design case, said the incumbents are trying to stick the challengers with “whatever baggage they think the ACLU carries.”
“Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing,” he said. “But one of the consequences is irresponsible and misleading speech.”
Because the ACLU defends the rights of all citizens, Walczak said, attorneys at times must defend clients with unpopular, and even abhorrent, political views.
Some incumbents unaware of letter
Some incumbents were surprised when they were told Wednesday about the letter sent out by board member Alan Bonsell in their names.
“I know we have some groups doing mailings for us, but I haven’t been in contact with them,” said Dover School Board member Ron Short.
Board member Ed Rowand also was in the dark.
“I don’t have any copy of any letter, of any mailing,” he said. “I don’t know.”
And board member Sherrie Leber said, “I wasn’t aware of it . . . I didn’t realize it identified us as individuals.
“I really can’t comment because I haven’t seen it,” she said. “I don’t really know what research was done. I don’t know where it came from.”
Short and Rowand said they were comfortable with the letter and its content.
School board challengers Phil Herman and Larry Gurreri were disgusted by the letter.
“It makes me angry,” Gurreri said. “(Bonsell) is trying to intimidate people, and it’s not going to work. Everything we’ve done has been above board.
“I’d like to collect all of (the letters) and drop them in (the incumbents’) yards, starting with Bonsell. I don’t understand him.”
Herman agreed.
“I am very offended,” he said. “This has gotten blown out of proportion. I have nothing to do with the ACLU. It’s dirty tactics. It’s something they have been doing all throughout this campaign.
“Win or lose, I can’t wait for it to be over,” Herman said. “I was born and raised in Dover. I never in my 55 years have seen this community brought down as bad as it has been by this school board. I am dead serious about that.”
Leber said she did not want to comment on specific statements in the letter because she had not seen it but said she supported Bonsell for the creation, organization and issuance of the letter.
“If Alan said that he researched it, I trust and believe that he did,” she said.
Letter lists board accomplishments
The letter also lists a number of the board’s recent accomplishments, including holding the line on taxes, saving money on school renovations and the start of full-day kindergarten at no extra cost.
Short later said he received the three-page letter in the mail but overlooked it.
“I just set it aside,” he said. “I was aware it was coming. I had done some research. I just didn’t know what was going to be in (the letter).
“There was a meeting going on, but there were several committees going on at once, so I didn’t hear what was in the letter.”
Short agreed with Leber that, even without seeing the letter before it was mailed, he knew it would represent the consensus of the board.
“We trusted . . . it would convey our message,” he said. “I really don’t know who put the letter together.”
Did he approve of the final copy?
“Absolutely,” he said. “I fear the ACLU more than I fear al-Qaida.”
Daily Record/Sunday News staff writers Michelle Starr and Lauri Lebo contributed to this report.
