Fantastic Local Programs, Ongoing Budget Debacle, Campaign Invite

It was great to see Attorney General and Gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein at the Carousel Center yesterday, addressing child and domestic abuse, what his office has done from a legal standpoint and the great work The Carousel Center, Rape Crisis Center, and others are doing in the Community.

I got the chance to discuss the Endowment Board with AG Josh Stein. He is very aware of our difficulties and is keeping an eye out to how his office can make a difference.

I had the honor of touring the Carousel Center last week, accompanied by School Board Member and County Commission candidate Stephanie Walker, and School Board candidate Jerry Jones, with our host, Laura Pawlewicz, the Center's Director of Development. What an incredibly important service they provide to children who have been victims of abuse and neglect, as well as for their families and care-givers.

You might consider attending their Gala with me, Making Legends Local Lip Sync Battle on April 27th.

Amy Feath, Executive Director of The Carousel Center, headlined the press conference.

County Commissioner Rob Zapple was on hand to welcome the Attorney General.

Ongoing School Budget Woes

Here we are at the end of April and the budgeting for our schools--for our kids--is still very vague, insufficient, and confounding.

There exists a great deal of gamesmanship happening between the Superintendent, the School Board and the County Commission. Who will be the first to blink on what is needed, who will ask, and what excuses will be given to deny or approve.

And while this cute bit of posturing takes place, hundreds of teachers and school employees are seeking employment elsewhere, many have already resigned, because they don't know if they will have a job in September. 

It is perhaps the most important roll of a school board to manage the budget. To give direction to the Superintendent and negotiate with the County. Alas, I don't see them accomplishing this task with any level of agency. I've watched Board Member Stephanie Walker push back and try to steer the ship, but she can't do it alone.

All I can say is stay tuned. I do believe the budget will not be quite as bad as feared at the end of this, but in the meantime they've put hundreds of school employees through an incredibly stressful season and many will still lose their jobs. We absolutely MUST treat our teachers and staff better, pay them a reasonable salary and treat them like the professionals they are.

We are getting so much support for our campaign! Thank you so much for those volunteering who are the lifeblood of any campaign! We want to show our appreciation by inviting anyone who wants to be part of this winning team to a social hour where you can meet other volunteers, share a drink, share your interests in public education and/or politics in general, and learn more about volunteer opportunities with my campaign.

As you know, there are a thousand ways a campaign needs help, both big and small. Sometimes the challenge is finding out what people like to do, have experience with and how much people want to be involved. And then plugging them in where they can have the most impact with the least effort.

Please join us for camaraderie and fun while we build an amazing team!

• Wednesday April 24, 6pm

• Palate Bottle Shop, 

• 1007 N. 4th Street, Wilmington

If you can't make it, but want to volunteer, you can click on the volunteer link below and let us know what kinds of tasks you'd like to help us with.

Also, if you haven't yet, please like our Facebook page (link below) and share our content on your page. Encourage your friends to do the same. It helps build our reach and impact. Here's to creating a local government we can be proud to call our own!

'Til I see you!