Ron Margiotta

Advocating for harsher punishment for advocates:

Rev. Barber, Mr. Tyson, Ms. Petty along with the others from outside Wake County who were arrested for disrupting and refusing to leave a School Board meeting should be ready to accept the consequences of their actions. A simple slap on the wrist, as suggested by some, is far from appropriate.

And you should be ready to accept the consequences of an election, where the voters removed you from your position of authority. And a big part of the reason why they did that can be found in your own words:

Watch the video in its entirety. Listen to Margiotta's arrogance toward the end of the video.

Even if you're not a citizen of Wake County, you have to be proud of the results delivered yesterday after a full-court press in their local elections. Sanity prevailed in mayoral and city council races, as well as in the Wake County School Board elections. Progressives carried the day on almost every front.

There will be much written about whether these results signal trends that will influence the 2012 elections. So far, the main thing I've learned is that Art Pope Republicans can win elections, but they can't govern. Their instinct to divide and conquer spills into their policy agenda, pitting people against one another in ways that most fair-minded citizens won't tolerate. That's what happened on the Wake County School Board with the dramatic ouster of Ron Margiotta. With any luck and a lot of hard work, that will happen with Thom Tillis, too.
I sure do miss Joe Hackney.

Legal battle looming over Internet video:

The N.C. Association of Educators is refusing a demand from businessman Bob Luddy to remove a video it posted to the Internet.

The NCAE video, "Money and Privatization: A Love Story," alleges Luddy, a charter and private school founder, businessman Art Pope, House Majority Leader Paul Stam, and Wake County School Board Chairman Ron Margiotta are linked in an effort to destroy public education.

Considering the fact the U.S. Supreme Court just sided with the Westboro Baptist idiots re 1st Amendment protections, methinks this video is safe.

Delaying the worst of the student reassignment plan:

With federal Department of Education investigators converging on Raleigh to probe accusations of racial discrimination, Democrats on the Wake County school board succeeded Tuesday in stalling Republican-backed plans to reassign thousands of minority students next year closer to their homes in Southeast Raleigh.

Goldman, who has split from her fellow Republicans on several reassignment votes, expressed concern that some recent moves for low-income students had been proposed, not by their own parents, but by parents at the suburban schools the low-income students are currently attending.

"It's not saying, 'Will you move our kids?' It's 'Will you move their kids?'" Goldman said.

Debra might just turn out to be a diamond in the rough.

And into the open arms of the gangs:

Three citizen members of the committee appointed by new board members came to today’s meeting with a list of changes affecting large numbers of Southeast Raleigh students.

Tracey Noble, the community member for board member Deborah Prickett, proposed numerous moves that would send Southeast Raleigh students out of schools in North Raleigh. David Williams, the community member for Tedesco, proposed moves to send Southeast Raleigh students out of Garner High and East Garner Middle back to their communities. Ann Rouleau, the community member for board chairman Ron Margiotta, proposed moving Southeast Raleigh students out of schools in western Wake.

"What a coincidence! We all had the same idea!" A blatantly, transparently racist idea, that is.

Choosy parents choose Luddy(TM) brand schools:

At an event today in Apex, Luddy will offer details of a technology and science concentration - to be called the Luddy Institute of Technology - to be featured at his planned high schools. Land has already been purchased in Apex and Rolesville for the new schools, which will serve grades 6-12, and the existing schools will educate children from kindergarten through fifth grade, Luddy said.

Um, didn't Wake County just purchase land in Rolesville for a new high school? Future breaking story: "School board votes to suspend plans for new school in Rolesville, citing lack of demand."

Good afternoon. Please take a second to consider signing my petition which will deliver a message to the five Republican members of Wake County's Board of Education. The link will be at the bottom. Thanks!

Where's a good lawyer when you need one?

The chairman (Margiotta) even made one of the more memorably off-putting comments from a public servant in a long time, when he said, "The committees can be adjusted once I feel Kevin Hill is willing to be more cooperative."

I can't wait to see how much property taxes increase in Wake County when Marge's bizarre agenda finally hits stride.

New updated map!

The most important thing to remember about puppets is that is that they rarely know they're puppets, as evidenced by the Wake County School Board Sideshow, now on stage at the N&O.