To whom it may concern, after much consideration, I have decided to request an equal and public opportunity to present a rebuttal to your article published on April 14, 2011. I ask that the following editorial be presented unedited, in its entirety. To be fair to all candidates, the voters, and the election process, I feel that it should be printed on the front page just as the original article. I would appreciate any priority with its publication that you can place on my letter.
Paul Edelman
To the Readers of "The Reporter",
My name is Paul Edelman. I am a candidate for School Director of the North Penn School District. I am asking The Reporter for this space in response to the clearly biased article published on April 14th concerning the election that I am campaigning in, "School Board Members Cry Foul".
This campaign is being run with four other candidates: Alex Ryabin, Suzan Leonard, Ahsanur Rahman, and Carolyn Murphy. We are campaigning together as a slate of candidates for the five open seats on the school board. There are several misconceptions within the article. We did not have a reasonable opportunity to respond until after the newspaper had been sent to print.
First, I'd like to correct the slogan of our campaign. It is "1st S.T.E.P for NPSD" which stands for Students and Taxpayers Expect Progress. The Reporter printed our campaign as "S.T.A.R.T." This was an obvious mistake as the newpaper had tried to explain the anagram.
Next, I will speak only for myself. I was definitely not "hand-picked" by the North Penn Education Asscociation for candidacy. I made my decision to run for school board last year as a replacement for Theresa Prykowski, who had retired. Ms. Charnock was hand-picked from sixteen applicants by the current school board as Ms. Prykowski's replacement. There was never any acknowledgment that I had applied for the position until after Ms. Charnock was chosen. It was clear that I needed to find out more about the process. After being "steered" to a web site by the district, which was no help for me, I contacted Alan Malachowski if he would be able to give me information on the process or at least get me in the right direction. Later on, I received an email from Alan Malachowski, the "leaked" email to the school board, which was allowed to be quoted from, but was not printed in The Reporter to prove its actual content. It was written as fact without any proof and claimed that the incumbants were not included in a meeting to show new candidates how to run for office. Incumbents clearly know how to run for office. Several incumbants have been on the board for several terms. And I will state as fact, that all people who attended the meeting, were not limited to a political party. This was an open meeting.
However, what the incumbants did not divulge, was that they were sent an official questionaire from the PAC and not the NPEA, which when completed and returned, incumbants would have then been scheduled for an endorsement meeting and interview. Not one incumbent responded, nor did Mr. Unger. It is really simple. If one doesn't respond, how can one expect to be interviewed? In spite of the way the entire board treated the teachers during the last negotiations, the incumbants were given an opportunity to clear the air with them, and instead, snubbed them, yet again. And you expect to get their support? How does this translate into us "bargaining from both sides of the table"? Were there other candidates who qualified by petition and did not get on the ballot(that's right, taxpayers sign the petitions for us to get on the ballots and I can assure you, I did not have one teacher in the North Penn School District sign my petition)? How is this considered "interference" from the teachers union with the election process? You refused them. How is this "manipulating the election process" Mr. Sherpinsky? Do you mean to infer that the taxpayers or rather the voters cannot make their own decisions?
I object to the incumbants saying that I was "hand-picked" for this candidacy. I applied. I got my petitions signed and notarized. I met with the North Penn Democratic Committee of my intent to run - all before I approached the NPEA for support. And in fact, I did not meet with the NPEA until after my petitions were official.
I have seen and heard the comments such as "conflict of interest", "bargaining on both sides", "owing the union" and the list goes on. The decision of the NPEA to endorse the candidates for 1st S.T.E.P. For North Penn School District, is based on the answers to the questionaires that only we answered, and the following interviews. I will speak for myself on this. I owe no one anything. I am campaigning to do what is best for the students, including my two young children who attend North Penn schools. I will be respectful with the teachers and in return, I expect the same. And just as important as those two topics are, I am willing to be responsible to taxpayers who are with, or without children. For every reader who wishes to respond that I won't think for myself, or stand up for what is right, I will show you a dozen of my co-workers and supervisors who would testify to the exact opposite. I do stand up. I do think for myself. I do what I believe is right.
We are not duplicitous as Mr. Sherpinsky called us. Three of us are parents with all of our children in the North Penn School District. The other two candidates have children that all graduated from North Penn. The five of us have so much vested in the childrens' futures. To say that we are owned by affiliation makes as much sense as seeing one of us in a grocery store and saying that the store endorses us because we shop there. This makes absolutely no sense, and is not true.
If you would really like to get to know us - call us at 484-991-8225 or visit us at 1ststepfornpsd.blogspot.com or on Facebook searching for 1st S.T.E.P. For North Penn School District. We all have email available, and we are all approachable.
In closing, I think it was very unfortunate that the school board felt the need to respond in the fashion that they did and that it was rushed to print without hearing from the other candidates. The article printed on April 14th is just one example of how badly we need a school board that has respect for not only its teachers, staff, but its community as well. For the incumbants to make such inflammatory comments as a result of any taxpayer's right to run for an elected office is truly an insult to everyone who chooses to run for an elected office or the voters responsible for putting a candidate into office. The North Penn School District deserves better representation than this.
Paul Edelman
Candidate for North Penn School Director
1st S.T.E.P. for North Penn School District
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