Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Mr. Urban. You have reputations to malign, careers to truncate, fabrications to...uh...errrr....By Bill Lacey

So, what's it feel like to place your hand in the lion's mouth?

Meh... 

You see, I met the lion this week. I was not impressed. Perhaps because I was expecting a bit more, oh, you know...panache. A bit more je ne sais quoi. A cross between Perry White, Lou Grant and Maxwell Scott.

Instead I found myself face to face with a rumpled, ill-tempered Steve Urban of The Standard-Times.

Urban contacted me through my personal email, an account, it turns out, he was able to find by way of my personal Facebook page.

(High school folk, remind me to get one of your nerds to help me fix the security feature on my page...)

Urban contacted me on December 9, writing the following~

Mr. Lacey,
I'm writing because you are the rare person who signs his posts on the teachers' web site.
What I would like to ask is, what do you think will come out of the meeting on Friday? What would you like to come out? And if this becomes a vote of no confidence in the superintendent, then what?
Thanks in advance
Steve Urbon

Stephen F. Urbon
SouthCoast Media Group

Okay, to be fair, he did use the "magic word", Kindergarten teachers....

I wrestled with responding to the man, but felt it was the professional thing to do. My response, sent later that day, reads~

Steve,

How very interesting to find correspondence from you. And on a personal email that I share with no one...

That said, I'd invite you to stop by the Chas. S. Ashley School (122 Rochambeau St.tomorrow at 12:45. We'll be happy to receive you by way of the Community door that faces Ashley Blvd. And certainly, Steve, you can well imagine that someone of my years would know better than to give you anything in written form.

Regards,

Bill

So, imagine my surprise when Steve Urban approached me, looking for Bill Lacey...

(Whoa! My fifteen minutes of fame, and close enough to touch it.)

The introduction and resultant brief conversation did not go well.

Bwahahahaha..... I invited Steve to enjoy our Ashley Holiday Concert (with roughly 300 parents in attendance). Steve wasn't looking for what we do best. Steve was looking to ask me the equivalent of:

"Do you still beat your wife..?"

I did not bite...

Yet it was Steve's parting words that I offer here to you today...

"Don't waste my time, Mr. Lacey."

No, sir. Would not do that, Mr. Urban. Not you. You have reputations to malign, careers to truncate, fabrications to...uh...errrr....

fabricate!

Why this post, then?

Because, on Friday afternoon, the media will be swarming like the vultures they have shown themselves to be. And you must NOT engage them.

No pleasantries.

No comment.

Oh, and Steve, wanna be Facebook friends...?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very important advice Bill! Don't talk to strangers

Anonymous said...

Wow! You did an incredible job! Wish you were writing for the "SubStandard" Times. It would be a better read. Thank you and loved your rebuttal.

Anonymous said...

Urbon thinks he's Woodward or Bernstein. I truth he and Jack are the plumbers to Unger's Nixon

Anonymous said...

The Roundtable love teachers....silent teachers

Anonymous said...

The Power within a Coalition of Educators and What it can Do:

Strengthen the power base,enhancing potential to gain attention and
affect change.
· Provide talents, skills, and resources that can be shared to achieve goals.
· Propel a strategic and concerted resolution of the problem.
· Allow coalition members to own, embrace, and commit to the goals and enroll
others in their particular organizations to personally commit to them.
Provide a forum for open discussion and mutual support of a common goal. This broadens your
base of support and trust.
· Improve communication within the community.
· Advocate for better district policies by removing variables from equation.

Nancy Smith, retired educator said...

Bill - you should teach a journalism class and Steve Urban should be required to take it. In this battle of wits - you win hands down. And I am absolutely NOT afraid to use my real name on this post.

Anonymous said...

Over 100 community leaders was the quote from the ST when commenting on how impressive the list was of Pia Durkin supporters. Let's see who was on that list. Bullard and his wife Laurie. Ken Hartnett and his lovely wife. Carol Lee Matsamouto, Bill Whelan and his other family, Tom Davis, Jean McCormack... and the list goes on and on. Now let's get to the real facts. Do these individuals have children that attend NBPS currently? How many on that list are actually parents of children that are CURRENTLY attending one of the NBPS? How many of those noted above ever sent their children to a NBPS? I seem to recall Stang being the high school of choice for some of these individuals (or I guess we could count them as married couples,in some cases). But to make the list stretch out, their names were listed individually. Or maybe they each contributed their own spending money to take out this full page advertisement that was from a "cross-section" of the community. I guess Durkin is running scared that we will unviel the secrets of the school system that she is trying to keep. I mean to take out a full page ad stating confidence screams something like Sally Fields. "They really do like me, they really do". I apologize to the younger crowd who did not witness poor Sally's desperate attempt to fit in with the Hollywood crowd. Durkin is showing her true colors. Would it have been a better use of the "cross-section" to maybe donate some of the supplies that the YWCA director was complaining that the children of NB lack? You know, like food. Yet, she signed and supported taking out a $1000.OO AD! Just how many coats, hats, mittens and school supplies would this huge amount of money bought for the children. Too bad because teachers often buy supplies like this for our students (out of own money). Yet, we do not take out ads against ppl. We also hook our children up with Gifts to Give and various other agencies. We work late and beyond our school day as we wait for the YWCA (ironically) to pick up the children from school. Yes, director we work beyond the school day because the bus you provide is usually late and sometimes up to a half hour late! But we do not get recognition nor do we want it. But to look at this list and realize I know at least 50 names on the list and no full well that NONE of their children have attended our school system. Well that just bugs me.

The former Mayor Bullard had this to say about our teachers. It's unfortunate, but it looks like the time where people have to choose sides. Are you for progress or are you against it? I don't think there's room to be in the middle.

The rest of this will be in a second post.

Anonymous said...

"Our school system cannot be seen as a jobs program by the School Committee or the teachers union. First and foremost, the union is out to protect its members, its teachers. It doesn't appear to put students first.

"That's not to say that the teachers don't. My complaint is not with the teachers. My complaint is with the educators association. It is resistant to every attempt to bring change and progress.

"It's destructive and it's hurting the kids and it is not putting kids first," Bullard said.

Former Mayor Bullard, enlighten me. What school does your child attend in New Bedford? Oh right! Tell me again? Oh, you do not have children in the system. When was the last time you did? Oh, right. Ok, let's try this again, Former Mr. Mayor. When was the last time you visited a NBPS? Oh, right. That is what I thought!

And for the record as quoted by the ST. Yes, our UNION meeting is not open to the public. Are union meetings usually open to the public? Hmmm, I thought not. Does the school committee allow us to attend the executive session? Is it open to the public? Hmmm, thought not. Can I attend a ST staff meeting? Hmmmm, thought not. I have one last suggestion. Instead of Pia focusing on fighting the union and soliciting a "cross-section" of the community to waste $1000.00 (unless to stir the pot, the ST gave the "cross-section a discount????)to take out an ad to rally her troops, why doesn't she work with us. We did not have issues with Mr. Shea and we have not taken action like this before. We are not afraid of change. We want the best for our students. Pia Durkin and supporters, if teachers and other parents decide to put our ad in the paper, we will need more than one page.

Anonymous said...

Steve Urban is so handsome.

Anonymous said...

Mayor Mitchell lives on Morelands Terrace which looks to be in the Hathaway School district. Why then does his child attend the Winslow School?

Anonymous said...

I find it intellectually dishonest to use a quote from Frederick Douglass in the LOVE PIA OBEY PIA ad. As a slave should not have been told to be happy and grateful in their work...nor should our teachers be told not to speak against injustice in their work environment. It is easier to build strong teachers than to repair broken ones. Please stop breaking us!

Anonymous said...



"That's not to say that the teachers don't. My complaint is not with the teachers. My complaint is with the educators association. It is resistant to every attempt to bring change and progress.

"It's destructive and it's hurting the kids and it is not putting kids first," Bullard said.

John Bullard! You do know that educator=teacher and association means a group of teachers. Your are contradicting yourself when you state that your complaint is not with the teachers. Who do you think belongs to the educators association? Firefighters?

Anonymous said...

What a sorry testimonial in the ST supporting our superintendent, as union members get together this Friday.

Let me count the number of supporters that have been in a NB classroom in the past 3 years for periods longer than a week. Hmmm!

I "was" a big supporter of our superintendent at the beginning and wanted desperately to remain a supporter throughout her tenure, but respect and support is earned as a result of sincerity, good will, and the ability to bring people together in reaching a common goal. As far as I've seen none of these qualities have emerged. Maybe it's being saved for the right moment...a teaching moment.

If the superintendent wants my support again, she needs to change...and change as we all know is difficult.

Pet owners treat their pets better than she has treated teachers.

Help us help you. There is not one teacher who does not want a single child not to succeed, and everyone needs to get that straight...and that includes all the ones that were hired with the assistance from people of influence.

Anonymous said...

We must not look at goblin men,
We must not buy their fruits:
Who knows upon what soil they fed
Their hungry thirsty roots?