Elect Buccafusco, keep Muns off board; chair should be open-minded

Editor:

Let's elect Regina Buccafusco as the Columbia County School Board Chairman and keep Lee Muns off the School Board.

Columbia County needs a School Board comprised of individuals who can work together to provide the leadership needed to make the right decisions that will result in providing our children with a well-rounded, quality education.

While serving on the School Board in the past, Muns wanted to play by his rules, which were "my way or no way." Because of this mindset, he could not build a consensus with the other Board Members and time and time again, the final voting on issues would be 4 to 1 with Muns casting the opposing vote, regardless of the issue being addressed. In the media, Muns would attempt to make everyone think his ideas were the only correct ideas and the other four voting Board Members just did not know what they were doing.

If Muns had been the leader he believes himself to be, why was he not elected by his fellow board members to be chairman for a term during his previous time on the Board? We need a School Board chairman who is open-minded and willing to view all the facts surrounding issues and make decisions based upon what is best for the school system.

Also disturbing is how Muns goes about projecting himself as savior of the Columbia County school system. At public forums, Muns has stated that since he has been off the School Board, SAT scores have declined and that the decline in scores would not have occurred had he still been on the board. While it is true that SAT scores have declined slightly, it's hard to imagine how one person with one vote on the School Board could single-handedly have prevented the decline. Once again, we need leadership that will examine and analyze all aspects of an issue before making decisions.

Muns personally assisted a terminated union bus driver who has a lawsuit pending against the Columbia County School Board to run against Mickie Blackburn in her bid for re-election. ... We all have the right to support candidates of our choosing; however, this was Muns' attempt to have one person on the Board he could directly influence had she defeated Blackburn.

I am proud of our Columbia County school system. Regina Buccafusco has proven herself to be an excellent School Board member. She is not about politics. She is not about "what is my next political office?" She is not about ego and appearances. Regina Buccafusco is about working with elected school board members, the leadership of Columbia County school system, and the members of our community to make the right decisions for our children, which in the final analysis is what being a School Board Chairman is all about.

Please consider Regina Buccafusco for School Board chairman.

Lee Clark

Martinez