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Letter to Editor (Post Star,
3-15-07)
Buono and Kovac "Running
"Scared??
This is written in response to the letter to
the editor written by Buono and Kovac, in which I,
as a "citizen," was criticized for speaking out
against the administration.
Between the criticism and use of their
"titles" in order to make the letter appear
official (without board approval, I might add),
their intention to run for re-election is now quite
obvious. Yes, they are running, but they are
running scared, for they know very well the
challenge that lies ahead. As they face that
challenge, I'm sure that Rhau is in frenzy over the
likelihood that he will lose his free pass to
everything and anything that suits his fancy. It
is widely known that Rhau wants more money and time
off, and I've been told that members of the
"elite," Buono and Kovac, are in favor of giving it
to him but want to wait until after the election
and budget vote.
I recall Rhau's recent letter to the editor
wherein he referred to me as the "Saugerties attack
dog" and expressed his opinion that I malign board
members and administrators, followed up with praise
for Buono's leadership accomplishments. Sounds as
if he may be laying some groundwork, doesn't it?
Of course, if one wants to familiarize him or
herself with Buono's real accomplishments, one has
only to click on the watchdog web site for an
in-depth look at the facts…and the facts speak
for themselves. The most interesting aspect of the
Buono-Kovac letter, nevertheless, is its similarity
to the Rhau letter. In fact, the content of their
letter is almost a verbatim replica of Rhau's.
Either they have all been cut from the same cloth
or Rhau is a good teacher. Better yet, perhaps
both letters were drafted by the same
author…you be the judge on that.
As I've pointed out many times, cronies
Buono, McCaig, Kovac and Parisian have been on the
board for so long that they have formed a very
tight and secretive camaraderie with one another
and developed a cozy bond with Rhau. Indeed, if
one were to go back and examine board minutes for
previous years, I will bet that they have never
voted against anything that Rhau has asked for, no
matter the cost to the District. There seems to be
no limit on how far they will go to shield him and
keep him happy. As an example, consider the $20
bill gratuitously thrown on the table by the one
who sits at the end of the table during board
meetings. The $20 was a "let's-chip-in" gesture of
generosity toward Rhau so he wouldn't have to bear
the entire cost of repaying that $160 to the
District. That reminds me: why were they even
discussing Rhau's need to repay the District in
executive session in the first place? That doesn't
qualify for discussion away from public view. And,
mainly, what else was discussed in executive
session that night that they don't want the public
to know? The bottom line is this: if Buono and
Kovac lose their seats on the school board on May
15th and Rhau's dynasty crumbles, he will be
devastated. Knowing that a new board with respect
for teachers, a desire to implement more
accountability into the system with a series of
checks and balances, and an overriding concern with
educating children, instead of a board that thrives
on coast-to-coast traveling and free lunches at
Chowhound and Applebee's with like-minded cronies,
must have Rhau punching his pillow at night. A
good attitude has been seriously lacking for years
under former board president Buono's leadership.
It is still lacking. It will be up to the people
on May 15th to determine whether they want change
and accountability or the status quo.
As always, stay tuned…
Citizen, George Heidcamp
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