The Community and Karen Beyer

June 21si, 2004

At the Thursday June 17 th meeting of the Saucon Valley School Board, the board passed the final 2004-5 school year budget that called for a 2.48 mil tax increase. The budget had been discussed in numerous public meetings before it was adopted. The budget required painful cuts in various areas, but in general it preserved the educational mission of the district. Just before the final budget was passed, Board President Karen Beyer asked each member of explain her or his vote. Seven members said in essence that they hated to raise taxes at all, but they felt the 2.48 raise was the minimum that was necessary to maintain the program. One member, Susan Baxter, said she would have preferred a 2.0 mil raise.

 

Karen Beyer spoke last. She said that the budget included expenditures not urged by the superintendent and that no one in explained his or her vote by stating that the budget was “bare bones.” Beyer went on to add that the budget had included “luxuries.” The nature of these luxuries Beyer did not explain. Nor did she explain that she had previous supported luxuries like hiring a full time athletic director, a director of human services, the building of an all weather oval track, stands in the stadium for visiting team fans and, my favorite, the repainting over of the tile in the high school foyer on the grounds that she thought the decor to fiftyish.

Just before the meeting adjoined, responded to the time made available to the public for comment on non-agenda items, Keri Maxfield spoke about trying to work out a method by which Lower Saucon and Hellertown could get credit for district recycling, a credit which was of no benefit to the district. Keri suggested that this might be accomplished by having the board's representatives on the Saucon Valley Partnership committee speak to the representatives on the council of Hellertown and Lower Saucon on the matter. We thought it a good idea and Karen Beyer said that she would take it up with the council when next they met. Karen, Rick Grove and I are the district's representatives to that council.

I was not quite clear as to exactly what Keri had proposed at the board meeting, so I wrote to her for details which she was happy to supply.

 

Here is the exchange of email, unedited, which followed:

:

From me to the partnership members, dated dated 6/18/04

“At our last board meeting Keri Maxfield suggested the Saucon Valley Partnership might look into the matter of whether Hellertown and Lower Saucon are now receiving recycling credit for the district's recyclables or, if not, whether it is possible for them to do so. I raise this matter now so that it will appear on the agenda for our next meeting and not be forgotten.

At our board meeting last night we accepted a bid for trash disposal for the coming school year. I am sure Karen and I are in agreement that the district would be happy to do whatever it can to help in this effort.

Joel”

Within a few hours, Karen Beyer responded to me as follows:

“Joel,

I would appreciate you asking me before you take it upon yourself to discuss matters with the SV Partnership. I am the committee chair for community outreach. If you have a problem with that then perhaps you should decide whether or not you want to serve on this committee with me.

Karen Beyer

I replied to Karen B, somewhat intemperately I grant, as follows:

“You were not elected God, only president. As president you have only one vote. If you want to remove me from the community outreach, get the votes. Otherwise, do not pass go and do not collect $100 and go to you know where. ”

This email from Karen B to me followed:

“I don't believe you were voted on but I'll check the minutes. I find it funny though that in the years you have served on this board you never cared about community outreach. In fact, your actions speak of contempt of fellow board members and the community.

Karen Beyer ”

My reply to Karen Beyer was as follows:

“I guess I have finally lost patience with you, not that I ever had very much. About two or three months ago, the board was lined up seven to two or perhaps eight to one to have you removed as president. In an illegal executive session Rick saved your job by making a plea for board unity. The session was illegal because the question of who is the board president is not a "personnel" matter under the Sunshine Law. The general assumption was that you had learned your lesson, but apparently not.

You make a speech about "luxury" budgets and the lack of a "bare bones" budget which is self serving at best and stupid besides. The budget was passed seven to two, with three members of the former TEACH slate voting for it. Apparently, in your view, these candidates who also ran on holding taxes, down believe in "luxuries." Moreover, you cleverly(?) made sure it was the last speech so that no one could reply. And you previously make a popular political speech praising public education and the responsibility of the community to support it at graduation and then vote exactly the opposite way. You have the political courage of a gnat.

My service on the board has only one purpose, to serve the community. Your service has only one purpose which, as you have sometimes candidly admitted, is to serve as a stepping stone to higher office. I hope you make that attempt soon because your chances of being elected dog catcher are not as good as my dog's.

You lie yet again when you write that I have never been interested in community outreach. In the first place, I would love to know what you claim by way of your own accomplishments in this respect. As to me, since moving to this area, through my columns and other activities, I have been very much involved in trying to improve our community. You might ask Priscilla deLeon whether she agrees with your statement. You might ask Mayor Fluck. You, a rather recent arrival here-----which by the way, I do NOT believe is a disqualification for office----do not remember that the Kamikaze corner reconstruction (the intersection of Friedensville-Hickory Hill and Bingen-Mountain Drive ) was largely as a result of my efforts. At the time the LS Council was delaying placing a light at that corner, which had become a death trap, and doing other necessary road work because they hoped against hope that Lehigh U would kick in some money. I was the last civilian sitting in the council room when the matter was discussed and the council was ready not to act again when I persuaded them otherwise.

More recently, I have been the leader in the campaign to either merge Hellertown and Lower Saucon or create a joint zoning plan for those communities as Bob Freeman suggested might be possible at a meeting you chose not to attend so that you could blast John Freund at the IU. Such a merger could save the district's taxpayers a fortune.

There are many other examples that I could cite.

Speaking of service, while you have continually blasted me as a spend thrift and an incompetent finance chairman and treasurer, among other things, I hope you noted that it was my idea to undertake self insurance that saved the district $500,000 last year and will continue to save the district like amounts in years to come. Please point to savings on this order that you have suggested.

The campus design was always intended to include the use of the buildings and fields by members of the community, and the previous board did everything in its power to insure that would happen, and it did. The policy on school use, of which you were so contemptuous at the last board meeting, was worked out carefully to insure both the maximum possible use of our facilities by the public including nonprofit organizations while at the same time dealing with the cost of such activities to the district. As usually, you talk first and then think later. This matter is not simple. It is complex. I find it laughable that someone who purports to be interested in bare-bones budgets is willing to have the district spend its money in support of whatever nonprofit charitable organization comes along. Do the district taxpayers not have the right to determine what charities or nonprofits they will support?

Also interesting is the notion that, as you often suggest, you should be excused for some mal action by reason of your inexperience. That, of course, was one of the points made against you in the campaign. Apparently you agree with it now. Your conduct of meetings is appalling. You have no sense of procedure whatever. You probably think that Robert's Rules has something to do with measuring cloth.

I am not re fighting last year's campaign. I have come to respect the other four board members who ran on the TEACH slate. Although I frequently disagree with Susan on financial matters, I respect her right to voice her voices as they seem to me to come from some sense of policy. It may be a policy with which I disagree, but that is why none of us is King or Queen of the board. In general, I find myself in agreement with Eric and Ron. I respect Karen Samuels, with whom I sometimes disagree, because I admire her effort in trying to learn the elements of her job and to prepare herself to do it. Again, I sometimes disagree with her, but I think she has no motivation to do anything but the best job she knows how to do. I wish I could say the same for you.

Your motivation is obviously to make the best record, as distinguished from doing the best job, you can. By record I mean how you are reported in the newspapers. One seldom gets the feeling that you are speaking to fellow board members. Rather you are speaking directly to Ann Marie, Lanita and Kevin, and through them to future voters. That is a politician's trick and it is what gives a bad name to politics. School boards are supposed to be apolitical.

On the other hand, I get bad press and frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. I can't say it makes me happy but that is the price one pays for doing ones best. I certainly realize that what I say or do at board meetings will be filtered to the public through unfriendly newspapers. Nevertheless, I say what I think needs to be said, and damn the torpedoes. I do not have contempt, as you do, for the public's ability to sort out the truth in the long run. And if it doesn't, and I am defeated at the next election, I will be regretful only that my opportunity to serve my community has been hindered and concerned that my replacement may not understand what needs to be done as well as I think I do.

Finally, as to the Community Outreach Committee: I don't remember whether you had the board vote on my appointment or not. However, I will not quit. If you want to remove me, you may attempt that at the next board meeting and perhaps you will be successful. I don't know where that will go, but it strikes me that it would be a shame to leave as our sole representative on the Saucon Valley Partnership council a person whose only interest is political advancement.

Joel”

There has been no reply to this email as of this writing. If there is one from Karen Beyer, I will be

happy to amend this column by adding it and any other exchanges.