For the benefit of our readers who missed the story in the major media, we note that the Washington State Auditor has determined that "the Seattle Public Schools followed state law and district policy when the School Board voted last year to sell the former Martin Luther King Elementary School to the lowest bidder." That, according to the Seattle Times in a copyrighted story today.
The Auditor, however, did not opine on the wisdom of the policy that allowed for an outcome that lost the School District millions of dollars it would have received if selling the abandoned building to the highest bidder, The Bush School. The Auditor's job was simply to look for violations of law and due process.
It's ironic that we find ourselves linking to the story in the Seattle Times, given our stated position that the paper's failure to properly cover this story in the first place might have been partially responsible for the questionable outcome. That feeling led us for the first time in the two-plus year history of the Madison Park Blogger to leave our journalistic perch and descend into out and out editorialism. Or was that a step up?
It may not have been illegal, but it was immoral.
ReplyDeleteSurprise, surprise! Did anyone think that they would declare their people (bureaucrats) guilty? It's not their money. It's our money. They wouldn't do it with their money. It's also called "the one party rule".
ReplyDeleteBryan, It was a step up when you voiced your opinion. I like your informative blog, but I think it could be spiced up a bit by adding your opinion and encouraging readers to voice their views a bit more. Also, I find it easier to select Anonymous than the other options. Is there a way to state ones views on the blog and not be anonymous?
ReplyDeleteWaaaaaaah, waaaaaaah, waaaaaaah!!!
ReplyDeleteBush knew about and participated in the same process as everyone else. Their effort on the subjective portion of the award process was half-hearted at best. Allowing the locals the opportunity to run around on their fenced soccer field for a few weeks out of the year was condescending and an insult to the spirit of the process. Had they tried a little harder on this, it truly would have been a win-win situation, which was the aim of the whole process to begin with.
That said, I give them huge kudos for their post-award efforts to be good sports and to contribute to what is happening on the site.
Re. Anonymous. You can always sign off on your comments by using your name, as some choose to do.
ReplyDelete