On Tuesday, when five new CMS school board members are sworn in, Jimmy Poole plans to appeal for the new group to reconsider boundaries in the north suburbs.
Poole, the former principal many see as the face of North Mecklenburg High, sent the following e-mail to explain his position. (He starts by weighing in on the naming of Hough High):
_______________________________________________________________
Subject: Hough High and North Mecklenburg High Boundaries
There has been a lot of unnecessary fuss over the naming of the new high school on Bailey Road after Mr. Hough. I had the privilege of knowing this fine man and esteemed educator as a student at North and a staff member under his direction. He was a man of integrity who served the school system and community with utmost distinction. He served as a role model for those pursuing leadership positions. To name a school for him is an honor to his life, well-lived and to the ideals he espoused: honesty, hard work, faith and love. Any school should be proud to be named for such a remarkable person.
The uproar over the school name reminds me of my experience as a middle school principal. Sometimes a crisis would develop over a minor issue or incident. Hysteria would develop with a few students and parents. Fortunately, the upset lasted only a day or so because the incident was trivial with no substance. I believe that Mr. Hough would be sad if the name was changed but I think he would be more upset over the changes his beloved North Mecklenburg High will suffer from the inequity in the new student assignment that evolved from the building of the new school. A careful examination of the student data from Hough High and North will reveal these inequities, The question is: what are the school system guidelines in determining school attendance zones? Is consideration given to community, poverty levels or diversity or mainly numbers?
Because of this decision, North will instantly lose its sense of community and connection to its history and most surely will become a low performing school. Furthermore, I predict that the highly successful I.B. program will dissolve within five years for lack of participation and that students will leave North for the nearby charter and private schools. I also predict that the light rail development across the street from North will suffer because parents will not want to send their children to a low performing school,
I foresee these changes because I have had years of experience within the school system. I was a student at North in the early 60's when it was a school surrounded by farmland and populated with an all-white student body of seven hundred. I was a counselor and coach there in the early 70's when Mr. Hough led the school to be a successful federally-mandated, racially- integrated school. I was also honored to become North's principal in the early 90's when the school became the largest school in the state.
Built in 1951, the school successfully served the northern end of the county for fifty eight years. The school however, has lost many students from the five communities that first walked its halls. North lost students from Derita when Vance opened, then lost student from Long Creek and the lake when Hopewell was built and lost others when Mallard Creek opened its doors. With each opening, the school continued to grow. I knew that we would eventually lose the Davidson and Cornelius areas but I never dreamed we would also lose many hometown Huntersville students. Some of them have been placed in the new school since that school was actually built too soon without sufficient student population from Cornelius and Davidson. The school system had three options before them when the school assignment boundaries were being established for the new school and North Mecklenburg. Of the three , the school board chose the one that most negatively impacts North. The school will lose students as before but this time is assigned students from another school. Those coming from another school will have to travel much farther to go to North than to remain where they are. I am sure that these students would prefer to remain at their present school.
The right thing to do would be to return some of the Huntersville area to North but I know that won't happen now. However, Larry Gauvreau made a wise suggestion during the school board's deliberations over the new attendance lines. He suggested that the students who live from Sunset Road to I-85 remain at their present school. This makes good sense but the school board rejected his proposal. North could have remained a relatively small school as East Mecklenburg was allowed to be. North has provided positive educational experiences for students in the northern end of the county in spite of overcrowded conditions. It was the largest school in the state several times with a student population of nearly 3000 students in a facility built for 1500. History has shown that the northern area is popular with newcomers to the area and North Mecklenburg High will inevitably grow. There should be no concern about the school becoming too small.
I tried to get the school board to consider changes to the pupil assignment plan for North. Three board members said that they shared my concerns and would consider other assignment options. I firmly believe that the new board members will see the merits of my concerns, as well. The board changed its mind about East Mecklenburg so why can't it change its mind for the sake of North Mecklenburg.? Historically, we know the negative impacts that the openings of new schools had on both South Mecklenburg and Independence High. Now the impact is on East and North The pupil assignment plan for North Mecklenburg will have a far worse impact on North than the assignment plans for those other schools.
It is far easier to prevent problems than to create and then deal with them later. The school board needs to amend the assignment plan for North and not create another low-performing school. North should be allowed to remain small for a time and keep what remains of its sense of community and excellence.
Sincerely,
Jimmy K. Poole, North Graduate of 1963
North's Principal 1994-2005, and
President of the North Mecklenburg Alumni Association
Click here to read the full story.
- Doug Miller
Thursday, December 3, 2009
DA: 'We make difficult decisions every day'
Peter Gilchrist, Mecklenburg's District Attorney for more than three decades, told his staff today that he will not seek re-election next year.
He released the following statement:
December 3, 2009
I have been privileged to serve as Mecklenburg County District Attorney for 35 years. Today I met with my staff to announce that my current term, ending December 31, 2010, would be my last term, and that I will not file for reelection in February 2010.
I am proud of the many outstanding attorneys and staff members who have worked in this office through those years to carry out our responsibility: representing the State of North Carolina in criminal prosecutions in Mecklenburg County. Seventeen of my former assistant district attorneys later became judges in Federal or State courts. Many other former assistants have been selected to work for the U.S. and N.C. Departments of Justice, the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, other public agencies and private practice. All carried with them the mantra of the District Attorney’s Office: “do the right thing.”
In an office with such broad responsibility, our goal has always been to do what is right based on the evidence and the law in each individual situation. We have looked at the evidence objectively in each case and have avoided making rash or rushed judgments or promises. The District Attorney’s responsibility in felony cases is to review the results of investigations by law enforcement officers and agencies to decide what charges, if any, will be presented to the grand jury. There is an important distinction between what is required to make a lawful arrest and to support a verdict of guilty. Arrests are based on “probable cause” – that is, a crime “probably” has been committed and a particular defendant “probably” committed it. Convictions in our courts require a finding of “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Currently we have 79 assistant district attorneys daily making decisions on the 12,000 felonies and over 200,000 other filings in the criminal district courts of this county each year. With such an enormous number of cases and a finite amount of resources, we have to make difficult decisions every day. Which cases will meet the higher “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard for conviction? Which cases should we try even if the evidence is not as strong because the defendant represents a clear danger to the community? Of course, we need to – and have – constantly pushed for more resources. But there will never be enough prosecutors, judges or jail cells, to have jury trials in anywhere near all of the cases brought to the District Attorney’s Office.
For the past 35 years I have worked to ensure this office carries out its responsibility to our community. I am proud of our accomplishments. While we still have our challenges, I believe the District Attorney’s Office now has the best staffing and is in the best shape ever. It is time for someone else to assume its leadership.
I believe the upcoming election will present an opportunity for the citizens of Mecklenburg County to reflect on the role of the District Attorney and to learn more about the statutory regulations that create and govern the position, so that each citizen can make an informed choice. I hope voters look for candidates who understand the statutory, ethical and practical boundaries of the job – and are wary of headline-grabbing and unrealistic campaign promises. In my last year in office, particularly over the next few months before the election filing deadline, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss the office, its duties and its challenges.
Most of all, I would like to thank the citizens of Mecklenburg County for reelecting me for the last nine terms as your District Attorney. It has been my honor to serve you.
- Doug Miller
He released the following statement:
December 3, 2009
I have been privileged to serve as Mecklenburg County District Attorney for 35 years. Today I met with my staff to announce that my current term, ending December 31, 2010, would be my last term, and that I will not file for reelection in February 2010.
I am proud of the many outstanding attorneys and staff members who have worked in this office through those years to carry out our responsibility: representing the State of North Carolina in criminal prosecutions in Mecklenburg County. Seventeen of my former assistant district attorneys later became judges in Federal or State courts. Many other former assistants have been selected to work for the U.S. and N.C. Departments of Justice, the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, other public agencies and private practice. All carried with them the mantra of the District Attorney’s Office: “do the right thing.”
In an office with such broad responsibility, our goal has always been to do what is right based on the evidence and the law in each individual situation. We have looked at the evidence objectively in each case and have avoided making rash or rushed judgments or promises. The District Attorney’s responsibility in felony cases is to review the results of investigations by law enforcement officers and agencies to decide what charges, if any, will be presented to the grand jury. There is an important distinction between what is required to make a lawful arrest and to support a verdict of guilty. Arrests are based on “probable cause” – that is, a crime “probably” has been committed and a particular defendant “probably” committed it. Convictions in our courts require a finding of “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Currently we have 79 assistant district attorneys daily making decisions on the 12,000 felonies and over 200,000 other filings in the criminal district courts of this county each year. With such an enormous number of cases and a finite amount of resources, we have to make difficult decisions every day. Which cases will meet the higher “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard for conviction? Which cases should we try even if the evidence is not as strong because the defendant represents a clear danger to the community? Of course, we need to – and have – constantly pushed for more resources. But there will never be enough prosecutors, judges or jail cells, to have jury trials in anywhere near all of the cases brought to the District Attorney’s Office.
For the past 35 years I have worked to ensure this office carries out its responsibility to our community. I am proud of our accomplishments. While we still have our challenges, I believe the District Attorney’s Office now has the best staffing and is in the best shape ever. It is time for someone else to assume its leadership.
I believe the upcoming election will present an opportunity for the citizens of Mecklenburg County to reflect on the role of the District Attorney and to learn more about the statutory regulations that create and govern the position, so that each citizen can make an informed choice. I hope voters look for candidates who understand the statutory, ethical and practical boundaries of the job – and are wary of headline-grabbing and unrealistic campaign promises. In my last year in office, particularly over the next few months before the election filing deadline, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss the office, its duties and its challenges.
Most of all, I would like to thank the citizens of Mecklenburg County for reelecting me for the last nine terms as your District Attorney. It has been my honor to serve you.
- Doug Miller
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
E-mails from the White House 'party crashers'
The Associated Press released these excerpts from e-mails between Tareq and Michaele Salahi and Michele Jones, special assistant to the defense secretary, as part of the couple's effort to obtain an invitation to the Obama administration's first state dinner last week.
Friday, Nov. 20, 4:15 p.m.
To the Salahis' attorney Paul Gardner from his office manager Rosalind Tyner.
Michele S. Jones just called regarding the state dinner at the White House for Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. I need the following information from Tareq and Michaele Salahi immediately so she can submit their information before 5 p.m. today. Full name, Social Security number, date of birth, citizenship.
Friday, Nov. 20, 4:33 p.m.
From Tareq Salahi to Rosalind Tyner, Paul Gardner
Hi Team THANK YOU!!! We are very much looking forward to it!
(Salahi sends Social Security number, date of birth and citizenship for himself and his wife)
Friday, Nov. 20, 4:49 p.m.
From Michele Jones to Tareq Salahi
Hopefully I can get tickets for the arrival ceremony … the state dinner is completely closed and has been for awhile. As soon as I know, I will contact you.
Monday, Nov. 23, 11 a.m.
From Tareq Salahi to Michele Jones
In preparations for tomorrow, do you know what time we would need to be there, and which entrance we should go through?
Monday, Nov. 23, 4:12 p.m.
From Michele Jones to Tareq Salahi
I am still hoping that I can get tickets for the arrival ceremony tomorrow. They do have your information in the event that extra tickets become available and will notify me immediately. I still haven't given up, but it doesn't seem likely.
Monday, Nov. 23, 4:51 p.m.
From Tareq Salahi to Michele Jones
By the way – I know for a fact that these persons are unable to attend the state dinner and the reception portion:
1.) Sen. Harry Reid and his wife (they have gone home early for Thanksgiving).
2.) Kuma Gupta and husband (unable to travel to D.C. tomorrow)
3.) Bob Stevens and his wife (top brass from Lockheed Martin)
Tuesday, Nov. 24, 8:46 a.m.
From Michele Jones to Tareq Salahi
The arrival ceremony (was scheduled to be outdoors) was canceled due to inclement weather. They are having a very small one inside the WH, very limited space. I am still working on tickets for tonight's dinner. I will call or e-mail as soon as I get word one way or another.
Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1:03 a.m.
From Michaele and Tareq Salahi to Michele Jones
Hi Michele,
You are an angel!
My cell phone battery died early this evening while we were in D.C. from our country home, so I just got your message now after driving back out. But obviously it worked out at the end. … We ended up going to the gate to check in at 6:30 p.m. to just check, in case it got approved, since we didn't know, and our name was indeed on the list! We are very grateful, and God bless you.
We just got home, and we had a very wonderful evening as you can imagine!
Look forward to seeing you very soon. Say when for dinner – we can't wait to see you and catch up and share memories of true lifetime.
Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1:38 p.m.
From Michele Jones to Tareq Salahi
Tareq,
You are most welcome! I here the smile in your e-mail and am delighted that you and Michaele had a wonderful time. :-)
Have an extraordinary Thanksgiving and many blessings to you both!
Much love,
Michele
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Diehl: Mayfield owes $372,000
Charlotte attorney Bill Diehl and his law firm filed suit today against former client and NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield to recover almost $372,000 in unpaid legal bills.
Diehl and his firm filed suit in Mecklenburg County Superior Court seeking to receive $371,973.66 for legal services already performed for Mayfield and his team, Mayfield Motorsports Inc., as they battled NASCAR over his indefinite suspension for violating the sport’s substance abuse policy.
In the suit, Diehl and his firm claim between May and August 2009 Mayfield was continually late in the payment of a promised monthly payment.
Click here to read the suit.
In addition, the firm claims it attempted several times to get Mayfield to agree to a written contract to pay monthly $20,000 payments and a lump sum final payment on Dec. 15 and Mayfield repeatedly refused.
The firm is seeking the court to award it the amount of unpaid legal fees plus attorney fees and late charges and interest dating from Oct. 22, 2009, until the amount is finally paid.
Last month, Mayfield replaced Diehl and his firm with celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos. At the time of the change, Diehl said in repeated interviews that Mayfield owed him “a lot” for defending him in his lawsuit against NASCAR.
Mayfield recently held an auction to sell an executive home, log cabin, ranch home, shop and various other personal property in Catawba County. The was no immediate response from Mayfield on Wednesday to the filing.
- Jim Utter
Diehl and his firm filed suit in Mecklenburg County Superior Court seeking to receive $371,973.66 for legal services already performed for Mayfield and his team, Mayfield Motorsports Inc., as they battled NASCAR over his indefinite suspension for violating the sport’s substance abuse policy.
In the suit, Diehl and his firm claim between May and August 2009 Mayfield was continually late in the payment of a promised monthly payment.
Click here to read the suit.
In addition, the firm claims it attempted several times to get Mayfield to agree to a written contract to pay monthly $20,000 payments and a lump sum final payment on Dec. 15 and Mayfield repeatedly refused.
The firm is seeking the court to award it the amount of unpaid legal fees plus attorney fees and late charges and interest dating from Oct. 22, 2009, until the amount is finally paid.
Last month, Mayfield replaced Diehl and his firm with celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos. At the time of the change, Diehl said in repeated interviews that Mayfield owed him “a lot” for defending him in his lawsuit against NASCAR.
Mayfield recently held an auction to sell an executive home, log cabin, ranch home, shop and various other personal property in Catawba County. The was no immediate response from Mayfield on Wednesday to the filing.
- Jim Utter
Read the e-mails behind the climate change scandal
The University of East Anglia, in Norwich, England, said hackers last week stole about a decade's worth of data from a computer server at the university's Climatic Research Unit, a leading research center on climate change.
About 1,000 e-mails and 3,000 documents have been posted on Web sites and seized on by climate change skeptics who say the correspondence shows collusion between scientists to overstate the case for global warming, and evidence that some have manipulated evidence.
You can read the massive archive of e-mails at this site. (Note: The authenticity of all the e-mails posted on the site has not been confirmed.)
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., a global warming skeptic, said Tuesday that he’d begun an investigation into what he alleges to be the manipulation of global warming research.
Meanwhile, the White House said Wednesday that at the international climate summit in Copenhagen next month, President Barack Obama will offer to reduce greenhouse gas emissions “in the range of” 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050.
Read the White House announcement here.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Jones replaces auditor over DSS report
Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones today said in a memo the county human resources department "has been instructed to initiate recruitment for a new Internal Audit Department director."
The memo does not indicate what happened to Director Cornita Spears, who announced Tuesday that an audit released this summer failed to account for roughly $33,000 that had been returned to the county.
Spears said the money helped the county account for more than $160,000 that had been spent by the Giving Tree charity program run by the county Department of Social Services. Here is the full story.
Former county finance director Harry Weatherly will serve as interim consulting director for the next 90 days.
The reorganization was included in a memo Jones sends weekly to county commissioners.
Here is the memo:
Changes in Internal Audit Management
As I mentioned at the Board meeting earlier this week, the error associated with the Giving Tree audit is unacceptable for this organization. It has damaged the credibility of the Internal Audit Department and Mecklenburg County as an organization. I have determined that the credibility of the Internal Audit Department cannot be restored with the current management of this department.
Therefore, I have taken the following steps regarding the leadership and management of the Internal Audit Department. Former County Finance Director Harry Weatherly has agreed to serve as Interim Consulting Director of the Internal Audit Department. We will expand our existing services agreement with Mr. Weatherly to serve in this capacity over the next 90 days. In this role, Mr. Weatherly will provide executive oversight of the Internal Audit Department in a consulting capacity. He will report directly to the county manager regarding all matters pertaining to the County’s Internal Audit Department.
Mr. Weatherly will be supported in this interim role by current Internal Audit Department staff member Chris Waddell. Mr. Waddell will serve as Interim Operations Manager for Internal Audit and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Department.
In addition, the Human Resources Department has been instructed to initiate recruitment for a new Internal Audit Department director.
These changes are effective immediately.
--Harry L. Jones, Sr., County Manager
The memo does not indicate what happened to Director Cornita Spears, who announced Tuesday that an audit released this summer failed to account for roughly $33,000 that had been returned to the county.
Spears said the money helped the county account for more than $160,000 that had been spent by the Giving Tree charity program run by the county Department of Social Services. Here is the full story.
Former county finance director Harry Weatherly will serve as interim consulting director for the next 90 days.
The reorganization was included in a memo Jones sends weekly to county commissioners.
Here is the memo:
Changes in Internal Audit Management
As I mentioned at the Board meeting earlier this week, the error associated with the Giving Tree audit is unacceptable for this organization. It has damaged the credibility of the Internal Audit Department and Mecklenburg County as an organization. I have determined that the credibility of the Internal Audit Department cannot be restored with the current management of this department.
Therefore, I have taken the following steps regarding the leadership and management of the Internal Audit Department. Former County Finance Director Harry Weatherly has agreed to serve as Interim Consulting Director of the Internal Audit Department. We will expand our existing services agreement with Mr. Weatherly to serve in this capacity over the next 90 days. In this role, Mr. Weatherly will provide executive oversight of the Internal Audit Department in a consulting capacity. He will report directly to the county manager regarding all matters pertaining to the County’s Internal Audit Department.
Mr. Weatherly will be supported in this interim role by current Internal Audit Department staff member Chris Waddell. Mr. Waddell will serve as Interim Operations Manager for Internal Audit and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Department.
In addition, the Human Resources Department has been instructed to initiate recruitment for a new Internal Audit Department director.
These changes are effective immediately.
--Harry L. Jones, Sr., County Manager
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Jones: No thoughts of resigning
Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones has faced intense criticism from some residents on a variety of issues this year, including reported accounting problems in the Department of Social Services and a $38,400 performance bonus given to him earlier this month. Some have even called for his job.Jones addressed the issues in an interview Thursday on "Charlotte's Morning News with Al Gardner & Stacey Simms" on WBT-AM.
Click here to hear the full exchange. Note: The link to Jones' interview is about midway down the page
Here are some snippets:
Q. Have you thought about resigning?
Jones: "No, I have not given any thought to that Al. This has been a good year. You know along the way you are going to make some mistakes. I did make a mistake in forwarding an email. Harry Lomax and I have subsequently talked and I'm taking his position that it was blown way out of proportion. He and I have had lunch together with each other. No, I have not given any thought to it. But I will say, Al, it's been a tough year. It's been a really tough year. But I think it's also been my best year and I told the board of county commissioners that and I'm going to continue to stay where I am unless they decide they don't want me any longer."
Q. As Al was mentioning, though, other county employees didn't get bonuses at all. And it seems to me that with the email as you said you’ve apologized, you've had lunch with the gentleman, but (it was) big blow to public trust there, and with the DSS situation being what it is, why not say, well, I'll accept the bonus if such and so bears out, an ethics investigation, something like that? Because I think a lot of people would question whether this was the best year for county government.
Jones: "I’m going to say this: I earned that bonus. I think the other issues my board of county commissioners factored all of those things in when they considered my compensation. And the position that I will take is that, yes, the email does raise some questions about people's confidence in government. But Al and Stacey, I will say to you that there was no malicious intent, as I have indicated publicly, on my forwarding that particular email. And in that there was no malicious intent, for those people who want to call for my scalp on that one particular action, (they) don’t know Harry Jones and don't know what Harry Jones has done through his career to try to open up government, to encourage more participation. If you want to judge me on this one action, then I would say you're judging me contrary to the real Harry Jones."
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