APS - Who is running for School Board?

[Anonymous]

How did Reed get elected isn’t he a government contractor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How did Reed get elected isn’t he a government contractor?

He’s not a Fed.

[Anonymous]

Wait, does that mean that if he did it he was trying to get her fired? Or she could be fired? Not on that page if you can share more.

[Anonymous]

According to a comment on the Arlington Dems FB page, Terron did elevate it to the Office of Special Counsel. SO... it looking like sh*t did get real.

OSC usually keeps whistleblower and Hatch Act complaints confidential. Is there any proof that he did? But even if he or someone else reported it to OSC (a lot of people were threatening to do it early on in this thread), isn't that what someone is SUPPOSED to do when there is a violation? I'm puzzled by the outrage over someone reporting an ethical violation, and a corresponding lack of outrage against the person committing the ethical violation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, does that mean that if he did it he was trying to get her fired? Or she could be fired? Not on that page if you can share more.

Not necessarily. Whoever reported to OSC presumably was reporting what they perceived as a violation. The consequences would flow from there and would be determined by OSC and I think the Merit Systems Board. It used to be that Hatch Act required termination. Now there is a range of penalties. Could be a fine up to termination. But the onus/responsibility is on the fed to be compliant with the law, no? If I was a fed and I knew that H Act violations could result in my termination, I'd be damn sure that I was fully in line with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

According to a comment on the Arlington Dems FB page, Terron did elevate it to the Office of Special Counsel. SO... it looking like sh*t did get real.

OSC usually keeps whistleblower and Hatch Act complaints confidential. Is there any proof that he did? But even if he or someone else reported it to OSC (a lot of people were threatening to do it early on in this thread), isn't that what someone is SUPPOSED to do when there is a violation? I'm puzzled by the outrage over someone reporting an ethical violation, and a corresponding lack of outrage against the person committing the ethical violation.


This! Why would anyone jump to the conclusion that whomever reported this was trying to get her fired? That is a real logical leap. I’m sure she is just crowing over getting to play the poor minority victim here. It’s almost too perfect of a situation. Almost like it was planned, lol.

[Anonymous]

What is the process that a federal worker is SUPPOSED to follow when they have a question about engaging in an activity that *may* implicate the Hatch Act and want an advisory opinion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the process that a federal worker is SUPPOSED to follow when they have a question about engaging in an activity that *may* implicate the Hatch Act and want an advisory opinion?

I think Symone did the right thing by going to her ethics office and she should have been able to rely on their advice, assuming of course that she provided all of the relevant facts. If she left out the part about running for the Dems endorsement and participating in the Dems caucus, that's a pretty big omission and definitely changes the legal analysis. If I thought it was at all a close call, I would have gone to OSC for an advisory opinion. But then again, there apparently is already an OSC opinion directly on point that says an independent candidate cannot seek the Dems endorsement. Don't know if that was innocently overlooked or willfully ignored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the process that a federal worker is SUPPOSED to follow when they have a question about engaging in an activity that *may* implicate the Hatch Act and want an advisory opinion?

I think Symone did the right thing by going to her ethics office and she should have been able to rely on their advice, assuming of course that she provided all of the relevant facts. If she left out the part about running for the Dems endorsement and participating in the Dems caucus, that's a pretty big omission and definitely changes the legal analysis. If I thought it was at all a close call, I would have gone to OSC for an advisory opinion. But then again, there apparently is already an OSC opinion directly on point that says an independent candidate cannot seek the Dems endorsement. Don't know if that was innocently overlooked or willfully ignored.

A lawyer who innocently overlooks a major detail like that is not a good one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the process that a federal worker is SUPPOSED to follow when they have a question about engaging in an activity that *may* implicate the Hatch Act and want an advisory opinion?

I think Symone did the right thing by going to her ethics office and she should have been able to rely on their advice, assuming of course that she provided all of the relevant facts. If she left out the part about running for the Dems endorsement and participating in the Dems caucus, that's a pretty big omission and definitely changes the legal analysis. If I thought it was at all a close call, I would have gone to OSC for an advisory opinion. But then again, there apparently is already an OSC opinion directly on point that says an independent candidate cannot seek the Dems endorsement. Don't know if that was innocently overlooked or willfully ignored.

A lawyer who innocently overlooks a major detail like that is not a good one.

Agreed. The OSC opinion is online and easy to find - so why didn't she find it?

[Anonymous]

Symone messed up big time. She knows it, so she's doing damage control by wailing about harassment and blaming "another candidate" for reporting her. The pity party on AEM is making me want to barf.

Frankly I respect Teron for reporting her (assuming he did). No matter who reported it, reporting an ethical violation is not harassment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Symone messed up big time. She knows it, so she's doing damage control by wailing about harassment and blaming "another candidate" for reporting her. The pity party on AEM is making me want to barf.

Frankly I respect Teron for reporting her (assuming he did). No matter who reported it, reporting an ethical violation is not harassment.

I was feeling pretty good about my decision to leave AEM and its negativity, but now I wish I were there to see this all go down. Sorry but I have never been a fan of her or her equally rude AEM friends.

[Anonymous]

The reality is that it never looks good to try to eliminate your opponent through legal maneuvering. You may be right, but people will always wonder if you felt threatened by them as a candidate. If you’re truly concerned about a hatch act violation, why not leave it to the hundreds of thousands of other residents of Arlington to file a complaint? Do you really need a school board seat so badly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Symone messed up big time. She knows it, so she's doing damage control by wailing about harassment and blaming "another candidate" for reporting her. The pity party on AEM is making me want to barf.

Frankly I respect Teron for reporting her (assuming he did). No matter who reported it, reporting an ethical violation is not harassment.

I was feeling pretty good about my decision to leave AEM and its negativity, but now I wish I were there to see this all go down. Sorry but I have never been a fan of her or her equally rude AEM friends.

Same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you’re truly concerned about a hatch act violation, why not leave it to the hundreds of thousands of other residents of Arlington to file a complaint? Do you really need a school board seat so badly?

Do you really need a school board seat so badly that you violate federal law to get it?