Anybody know anything about Omar Lazo? Teachers' union pick for BOE At Large seat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I need specifics. What did he say, how does that compare to other candidates.

Are you ok? You need to check yourself.

1) I, as an anonymous poster on DCUM, don't owe you, also an anonymous poster on DCUM, my free labor to do candidate research. I don't work for Lazo's campaign or any of his opponents. I'm just an eligible voter. If you want to use your free time to review Omar's comments from all his public forums and interviews, have at it. I'm not doing that for you.

2) This thread is about Omar and his candidacy. Not about other opponents. You don't get to deflect candidates about his candidacy and campaign by asking what other candidates have done. Feel free to start a thread about those candidates and we can ask those questions there.

You made a claim. You can defend it or not, but don't be upset when people ask you to defend your claim. I haven't gotten any indication from what I have read about Lazo that he is exclusively focused on the Latino community. You're claim that because he has advocated for Latinos he doesn't care about other groups is personally offensive to me.

I did not say "he doesn't care about other groups." I said I've not seen that he has publicly advocated for the concerns of MCPS stakeholder groups other than Hispanic/Latino families. And that is accurate.

So as you're on DCUM trying to play trial lawyer and saying people have to "defend" their claims, you need to hold yourself to the same standard, Judge Judy.

His website says, "Omar believes every child—regardless of ZIP code, race, language, or family income—deserves access to excellent schools, safe learning environments, and strong pathways to college and careers."

There he is, advocating for all kids.

If you think a statement alone equates to advocacy for other groups, than you and I have different definitions of what advocacy looks like. And that's ok.

At best, the statement signals an intent do that. What has yet to be produced are examples of actions he has taken to advocate for MCPS families other than Hispanic/Latino families from him.

You can use whatever criteria you want as you decide whether you support Omar. And clearly, based on your breathless and aggressive defense of him in this thread, you've chosen to support him.

However, other people are still deciding and evaluating whether he's worthy of their vote. And that's ok too.

I have seen no public reporting on any advocacy that Lazo has done that was focused on the Latino community. But if he did do that, that would be completely fine with me and not disqualifying, and it's bizarre to me that a history of advocacy for Latinos would be disqualifying for anyone.

Again: You either struggle with reading comprehension or you're a Lazo campaign troll who just wants to attack whatever you perceive to be smears against his candidacy.

A history of advocating for Latino families is great and not a disqualifier. A history of ONLY advocating for Latino families is not as great for a role that would require him to be a countywide representative of a county that is incredibly diverse. And even if he hasn't advocated for non-Hispanic families, he should be providing evidence of how and why he's equally committed to fighting for other groups that don't share his identity background. This is Campaigning 101.

There is more than just advocacy. Are you a w school family who gets a lot and wants more while our kids go without?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I need specifics. What did he say, how does that compare to other candidates.

Are you ok? You need to check yourself.

1) I, as an anonymous poster on DCUM, don't owe you, also an anonymous poster on DCUM, my free labor to do candidate research. I don't work for Lazo's campaign or any of his opponents. I'm just an eligible voter. If you want to use your free time to review Omar's comments from all his public forums and interviews, have at it. I'm not doing that for you.

2) This thread is about Omar and his candidacy. Not about other opponents. You don't get to deflect candidates about his candidacy and campaign by asking what other candidates have done. Feel free to start a thread about those candidates and we can ask those questions there.

You made a claim. You can defend it or not, but don't be upset when people ask you to defend your claim. I haven't gotten any indication from what I have read about Lazo that he is exclusively focused on the Latino community. You're claim that because he has advocated for Latinos he doesn't care about other groups is personally offensive to me.

I did not say "he doesn't care about other groups." I said I've not seen that he has publicly advocated for the concerns of MCPS stakeholder groups other than Hispanic/Latino families. And that is accurate.

So as you're on DCUM trying to play trial lawyer and saying people have to "defend" their claims, you need to hold yourself to the same standard, Judge Judy.

His website says, "Omar believes every child—regardless of ZIP code, race, language, or family income—deserves access to excellent schools, safe learning environments, and strong pathways to college and careers."

There he is, advocating for all kids.

If you think a statement alone equates to advocacy for other groups, than you and I have different definitions of what advocacy looks like. And that's ok.

At best, the statement signals an intent do that. What has yet to be produced are examples of actions he has taken to advocate for MCPS families other than Hispanic/Latino families from him.

You can use whatever criteria you want as you decide whether you support Omar. And clearly, based on your breathless and aggressive defense of him in this thread, you've chosen to support him.

However, other people are still deciding and evaluating whether he's worthy of their vote. And that's ok too.

I have seen no public reporting on any advocacy that Lazo has done that was focused on the Latino community. But if he did do that, that would be completely fine with me and not disqualifying, and it's bizarre to me that a history of advocacy for Latinos would be disqualifying for anyone.

Again: You either struggle with reading comprehension or you're a Lazo campaign troll who just wants to attack whatever you perceive to be smears against his candidacy.

A history of advocating for Latino families is great and not a disqualifier. A history of ONLY advocating for Latino families is not as great for a role that would require him to be a countywide representative of a county that is incredibly diverse. And even if he hasn't advocated for non-Hispanic families, he should be providing evidence of how and why he's equally committed to fighting for other groups that don't share his identity background. This is Campaigning 101.

Wow

I guarantee you havent asked the same questions for white candidates

Just wow

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I need specifics. What did he say, how does that compare to other candidates.

Are you ok? You need to check yourself.

1) I, as an anonymous poster on DCUM, don't owe you, also an anonymous poster on DCUM, my free labor to do candidate research. I don't work for Lazo's campaign or any of his opponents. I'm just an eligible voter. If you want to use your free time to review Omar's comments from all his public forums and interviews, have at it. I'm not doing that for you.

2) This thread is about Omar and his candidacy. Not about other opponents. You don't get to deflect candidates about his candidacy and campaign by asking what other candidates have done. Feel free to start a thread about those candidates and we can ask those questions there.

You made a claim. You can defend it or not, but don't be upset when people ask you to defend your claim. I haven't gotten any indication from what I have read about Lazo that he is exclusively focused on the Latino community. You're claim that because he has advocated for Latinos he doesn't care about other groups is personally offensive to me.

I did not say "he doesn't care about other groups." I said I've not seen that he has publicly advocated for the concerns of MCPS stakeholder groups other than Hispanic/Latino families. And that is accurate.

So as you're on DCUM trying to play trial lawyer and saying people have to "defend" their claims, you need to hold yourself to the same standard, Judge Judy.

His website says, "Omar believes every child—regardless of ZIP code, race, language, or family income—deserves access to excellent schools, safe learning environments, and strong pathways to college and careers."

There he is, advocating for all kids.

If you think a statement alone equates to advocacy for other groups, than you and I have different definitions of what advocacy looks like. And that's ok.

At best, the statement signals an intent do that. What has yet to be produced are examples of actions he has taken to advocate for MCPS families other than Hispanic/Latino families from him.

You can use whatever criteria you want as you decide whether you support Omar. And clearly, based on your breathless and aggressive defense of him in this thread, you've chosen to support him.

However, other people are still deciding and evaluating whether he's worthy of their vote. And that's ok too.

I have seen no public reporting on any advocacy that Lazo has done that was focused on the Latino community. But if he did do that, that would be completely fine with me and not disqualifying, and it's bizarre to me that a history of advocacy for Latinos would be disqualifying for anyone.

Again: You either struggle with reading comprehension or you're a Lazo campaign troll who just wants to attack whatever you perceive to be smears against his candidacy.

A history of advocating for Latino families is great and not a disqualifier. A history of ONLY advocating for Latino families is not as great for a role that would require him to be a countywide representative of a county that is incredibly diverse. And even if he hasn't advocated for non-Hispanic families, he should be providing evidence of how and why he's equally committed to fighting for other groups that don't share his identity background. This is Campaigning 101.

There is more than just advocacy. Are you a w school family who gets a lot and wants more while our kids go without?

Huh? If there's more than just advocacy (I presume you mean for groups other than Latinos), then you should be able to point to those examples somewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I need specifics. What did he say, how does that compare to other candidates.

Are you ok? You need to check yourself.

1) I, as an anonymous poster on DCUM, don't owe you, also an anonymous poster on DCUM, my free labor to do candidate research. I don't work for Lazo's campaign or any of his opponents. I'm just an eligible voter. If you want to use your free time to review Omar's comments from all his public forums and interviews, have at it. I'm not doing that for you.

2) This thread is about Omar and his candidacy. Not about other opponents. You don't get to deflect candidates about his candidacy and campaign by asking what other candidates have done. Feel free to start a thread about those candidates and we can ask those questions there.

You made a claim. You can defend it or not, but don't be upset when people ask you to defend your claim. I haven't gotten any indication from what I have read about Lazo that he is exclusively focused on the Latino community. You're claim that because he has advocated for Latinos he doesn't care about other groups is personally offensive to me.

I did not say "he doesn't care about other groups." I said I've not seen that he has publicly advocated for the concerns of MCPS stakeholder groups other than Hispanic/Latino families. And that is accurate.

So as you're on DCUM trying to play trial lawyer and saying people have to "defend" their claims, you need to hold yourself to the same standard, Judge Judy.

His website says, "Omar believes every child—regardless of ZIP code, race, language, or family income—deserves access to excellent schools, safe learning environments, and strong pathways to college and careers."

There he is, advocating for all kids.

If you think a statement alone equates to advocacy for other groups, than you and I have different definitions of what advocacy looks like. And that's ok.

At best, the statement signals an intent do that. What has yet to be produced are examples of actions he has taken to advocate for MCPS families other than Hispanic/Latino families from him.

You can use whatever criteria you want as you decide whether you support Omar. And clearly, based on your breathless and aggressive defense of him in this thread, you've chosen to support him.

However, other people are still deciding and evaluating whether he's worthy of their vote. And that's ok too.

I have seen no public reporting on any advocacy that Lazo has done that was focused on the Latino community. But if he did do that, that would be completely fine with me and not disqualifying, and it's bizarre to me that a history of advocacy for Latinos would be disqualifying for anyone.

Again: You either struggle with reading comprehension or you're a Lazo campaign troll who just wants to attack whatever you perceive to be smears against his candidacy.

A history of advocating for Latino families is great and not a disqualifier. A history of ONLY advocating for Latino families is not as great for a role that would require him to be a countywide representative of a county that is incredibly diverse. And even if he hasn't advocated for non-Hispanic families, he should be providing evidence of how and why he's equally committed to fighting for other groups that don't share his identity background. This is Campaigning 101.

Wow

I guarantee you havent asked the same questions for white candidates

Just wow

There is no white candidate in the at-large race. The only white candidate in the at-large race, Tiffany Wicks, dropped out of the race, even though she will still appear on the ballot. Brenda Diaz is Puerto Rican and Hispanic.

There's Wylea Chase, who in addition to advocating for Black people, advocating for Wootton when Option H was pushed on the school despite pushback from the PTSA and other anti-Option H supporters. The people in that group were largely white and Asian. She also earned the endorsement from Washington Jewish Week: https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/editorial-montgomery-countys-primary-choices-matter/

Their endorsement said:

Wylea Chase is widely regarded as an experienced education leader with strong cross-community ties, including work with Jewish organizations on antisemitism. Omar Lazo offers a different perspective and is also viewed as a credible candidate. As between the two, Wylea Chase is the more experienced candidate and has earned our endorsement.

Wylea is a BOE candidate with a track record of advocating NOT only for people who look like her, but others.

I'll even give credit to Brenda Diaz that she has advocated for a wide variety of stakeholders outside of herself. Largely because she is the outsider candidate who has no natural allies, so she has to align with whoever is willing to align with her.

But I have not seen evidence of Omar doing the same. Show me similar proof that Omar has done that. I'm waiting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I need specifics. What did he say, how does that compare to other candidates.

Are you ok? You need to check yourself.

1) I, as an anonymous poster on DCUM, don't owe you, also an anonymous poster on DCUM, my free labor to do candidate research. I don't work for Lazo's campaign or any of his opponents. I'm just an eligible voter. If you want to use your free time to review Omar's comments from all his public forums and interviews, have at it. I'm not doing that for you.

2) This thread is about Omar and his candidacy. Not about other opponents. You don't get to deflect candidates about his candidacy and campaign by asking what other candidates have done. Feel free to start a thread about those candidates and we can ask those questions there.

You made a claim. You can defend it or not, but don't be upset when people ask you to defend your claim. I haven't gotten any indication from what I have read about Lazo that he is exclusively focused on the Latino community. You're claim that because he has advocated for Latinos he doesn't care about other groups is personally offensive to me.

I did not say "he doesn't care about other groups." I said I've not seen that he has publicly advocated for the concerns of MCPS stakeholder groups other than Hispanic/Latino families. And that is accurate.

So as you're on DCUM trying to play trial lawyer and saying people have to "defend" their claims, you need to hold yourself to the same standard, Judge Judy.

His website says, "Omar believes every child—regardless of ZIP code, race, language, or family income—deserves access to excellent schools, safe learning environments, and strong pathways to college and careers."

There he is, advocating for all kids.

If you think a statement alone equates to advocacy for other groups, than you and I have different definitions of what advocacy looks like. And that's ok.

At best, the statement signals an intent do that. What has yet to be produced are examples of actions he has taken to advocate for MCPS families other than Hispanic/Latino families from him.

You can use whatever criteria you want as you decide whether you support Omar. And clearly, based on your breathless and aggressive defense of him in this thread, you've chosen to support him.

However, other people are still deciding and evaluating whether he's worthy of their vote. And that's ok too.

I have seen no public reporting on any advocacy that Lazo has done that was focused on the Latino community. But if he did do that, that would be completely fine with me and not disqualifying, and it's bizarre to me that a history of advocacy for Latinos would be disqualifying for anyone.

Again: You either struggle with reading comprehension or you're a Lazo campaign troll who just wants to attack whatever you perceive to be smears against his candidacy.

A history of advocating for Latino families is great and not a disqualifier. A history of ONLY advocating for Latino families is not as great for a role that would require him to be a countywide representative of a county that is incredibly diverse. And even if he hasn't advocated for non-Hispanic families, he should be providing evidence of how and why he's equally committed to fighting for other groups that don't share his identity background. This is Campaigning 101.

Wow

I guarantee you havent asked the same questions for white candidates

Just wow

There is no white candidate in the at-large race. The only white candidate in the at-large race, Tiffany Wicks, dropped out of the race, even though she will still appear on the ballot. Brenda Diaz is Puerto Rican and Hispanic.

There's Wylea Chase, who in addition to advocating for Black people, advocating for Wootton when Option H was pushed on the school despite pushback from the PTSA and other anti-Option H supporters. The people in that group were largely white and Asian. She also earned the endorsement from Washington Jewish Week: https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/editorial-montgomery-countys-primary-choices-matter/

Their endorsement said:

Wylea Chase is widely regarded as an experienced education leader with strong cross-community ties, including work with Jewish organizations on antisemitism. Omar Lazo offers a different perspective and is also viewed as a credible candidate. As between the two, Wylea Chase is the more experienced candidate and has earned our endorsement.

Wylea is a BOE candidate with a track record of advocating NOT only for people who look like her, but others.

I'll even give credit to Brenda Diaz that she has advocated for a wide variety of stakeholders outside of herself. Largely because she is the outsider candidate who has no natural allies, so she has to align with whoever is willing to align with her.

But I have not seen evidence of Omar doing the same. Show me similar proof that Omar has done that. I'm waiting.

He has the MCEA endorsement. A large majority of teachers are white.

Chase's Wootton advocacy is not a positive in my book. She also seems extremely laissez faire on screens. I will not vote for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I need specifics. What did he say, how does that compare to other candidates.

Are you ok? You need to check yourself.

1) I, as an anonymous poster on DCUM, don't owe you, also an anonymous poster on DCUM, my free labor to do candidate research. I don't work for Lazo's campaign or any of his opponents. I'm just an eligible voter. If you want to use your free time to review Omar's comments from all his public forums and interviews, have at it. I'm not doing that for you.

2) This thread is about Omar and his candidacy. Not about other opponents. You don't get to deflect candidates about his candidacy and campaign by asking what other candidates have done. Feel free to start a thread about those candidates and we can ask those questions there.

You made a claim. You can defend it or not, but don't be upset when people ask you to defend your claim. I haven't gotten any indication from what I have read about Lazo that he is exclusively focused on the Latino community. You're claim that because he has advocated for Latinos he doesn't care about other groups is personally offensive to me.

I did not say "he doesn't care about other groups." I said I've not seen that he has publicly advocated for the concerns of MCPS stakeholder groups other than Hispanic/Latino families. And that is accurate.

So as you're on DCUM trying to play trial lawyer and saying people have to "defend" their claims, you need to hold yourself to the same standard, Judge Judy.

His website says, "Omar believes every child—regardless of ZIP code, race, language, or family income—deserves access to excellent schools, safe learning environments, and strong pathways to college and careers."

There he is, advocating for all kids.

If you think a statement alone equates to advocacy for other groups, than you and I have different definitions of what advocacy looks like. And that's ok.

At best, the statement signals an intent do that. What has yet to be produced are examples of actions he has taken to advocate for MCPS families other than Hispanic/Latino families from him.

You can use whatever criteria you want as you decide whether you support Omar. And clearly, based on your breathless and aggressive defense of him in this thread, you've chosen to support him.

However, other people are still deciding and evaluating whether he's worthy of their vote. And that's ok too.

I have seen no public reporting on any advocacy that Lazo has done that was focused on the Latino community. But if he did do that, that would be completely fine with me and not disqualifying, and it's bizarre to me that a history of advocacy for Latinos would be disqualifying for anyone.

Again: You either struggle with reading comprehension or you're a Lazo campaign troll who just wants to attack whatever you perceive to be smears against his candidacy.

A history of advocating for Latino families is great and not a disqualifier. A history of ONLY advocating for Latino families is not as great for a role that would require him to be a countywide representative of a county that is incredibly diverse. And even if he hasn't advocated for non-Hispanic families, he should be providing evidence of how and why he's equally committed to fighting for other groups that don't share his identity background. This is Campaigning 101.

Wow

I guarantee you havent asked the same questions for white candidates

Just wow

There is no white candidate in the at-large race. The only white candidate in the at-large race, Tiffany Wicks, dropped out of the race, even though she will still appear on the ballot. Brenda Diaz is Puerto Rican and Hispanic.

There's Wylea Chase, who in addition to advocating for Black people, advocating for Wootton when Option H was pushed on the school despite pushback from the PTSA and other anti-Option H supporters. The people in that group were largely white and Asian. She also earned the endorsement from Washington Jewish Week: https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/editorial-montgomery-countys-primary-choices-matter/

Their endorsement said:

Wylea Chase is widely regarded as an experienced education leader with strong cross-community ties, including work with Jewish organizations on antisemitism. Omar Lazo offers a different perspective and is also viewed as a credible candidate. As between the two, Wylea Chase is the more experienced candidate and has earned our endorsement.

Wylea is a BOE candidate with a track record of advocating NOT only for people who look like her, but others.

I'll even give credit to Brenda Diaz that she has advocated for a wide variety of stakeholders outside of herself. Largely because she is the outsider candidate who has no natural allies, so she has to align with whoever is willing to align with her.

But I have not seen evidence of Omar doing the same. Show me similar proof that Omar has done that. I'm waiting.

Never heard of her. What has she done outside Wootton? If Wootton is her claim to fame no thanks. Who keeps kids and teachers at an unsafe school? That’s selfish and self serving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I need specifics. What did he say, how does that compare to other candidates.

Are you ok? You need to check yourself.

1) I, as an anonymous poster on DCUM, don't owe you, also an anonymous poster on DCUM, my free labor to do candidate research. I don't work for Lazo's campaign or any of his opponents. I'm just an eligible voter. If you want to use your free time to review Omar's comments from all his public forums and interviews, have at it. I'm not doing that for you.

2) This thread is about Omar and his candidacy. Not about other opponents. You don't get to deflect candidates about his candidacy and campaign by asking what other candidates have done. Feel free to start a thread about those candidates and we can ask those questions there.

You made a claim. You can defend it or not, but don't be upset when people ask you to defend your claim. I haven't gotten any indication from what I have read about Lazo that he is exclusively focused on the Latino community. You're claim that because he has advocated for Latinos he doesn't care about other groups is personally offensive to me.

I did not say "he doesn't care about other groups." I said I've not seen that he has publicly advocated for the concerns of MCPS stakeholder groups other than Hispanic/Latino families. And that is accurate.

So as you're on DCUM trying to play trial lawyer and saying people have to "defend" their claims, you need to hold yourself to the same standard, Judge Judy.

His website says, "Omar believes every child—regardless of ZIP code, race, language, or family income—deserves access to excellent schools, safe learning environments, and strong pathways to college and careers."

There he is, advocating for all kids.

If you think a statement alone equates to advocacy for other groups, than you and I have different definitions of what advocacy looks like. And that's ok.

At best, the statement signals an intent do that. What has yet to be produced are examples of actions he has taken to advocate for MCPS families other than Hispanic/Latino families from him.

You can use whatever criteria you want as you decide whether you support Omar. And clearly, based on your breathless and aggressive defense of him in this thread, you've chosen to support him.

However, other people are still deciding and evaluating whether he's worthy of their vote. And that's ok too.

I have seen no public reporting on any advocacy that Lazo has done that was focused on the Latino community. But if he did do that, that would be completely fine with me and not disqualifying, and it's bizarre to me that a history of advocacy for Latinos would be disqualifying for anyone.

Again: You either struggle with reading comprehension or you're a Lazo campaign troll who just wants to attack whatever you perceive to be smears against his candidacy.

A history of advocating for Latino families is great and not a disqualifier. A history of ONLY advocating for Latino families is not as great for a role that would require him to be a countywide representative of a county that is incredibly diverse. And even if he hasn't advocated for non-Hispanic families, he should be providing evidence of how and why he's equally committed to fighting for other groups that don't share his identity background. This is Campaigning 101.

Ok but I have seen zero evidence that Lazo has only advocated for Latinos. Are you saying people should base their votes on the insinuations of a random DCUM poster? You need to give us something other than "I don't like him because I have only seen him advocate for Latinos".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best thing you can say about Omar is:

- He's nice and congenial
- He's heavily focused on the Hispanic community and works closely with Diego Uriburu of the Black and Brown Coalition
- He has two daughters in the system

What concerns me about him:
- I think he has too many friends on the board and County Council and therefore, he won't be aggressive about holding the system accountable
- The MCEA endorsement means he's already got his hands tied when it comes to being a change agent, because the teachers' union isn't gonna like him if he rocks the boat too much
- His campaign has been very lowkey and under the radar. If he gets it, it'll likely be because he got the Apple ballot endorsement and not because he won the hearts and minds of the majority in Montgomery County

I'm not a fan of Uriburu - this guy formed the Black and Brown Coalition to be able to make political statements, while his paycheck at Identity Youth comes entirely from school-based programming in MCPS. It's nice work if you can get it, right? MCPS is laying off PCCs , PPWs, and licensed social workers. Meanwhile, Uriburu's organization Identify has plenty of work. For example, it is operating wellness centers at several MCPS high schools, staffed by 23-24 year olds who essentially provide peer counseling to students. I am sure there is some value to that, but where is the independent evaluation of all the Identity school programs that shows evidence-based outcomes? So, if that is what Omar is about, I can't support him.

Wylea Chase, one of Lazo's opponents, is a Director at the Black and Brown Coalition.

I've met Uriburu and I think he's great. I don't like that his organization supported the regional program model. But that is neither here nor there, since Lazo, not Uriburu, is on the ballot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I need specifics. What did he say, how does that compare to other candidates.

Are you ok? You need to check yourself.

1) I, as an anonymous poster on DCUM, don't owe you, also an anonymous poster on DCUM, my free labor to do candidate research. I don't work for Lazo's campaign or any of his opponents. I'm just an eligible voter. If you want to use your free time to review Omar's comments from all his public forums and interviews, have at it. I'm not doing that for you.

2) This thread is about Omar and his candidacy. Not about other opponents. You don't get to deflect candidates about his candidacy and campaign by asking what other candidates have done. Feel free to start a thread about those candidates and we can ask those questions there.

You made a claim. You can defend it or not, but don't be upset when people ask you to defend your claim. I haven't gotten any indication from what I have read about Lazo that he is exclusively focused on the Latino community. You're claim that because he has advocated for Latinos he doesn't care about other groups is personally offensive to me.

I did not say "he doesn't care about other groups." I said I've not seen that he has publicly advocated for the concerns of MCPS stakeholder groups other than Hispanic/Latino families. And that is accurate.

So as you're on DCUM trying to play trial lawyer and saying people have to "defend" their claims, you need to hold yourself to the same standard, Judge Judy.

His website says, "Omar believes every child—regardless of ZIP code, race, language, or family income—deserves access to excellent schools, safe learning environments, and strong pathways to college and careers."

There he is, advocating for all kids.

If you think a statement alone equates to advocacy for other groups, than you and I have different definitions of what advocacy looks like. And that's ok.

At best, the statement signals an intent do that. What has yet to be produced are examples of actions he has taken to advocate for MCPS families other than Hispanic/Latino families from him.

You can use whatever criteria you want as you decide whether you support Omar. And clearly, based on your breathless and aggressive defense of him in this thread, you've chosen to support him.

However, other people are still deciding and evaluating whether he's worthy of their vote. And that's ok too.

I have seen no public reporting on any advocacy that Lazo has done that was focused on the Latino community. But if he did do that, that would be completely fine with me and not disqualifying, and it's bizarre to me that a history of advocacy for Latinos would be disqualifying for anyone.

Again: You either struggle with reading comprehension or you're a Lazo campaign troll who just wants to attack whatever you perceive to be smears against his candidacy.

A history of advocating for Latino families is great and not a disqualifier. A history of ONLY advocating for Latino families is not as great for a role that would require him to be a countywide representative of a county that is incredibly diverse. And even if he hasn't advocated for non-Hispanic families, he should be providing evidence of how and why he's equally committed to fighting for other groups that don't share his identity background. This is Campaigning 101.

Ok but I have seen zero evidence that Lazo has only advocated for Latinos. Are you saying people should base their votes on the insinuations of a random DCUM poster? You need to give us something other than "I don't like him because I have only seen him advocate for Latinos".

The choice is between a candidate who has advocated for people who don't look like her in addition to people who do, with that candidate being Wylea Chase. The other choice is Omar, who again, at least publicly, has only advocated for people who share his cultural/ethnic background.

That's a valid lens from which to make a voting decision. I don't know why you feel otherwise, but it doesn't matter since you only get to decide how you vote and not anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best thing you can say about Omar is:

- He's nice and congenial
- He's heavily focused on the Hispanic community and works closely with Diego Uriburu of the Black and Brown Coalition
- He has two daughters in the system

What concerns me about him:
- I think he has too many friends on the board and County Council and therefore, he won't be aggressive about holding the system accountable
- The MCEA endorsement means he's already got his hands tied when it comes to being a change agent, because the teachers' union isn't gonna like him if he rocks the boat too much
- His campaign has been very lowkey and under the radar. If he gets it, it'll likely be because he got the Apple ballot endorsement and not because he won the hearts and minds of the majority in Montgomery County

I'm not a fan of Uriburu - this guy formed the Black and Brown Coalition to be able to make political statements, while his paycheck at Identity Youth comes entirely from school-based programming in MCPS. It's nice work if you can get it, right? MCPS is laying off PCCs , PPWs, and licensed social workers. Meanwhile, Uriburu's organization Identify has plenty of work. For example, it is operating wellness centers at several MCPS high schools, staffed by 23-24 year olds who essentially provide peer counseling to students. I am sure there is some value to that, but where is the independent evaluation of all the Identity school programs that shows evidence-based outcomes? So, if that is what Omar is about, I can't support him.

Wylea Chase, one of Lazo's opponents, is a Director at the Black and Brown Coalition.

I've met Uriburu and I think he's great. I don't like that his organization supported the regional program model. But that is neither here nor there, since Lazo, not Uriburu, is on the ballot.

She was a director for the Black and Brown Coalition. She resigned last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best thing you can say about Omar is:

- He's nice and congenial
- He's heavily focused on the Hispanic community and works closely with Diego Uriburu of the Black and Brown Coalition
- He has two daughters in the system

What concerns me about him:
- I think he has too many friends on the board and County Council and therefore, he won't be aggressive about holding the system accountable
- The MCEA endorsement means he's already got his hands tied when it comes to being a change agent, because the teachers' union isn't gonna like him if he rocks the boat too much
- His campaign has been very lowkey and under the radar. If he gets it, it'll likely be because he got the Apple ballot endorsement and not because he won the hearts and minds of the majority in Montgomery County

I'm not a fan of Uriburu - this guy formed the Black and Brown Coalition to be able to make political statements, while his paycheck at Identity Youth comes entirely from school-based programming in MCPS. It's nice work if you can get it, right? MCPS is laying off PCCs , PPWs, and licensed social workers. Meanwhile, Uriburu's organization Identify has plenty of work. For example, it is operating wellness centers at several MCPS high schools, staffed by 23-24 year olds who essentially provide peer counseling to students. I am sure there is some value to that, but where is the independent evaluation of all the Identity school programs that shows evidence-based outcomes? So, if that is what Omar is about, I can't support him.

Wylea Chase, one of Lazo's opponents, is a Director at the Black and Brown Coalition.

I've met Uriburu and I think he's great. I don't like that his organization supported the regional program model. But that is neither here nor there, since Lazo, not Uriburu, is on the ballot.

She was a director for the Black and Brown Coalition. She resigned last year.

She was urged to run by B&BC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I need specifics. What did he say, how does that compare to other candidates.

Are you ok? You need to check yourself.

1) I, as an anonymous poster on DCUM, don't owe you, also an anonymous poster on DCUM, my free labor to do candidate research. I don't work for Lazo's campaign or any of his opponents. I'm just an eligible voter. If you want to use your free time to review Omar's comments from all his public forums and interviews, have at it. I'm not doing that for you.

2) This thread is about Omar and his candidacy. Not about other opponents. You don't get to deflect candidates about his candidacy and campaign by asking what other candidates have done. Feel free to start a thread about those candidates and we can ask those questions there.

You made a claim. You can defend it or not, but don't be upset when people ask you to defend your claim. I haven't gotten any indication from what I have read about Lazo that he is exclusively focused on the Latino community. You're claim that because he has advocated for Latinos he doesn't care about other groups is personally offensive to me.

I did not say "he doesn't care about other groups." I said I've not seen that he has publicly advocated for the concerns of MCPS stakeholder groups other than Hispanic/Latino families. And that is accurate.

So as you're on DCUM trying to play trial lawyer and saying people have to "defend" their claims, you need to hold yourself to the same standard, Judge Judy.

His website says, "Omar believes every child—regardless of ZIP code, race, language, or family income—deserves access to excellent schools, safe learning environments, and strong pathways to college and careers."

There he is, advocating for all kids.

If you think a statement alone equates to advocacy for other groups, than you and I have different definitions of what advocacy looks like. And that's ok.

At best, the statement signals an intent do that. What has yet to be produced are examples of actions he has taken to advocate for MCPS families other than Hispanic/Latino families from him.

You can use whatever criteria you want as you decide whether you support Omar. And clearly, based on your breathless and aggressive defense of him in this thread, you've chosen to support him.

However, other people are still deciding and evaluating whether he's worthy of their vote. And that's ok too.

I have seen no public reporting on any advocacy that Lazo has done that was focused on the Latino community. But if he did do that, that would be completely fine with me and not disqualifying, and it's bizarre to me that a history of advocacy for Latinos would be disqualifying for anyone.

Again: You either struggle with reading comprehension or you're a Lazo campaign troll who just wants to attack whatever you perceive to be smears against his candidacy.

A history of advocating for Latino families is great and not a disqualifier. A history of ONLY advocating for Latino families is not as great for a role that would require him to be a countywide representative of a county that is incredibly diverse. And even if he hasn't advocated for non-Hispanic families, he should be providing evidence of how and why he's equally committed to fighting for other groups that don't share his identity background. This is Campaigning 101.

Ok but I have seen zero evidence that Lazo has only advocated for Latinos. Are you saying people should base their votes on the insinuations of a random DCUM poster? You need to give us something other than "I don't like him because I have only seen him advocate for Latinos".

The choice is between a candidate who has advocated for people who don't look like her in addition to people who do, with that candidate being Wylea Chase. The other choice is Omar, who again, at least publicly, has only advocated for people who share his cultural/ethnic background.

That's a valid lens from which to make a voting decision. I don't know why you feel otherwise, but it doesn't matter since you only get to decide how you vote and not anyone else.

Are you saying Wootton? Easy to see that as cherry-picked pandering during a run for office.

How many groups had Diaz advocated for? "That other candidate" might be her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I need specifics. What did he say, how does that compare to other candidates.

Are you ok? You need to check yourself.

1) I, as an anonymous poster on DCUM, don't owe you, also an anonymous poster on DCUM, my free labor to do candidate research. I don't work for Lazo's campaign or any of his opponents. I'm just an eligible voter. If you want to use your free time to review Omar's comments from all his public forums and interviews, have at it. I'm not doing that for you.

2) This thread is about Omar and his candidacy. Not about other opponents. You don't get to deflect candidates about his candidacy and campaign by asking what other candidates have done. Feel free to start a thread about those candidates and we can ask those questions there.

You made a claim. You can defend it or not, but don't be upset when people ask you to defend your claim. I haven't gotten any indication from what I have read about Lazo that he is exclusively focused on the Latino community. You're claim that because he has advocated for Latinos he doesn't care about other groups is personally offensive to me.

I did not say "he doesn't care about other groups." I said I've not seen that he has publicly advocated for the concerns of MCPS stakeholder groups other than Hispanic/Latino families. And that is accurate.

So as you're on DCUM trying to play trial lawyer and saying people have to "defend" their claims, you need to hold yourself to the same standard, Judge Judy.

His website says, "Omar believes every child—regardless of ZIP code, race, language, or family income—deserves access to excellent schools, safe learning environments, and strong pathways to college and careers."

There he is, advocating for all kids.

If you think a statement alone equates to advocacy for other groups, than you and I have different definitions of what advocacy looks like. And that's ok.

At best, the statement signals an intent do that. What has yet to be produced are examples of actions he has taken to advocate for MCPS families other than Hispanic/Latino families from him.

You can use whatever criteria you want as you decide whether you support Omar. And clearly, based on your breathless and aggressive defense of him in this thread, you've chosen to support him.

However, other people are still deciding and evaluating whether he's worthy of their vote. And that's ok too.

I have seen no public reporting on any advocacy that Lazo has done that was focused on the Latino community. But if he did do that, that would be completely fine with me and not disqualifying, and it's bizarre to me that a history of advocacy for Latinos would be disqualifying for anyone.

Again: You either struggle with reading comprehension or you're a Lazo campaign troll who just wants to attack whatever you perceive to be smears against his candidacy.

A history of advocating for Latino families is great and not a disqualifier. A history of ONLY advocating for Latino families is not as great for a role that would require him to be a countywide representative of a county that is incredibly diverse. And even if he hasn't advocated for non-Hispanic families, he should be providing evidence of how and why he's equally committed to fighting for other groups that don't share his identity background. This is Campaigning 101.

Ok but I have seen zero evidence that Lazo has only advocated for Latinos. Are you saying people should base their votes on the insinuations of a random DCUM poster? You need to give us something other than "I don't like him because I have only seen him advocate for Latinos".

The choice is between a candidate who has advocated for people who don't look like her in addition to people who do, with that candidate being Wylea Chase. The other choice is Omar, who again, at least publicly, has only advocated for people who share his cultural/ethnic background.

That's a valid lens from which to make a voting decision. I don't know why you feel otherwise, but it doesn't matter since you only get to decide how you vote and not anyone else.

Are you saying Wootton? Easy to see that as cherry-picked pandering during a run for office.

How many groups had Diaz advocated for? "That other candidate" might be her.

The other communities Wylea has advocated for are listed in this thread. Please read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best thing you can say about Omar is:

- He's nice and congenial
- He's heavily focused on the Hispanic community and works closely with Diego Uriburu of the Black and Brown Coalition
- He has two daughters in the system

What concerns me about him:
- I think he has too many friends on the board and County Council and therefore, he won't be aggressive about holding the system accountable
- The MCEA endorsement means he's already got his hands tied when it comes to being a change agent, because the teachers' union isn't gonna like him if he rocks the boat too much
- His campaign has been very lowkey and under the radar. If he gets it, it'll likely be because he got the Apple ballot endorsement and not because he won the hearts and minds of the majority in Montgomery County

I'm not a fan of Uriburu - this guy formed the Black and Brown Coalition to be able to make political statements, while his paycheck at Identity Youth comes entirely from school-based programming in MCPS. It's nice work if you can get it, right? MCPS is laying off PCCs , PPWs, and licensed social workers. Meanwhile, Uriburu's organization Identify has plenty of work. For example, it is operating wellness centers at several MCPS high schools, staffed by 23-24 year olds who essentially provide peer counseling to students. I am sure there is some value to that, but where is the independent evaluation of all the Identity school programs that shows evidence-based outcomes? So, if that is what Omar is about, I can't support him.

Wylea Chase, one of Lazo's opponents, is a Director at the Black and Brown Coalition.

I've met Uriburu and I think he's great. I don't like that his organization supported the regional program model. But that is neither here nor there, since Lazo, not Uriburu, is on the ballot.

Identity is not fully funded by MCPS. I don’t know if any of their money comes from MCPS. They get money from County grants as well as private fundraising and donations. They also do a lot of evaluations of their programs and documentation.

https://www.identity-youth.org/reports-financials

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I need specifics. What did he say, how does that compare to other candidates.

Are you ok? You need to check yourself.

1) I, as an anonymous poster on DCUM, don't owe you, also an anonymous poster on DCUM, my free labor to do candidate research. I don't work for Lazo's campaign or any of his opponents. I'm just an eligible voter. If you want to use your free time to review Omar's comments from all his public forums and interviews, have at it. I'm not doing that for you.

2) This thread is about Omar and his candidacy. Not about other opponents. You don't get to deflect candidates about his candidacy and campaign by asking what other candidates have done. Feel free to start a thread about those candidates and we can ask those questions there.

You made a claim. You can defend it or not, but don't be upset when people ask you to defend your claim. I haven't gotten any indication from what I have read about Lazo that he is exclusively focused on the Latino community. You're claim that because he has advocated for Latinos he doesn't care about other groups is personally offensive to me.

I did not say "he doesn't care about other groups." I said I've not seen that he has publicly advocated for the concerns of MCPS stakeholder groups other than Hispanic/Latino families. And that is accurate.

So as you're on DCUM trying to play trial lawyer and saying people have to "defend" their claims, you need to hold yourself to the same standard, Judge Judy.

His website says, "Omar believes every child—regardless of ZIP code, race, language, or family income—deserves access to excellent schools, safe learning environments, and strong pathways to college and careers."

There he is, advocating for all kids.

If you think a statement alone equates to advocacy for other groups, than you and I have different definitions of what advocacy looks like. And that's ok.

At best, the statement signals an intent do that. What has yet to be produced are examples of actions he has taken to advocate for MCPS families other than Hispanic/Latino families from him.

You can use whatever criteria you want as you decide whether you support Omar. And clearly, based on your breathless and aggressive defense of him in this thread, you've chosen to support him.

However, other people are still deciding and evaluating whether he's worthy of their vote. And that's ok too.

I have seen no public reporting on any advocacy that Lazo has done that was focused on the Latino community. But if he did do that, that would be completely fine with me and not disqualifying, and it's bizarre to me that a history of advocacy for Latinos would be disqualifying for anyone.

Again: You either struggle with reading comprehension or you're a Lazo campaign troll who just wants to attack whatever you perceive to be smears against his candidacy.

A history of advocating for Latino families is great and not a disqualifier. A history of ONLY advocating for Latino families is not as great for a role that would require him to be a countywide representative of a county that is incredibly diverse. And even if he hasn't advocated for non-Hispanic families, he should be providing evidence of how and why he's equally committed to fighting for other groups that don't share his identity background. This is Campaigning 101.

Ok but I have seen zero evidence that Lazo has only advocated for Latinos. Are you saying people should base their votes on the insinuations of a random DCUM poster? You need to give us something other than "I don't like him because I have only seen him advocate for Latinos".

The choice is between a candidate who has advocated for people who don't look like her in addition to people who do, with that candidate being Wylea Chase. The other choice is Omar, who again, at least publicly, has only advocated for people who share his cultural/ethnic background.

That's a valid lens from which to make a voting decision. I don't know why you feel otherwise, but it doesn't matter since you only get to decide how you vote and not anyone else.

Where is all this public advocacy that excludes everyone except Latinos? Do you have any links?.or do you just dislike Lazo because he is Latino?