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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]One of my biggest reasons for voting for Turner is how accessible she has made herself during this campaign.  She has done so many "coffee with the candidate" events during this campaign (outdoors, with masks) so people can ask her questions directly and hear her views.  She has done so even though she knows not everyone is a supporter, and that she could be opening herself up to some pretty unpleasant encounters (I personally witnessed her handle one with a lot of grace, kindness and empathy).  One of my biggest issues with the school board for a while has been how difficult it seems to be to interact with them directly.  The rotation of open office hours mean there are very limited opportunities to talk to a specific board member directly, and they tend to be unresponsive to emails.  I am hopeful that Turner would bring a new spirit of openness and accessibility to the board.

Also, she and I overlapped at law school, and I remember she being really smart and sharp.  I think she would bring strong critical thinking skills to the board. [/quote]

I don’t think this is true. I have talked to Tania Talento while grocery shopping, and Dave Priddy while attending kids’ sporting events (basketball, soccer, and baseball). It’s not like they are effete members of an aristocracy, but it’s been a farking Pandemic! Also, have interacted with SB members at our PTA meetings, and other committees I volunteer on. Maybe it’s you who isn’t accessible.[/quote]

I have tried to attend their school board hours and their attitudes toward callers was appalling. You have 2 min to speak, no response, no back and forth. [/quote]

+1.  The lack of back and forth, the lack of willingness to engage in a dialogue with constituents is a big problem, and it’s part of why so many people don’t feel heard by the school board.  This is local government, and local government officials are expected to be more available to constituents than at higher levels of government.  Heck, this is something Arlington prides itself on, that it’s small size allows more direct interaction between the government and citizens.  I shouldn’t have to stalk board members to figure out which grocery store they shop in and then loiter around for hours hoping to catch them there so I can get a better understanding of where they stand on an issue.[/quote]

My point was they are real humans, who live and work and shop like the rest of us. Not saying you should stalk them. I certainly wasn’t, just had accidental run-ins with them, and they didn’t run away or refuse to speak with me. But I haven’t gone to virtual SB office hours. Are you talking about office hours or SB meetings? During regular times, office hours, held once a week with the members rotating duty, are where you go to dialogue, one-on-one. SB meetings have always had the format that speakers have 2 minutes, may not address particular members directly, and will not be responded to on the spot. [/quote]

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