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It didn't surprise me when the news broke that Monica Dziesinski had hired an elite downstate law firm to influence the outcome of the school board recall campaign. It also didn't surprise me that Eric Lawson joined her. After all, Lawson seems pretty comfortable with suppressing community voices. Isn't this the same person who positioned deputies at school board meetings to remove people who dared to clap? And threatened defamation lawsuits against community members?
What did surprise me was Sarah Costain. Members of the community gave me the impression that she is someone with integrity and a strong moral compass. I believed she would allow the recall process to play out and respect whatever decision the voters made. Instead, she joined an effort that undermines the voices of the very people who signed the recall petition.
That is what bothers me most.
More than 4,300 Alpena voters signed that petition because they wanted the opportunity to decide who represents them on the school board. A recall is a grassroots process. It belongs to the community--not to people with enough money to hire a law firm.
Dziesinski saw the writing on the wall. The recall was a success, and she knew she would lose at the ballot box. Lawson had every reason to fear the same outcome. Rather than face the music, all three chose to fight the recall through lawyers.
People have every right to disagree with a recall. Campaign against it. Make your case. Ask voters to reject it.
But using money and legal maneuvering to prevent those voters from having their say is something entirely different.
Money should never be a prerequisite for representation.
Those 4,300+ people deserve to have their signatures respected, their voices heard, and their votes counted.
Let the voters decide.
Steffen Mantlo
Alpena