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In the aftermath of the revelation that APS school board member Monica Dziesinski hired an elite, down-state law firm to influence the outcome of the school board recall, there is a question that lingers in that stinky airspace. Many community members have wondered where the money came from to fund an expense of this magnitude. Estimates are that level of legal advice likely came with a $10,000-20,000 price tag.
We should all pause on that thought for a moment. Did Dziesinski have an extremely successful bake sale or did she have a benefactor? If Dziesinski had a benefactor it would suggest someone's wallet and that person's interest in subverting our public school system to match the ideologies of Dziesinski, Costain and Lawson overroad the thousands in this community who disagree with their intentions.
If Dziesinski has a benefactor, who in this scenario would be the really bad actor. Would it be the individual making the offer or the person who put their hand out and accepted the offer? All of us have experienced times when we chose personal integrity over unscrupulous options. Most of us can distinguish right from wrong, fair from unfair, and would avoid the low stoop required to sidestep concepts of honor and principle. Dziesinski seemed to be able to do that sidestep with relative ease. Sarah Costain and Eric Lawson had no hesitation joining Dziesinski's seemingly shady arrangement.
There is something particularly grotesque in play when people elected to represent the best interests of our school system, and the kids in that system, don't feel accountable to either. Money should not be a tool used to revoke representation and money shouldn't be required to have representation. Now we're stuck with these bad actors, and their bad intentions, for another two years.
Diane O'Connor
Alpena