Controversy: Is Senator Argue Beebe's Choice for ADE Director
Monty Betts, a superintednent of White County Central School District and a Beebe supporter did not like the email I sent out asking superintendents if any of them had heard Beebe publicly deny the rumor that Beebe will appoint Senator Jim ARgue to replace Ken James. He sent out an email to all rural superintendents on the rural ed list serve questioning my honesty. Since he did this publicly I sent the following email back to all the superintendents.
Monty Betts just sent out a email to all the superintendents on the rural ed list serve saying, "Ms. Pelley seems to have a problem when it comes to the truth and it is not what she wants to hear." I strive to be accurate and honest in the things I say in emails. That is extremely important to me. Let me state again what I said in that email from which Mr. Betts concluded that I was dishonest. I didn't make a statement. I asked this question. "Has anyone heard Beebe publicly deny the rumor that Beebe will appoint Senator Jim Argue to replace Ken James?"
First of all I asked a question. I did not make a statement so it cannot be a lie. Supt. Betts did email me and tell me Beebe had denied that Senator Jim Argue would replace Ken James as ADE Director if he were elected governor. But I never saw any remarks in any public form like a blog or the media or whatever that Beebe denied it. Mr. Beebe knows how to deny things publicly. He is not some unknown citizen that can't get the truth out if he wants to. He has the media's ear. Beebe knows how important this rumor is. If it is not true, he should be shouting it from the roof top. He isn't.
There is a real difference in denying this rumor privately or even to a few people here and there. Denying the rumor publicly rather than privately would make it harder (though not impossible) for him to appoint Argue later. And neither Monty Betts nor Beebe has explained why Senator Jim Argue can't be the ADE director. There may very well be technicalities at this point that would prevent that, but I would like to know what they are, especially so since they did not name the reasons which would have been the logical thing to do.
However, even if there are technicalities today to prevent that, it does not mean the legislature could not pass a law tomorrow changing those technicalities or law or whatever, especially if Beebe becomes governor. The powerful elite legislators promised over and over that isolated school districts would remain open under the consolidation bill in order to get reluctant legislators to vote for the bill, and then the very next year they came back and voted to close them. They broke their own rules when they allowed Ken James to be paid with private funds, and then they almost doubled his salary a year or so later - so changes are not that hard to make.
Again I try to be accurate and honest and document everything I write. This is the first time I ever remember talking about a rumor because I usually deal with documented facts, but I felt this rumor was so important to education in the state that it needed an answer and still believe it does. I do battle hard for the things I believe and know that many of you like the things I write on and some of you don't, but I don't tell lies.
Debbie Pelley
I am now in the process of trying to get a call answered from the Arkansas Department of Education to obtain the qualifications for an ADE Director just to see what technicalities would have to be changed for Argue to become an ADE Director.
Monty Betts just sent out a email to all the superintendents on the rural ed list serve saying, "Ms. Pelley seems to have a problem when it comes to the truth and it is not what she wants to hear." I strive to be accurate and honest in the things I say in emails. That is extremely important to me. Let me state again what I said in that email from which Mr. Betts concluded that I was dishonest. I didn't make a statement. I asked this question. "Has anyone heard Beebe publicly deny the rumor that Beebe will appoint Senator Jim Argue to replace Ken James?"
First of all I asked a question. I did not make a statement so it cannot be a lie. Supt. Betts did email me and tell me Beebe had denied that Senator Jim Argue would replace Ken James as ADE Director if he were elected governor. But I never saw any remarks in any public form like a blog or the media or whatever that Beebe denied it. Mr. Beebe knows how to deny things publicly. He is not some unknown citizen that can't get the truth out if he wants to. He has the media's ear. Beebe knows how important this rumor is. If it is not true, he should be shouting it from the roof top. He isn't.
There is a real difference in denying this rumor privately or even to a few people here and there. Denying the rumor publicly rather than privately would make it harder (though not impossible) for him to appoint Argue later. And neither Monty Betts nor Beebe has explained why Senator Jim Argue can't be the ADE director. There may very well be technicalities at this point that would prevent that, but I would like to know what they are, especially so since they did not name the reasons which would have been the logical thing to do.
However, even if there are technicalities today to prevent that, it does not mean the legislature could not pass a law tomorrow changing those technicalities or law or whatever, especially if Beebe becomes governor. The powerful elite legislators promised over and over that isolated school districts would remain open under the consolidation bill in order to get reluctant legislators to vote for the bill, and then the very next year they came back and voted to close them. They broke their own rules when they allowed Ken James to be paid with private funds, and then they almost doubled his salary a year or so later - so changes are not that hard to make.
Again I try to be accurate and honest and document everything I write. This is the first time I ever remember talking about a rumor because I usually deal with documented facts, but I felt this rumor was so important to education in the state that it needed an answer and still believe it does. I do battle hard for the things I believe and know that many of you like the things I write on and some of you don't, but I don't tell lies.
Debbie Pelley
I am now in the process of trying to get a call answered from the Arkansas Department of Education to obtain the qualifications for an ADE Director just to see what technicalities would have to be changed for Argue to become an ADE Director.
posted by Debbie Pelley at Tuesday, June 27, 2006
20 Comments:
Jim Argue, as chairman of the Senate Education Committee, has made one of his top issues the elimination of local school boards and replace it with one state wide school distict called the "Unified Statewide School District Number One."
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How 'bout Did you ever stop beating your wife? That's a question too.
The answer to 5:39 is "NO" and the answer to 5:40 is that I am still beating my wife- at checkers. I never started beating her the other way.
See how easy it is to answer questions? Why won't Bebee do so? It is because he is AVOIDING SUBSTANCE on purpose in his campaign. Since all he ever says is "I believe in Arkansas" rumors are bound to fill the vacuum he creates around himself. IF he does not like it he should start talking to us.
You answered it because I asked it directly. Why don't you ask him directly?
Beebe won't answer it because he is, of course, tyring to have it both ways - kiss up to the LR elite and still not tip his hand to the rural people that he is out to get them.
If left to the MSM, he would get away with it. Thank goodness we have a few blogs who will call him on his double speak.
But they DON'T call him. That's the problem. Call his campaign HQ and ask for a statement. If they really wanted to know the truth, instead of just rumor-mongering, that's what they'd've done first.
I'll tell you what- you asked the question right here and I answered it right here. Bebee can do the same. Blogs are not like the regular media. If this blog says something that is unfair, the person being treated unfairly can get right on here and give their side of it.
Find something else to whine about.
Debbie, As a very conservative Republican please take my advice and know that you are putting bad tastes in people who are voting for our candidates. Please don't keep on and hurt Jim and Jim and Asa and Gunner and Stubby and Chris.
Debbie, Keep it up - you are making the dems squirm.
Debbie can't help it. She makes it her life's mission to spread rumor and innuendo about other people--she'll clean up the mess later. Our candidates will get hurt if people like her don't quit.
I am sure that the last post about Debbie was by a Matayo or Banks supporter. Has anyone noticed that since they were defeated that no one comments on the posts anymore. Earlier when Banks and Matayo were in the race every thread on this blog and on Arkansas Family Coalition turned into a vicious attempt to discredit Senator Jim Holt or his supporters with 50 and 60 comments. Now, people rarely comment on either blog. It is not hard to figure out who was posting all the negative stuff.
Keep asking questions and shining that light Debbie!
About the qualifications for an ADE director. Does anyone remember Tom Courtway who was appointed interim director, and there were complaints because he didn't have the proper qualifications, but they appointed him anyway. They could do the same way with Argue and keep him there in that capacity or until they changed the technicalities to make him fit. I am pretty sure Courtway was a lawyer.
There are no qualifications - it's whoever the Governor wants the state board to hire.
9:44 What an enlightening analysis! Or it could be that our ticket is so freaking boring and "out-there" that there is nothing to get excited about or comment on. Why would Banks/Matayo supporters be on here if their guy didn't win? Take a look at all your threads--no one is commenting at all.
7:02 I agree with you 100%! The threads are all very boring. And as for people trying to discredit Jim Holt, he manages to do that almost every time he opens his mouth.
Do you always respond to your own posts, Emily?
Sorry to disapoint you, but I am not Emily. By the way, that was my first post. Maybe you would like to explain how you would know who I was, if I was Emily, Mark.
Sure, sure, of course.
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