Meet Col. Terrance Staley

If you don't know Col. Terrance Staley (US Army (retired)) yet, be sure to get acquainted.

Yesterday he had a meet-and-greet at North Springs Rec. Center.

Because of his military background and the assignments he had, he doesn't talk about them. Citizens and residents of the USA slept better and were safer for many years because of the work Terrance did.

He has excellent qualifications for the Richland 2 school board, with his experience in administration, management, leadership, decision-making, cooperation, collaboration.

Had he been on the board for the past four years, Richland 2 never would have experienced the chaos, disorder, disharmony, disrespect and utter rudeness and baiting that went on month after month.

Early voting starts October 24th, and you can vote at R2i2.

Election Day is November 8 - 30 days from now. Vote at your regular voting place that day

I urge every voter to mark one vote for Terrance Staley.

Consider this: If you owned a business with $1 Billion in Assets that cost $300 Million annually to operate, which of the 12 candidates would you want on your board of directors? THIS is the question, as you try to pick out four. Be serious in your selection.

You would definitely want Col. Terrance Staley on your board.

Does this make any sense - at all?

Read this carefully. Teresa Holmes posted it recently on her private Facebook page. Ask yourself: does this make any sense at all? 

Q. Who is fighting against an agenda? Names, please.

Q. What agenda exists to dismantle the Richland 2 school board?

Q. Just exactly what great work is going on?

Q. What silly speeches and false statements?

Q. What bad behavior?

Q. The "whole board" isn't going anywhere. Didn't three incumbents decide not to run for re-election?

Q. Is the reason people want Teresa off the board because of the chaos and the disrespect she showed to other board members?

Q. Does she not understand the board's election cycle?

Q. Doesn't she understand that her "Stay Woke" remarks drive away conscientious people?

Q. Why does she thank the three incumbents who chose not to run again? They are not continuing to help fight for what she thinks is right.

Q. What is a "beloved" District? It's a business!

Q. What does "I got you" mean? Does she even know?

Holmes - more campaigning in school

Teresa Holmes has had even more photo opps during her campaign for re-election. 

This post and photo shows her with a Latina in a school, supposedly honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Does anyone else think she is just trying to drum up votes, so that she can survive the upcoming election?

This is clearly campaigning. Note that she misspelled the name of the school district  AND that she wants your vote.

There is every possibility that this will find its way to the State Inspector General and to the S.C. Ethics Commission in the form of a complaint.

Does this show Teresa's flagrant disregard to Board Policy and ethics laws? 

Remember her excuse when she tried to explain away the violation of State law, when she had failed to file her Statement of Economic Interests Report with the S.C. Ethics Commission before taking the oath-of-office? She said nobody told her about the filing requirement. Too bad, so sad. The rules were right on the Ethics Commission website! It was her responsibility to read them and follow them.

Open letter to R2 superintendent re Holmes

The following email has been sent to Supt. Davis regarding Teresa Holmes improper use of a school for political purposes. What action will he take immediately?

Supt. Davis,

I request a written reply to this message.    

I request - demand - that you put a stop to Teresa Holmes' political campaign stops in Richland 2 Schools. It is obvious that she is using her classroom visits for election campaign photo opportunities. It is a last-ditch effort to shore up her campaign and to recover from her chaotic, disastrous term as board chair.

Don't you require trustees to obtain your permission to visit schools? Don't they have to state the purpose of their visit? And remain within that purpose?

This must be against Board Policy. Shouldn't she have her hands at her sides? Does she have written permission from all the students to use their pictures? If any students are minors, isn't parental authorization required?

Further, it must be against ethics laws of the State of South Carolina.

YOU have the authority to prevent such use of schools, classrooms, students and personnel.

Please act immediately on Monday morning to stop this in its tracks!!

Gus Philpott

You might recognize the woman in the picture with Teresa. Isn't that the woman who said on WIS-TV that she was in such fear back on January 25th?

Holmes' false claims

Why would Teresa Holmes make false claims on her private Facebook page? Does she think only her Friends will see it?

1. Holmes is not a "Commissioner" of Richland 2. Richland 2 does not have any commissioners. Elected officials are called trustees. And she is not even a legal trustee, because she has never taken the oath-of-office legally!

2. She is not an Assistant Administrator at Fairfield County School District. She hasn't worked there since August 1, 2021, when she resigned after her some of her responsibilities were reduced.

3. She lists PAST positions as if they are current positions. They are not.

4. When a person lists "Studied at ...", it is usually because they did not complete a degree program at that institution. To what end are those institutions even listed?

Wise voters know how much consideration to give to Teresa's re-election bid. I wish her well. I hope she comes in no worse than 12th. Of course, there are only 12 candidates running.

Blythewood H.S. "swatted"

The whole story isn't known yet and may never be fully disclosed. The short story that the "shot(s) fired" at Blythewood High School today was false.

Will full details be released?

How quickly was it determined to be a hoax? Were all students still on campus? 

Once the complaint was determined to be unfounded, did students return to classes?

If some idiot or other miscreant phones in a "shots fired" report, wouldn't the first step at the sheriff's department be to contact the school and the SROs and learn what they have to say about it?

"The sky is falling." Really?

Westwood High School - better this week?

Are conditions better this week at Westwood High School?

Has the Principal figured out how to restore order and control the violence, so that the school is safe for all students and staff?

It was shocking to me to learn that not all the trustees were informed of the disorder at Westwood. Were any of them informed? Did any of Manning, McKie, Holmes or Caution-Parker know of the level of fighting and the lunchroom restrictions that were put in place?

Because of the importance of safety and security at this time, all the trustees should have been informed.

They need not be involved. That's the superintendent's job to quell that disorder - by whatever means necessary. If he doesn't or can't do it, then the trustees get involved.

What role did "equity" play, if a decision was made to restrict the flow of information?

We heard "More Justice" referred to on Monday night. Are the miscreants being coddled? Is Administration just saying, "Please don't fight."

We see how that's working!

What percentage of students at Westwood H.S. are the troublemakers?

What do you, the readers, think about James Manning's unilateral decision to disband the Committee of the Whole on Safety & Security?

(OK, I know many of you fear retaliation or retribution, if you speak up. Email your comments to me. I'll publish them without your name.)