Ethics Commission SEI Woes - Holmes

Teresa Holmes, proud advertiser on a LAMAR billboard containing the line "Difference Don't [sic] Matter ... Kids Do", has more than spelling or grammatical problems.

Her 2022 Statement of Economic Interests Report, as filed with the S.C. Ethics Commission for the Calendar Year 2021, contains errors. 

It's a simple form that is filed electronically. You can view it (it's a public record) at ethics.sc.gov  Go the the homepage, then click on Public Reporting.

Under Ethics Filing Activity, click on Statements of Economic Interests.

Type in Holmes as the Filer, and select 2022 for the Report Year.

At the top left, notice the Viewing Version. It will show Amendment 1 (filed 9/29/2022). If you want to see the Original Version (filed 3/22/2022), just change the Viewing Version.

Two positions are reported: Candidate and Elected Official.

First, notice when she registered to run for office. "9/2023"

Private Income is what you earn if you are working (not as a school board member). Notice her two answers there. Apparently, she had no Private Income (non-school district earnings).

Then examine her Income from an SC Governmental Entity. 

If you believe what's listed, she earned $139,000 in 2021 ($12,000 + $9,000 + $59,000 + $59,000).

But did she? Wasn't it closer to $69,800 ($10,800 + $59,000)?

How important is it for a public official to have halfway decent comprehension and arithmetic skills? As School Board Chair for the 2021-2022 School Year, she led (if you want to call it that) a business with almost a billion dollars in assets and an annual budget of $300,000. 

And she blew right past her $7,000 annual travel allowance for the year ending June 30, 2022. Will she repay the $3,000 excess that she received from RSD2? Will the superintendent send her a bill and tell her to pay it? 

If she doesn't repay it, will the District send it to collection and report the debt to the major credit bureaus? If she doesn't repay it, does it become taxable income?

[Published 10/20/2022 9:30AM]

Critical Race Theory - Eric Rovelli Weighs In

Eric Rovelli is a candidate for the Richland 2 School Board. 

Why should you consider him?

Isn't he the one candidate who is talking about specifics? Go to his website at www.EricRovelli.com and watch his several videos.

This morning I watched his 21-minute video on Critical Race Theory. He acknowledges that it's a little long. How long is your attention span? This video includes three five-minute videos by other speakers.

Is CRT here in Richland 2? Remember the school board meeting when the chief of diversity, equity and inclusion couldn't tell the board what CRT is? That was at a meeting where her charge was to explain to the board what the difference was between CRT and Culturally Relevant Teaching (or Pedagogy), the brainchild of a USC professor. She couldn't define CRT.

Of course, CRT is here. No, it's not being "taught". Defenders are quick to say it's a graduate school-level course. But it is being applied here.

Rovelli meets the hard questions head on. Elect Eric to the board in November and there will be a board member who can and will tell the truth, clearly and directly. 

The board has an opportunity to do what it is supposed to do. Be Trustees. Be Directors. Be executives. Direct the business of education in Richland 2 schools.

That has not been the case for the past four years, when the board (majority (The Core Four)) let the superintendent run the whole show. When did the The Core Four ever criticize the superintendent? Certainly not after the Jan. 25th 2022 fiasco. Certainly not after the superintendent let trustees (and trustees-elect) over-spend their $7,000 annual travel allowances. Certainly not when his planned trip to Australia hit the news.

Eric Rovelli is desperately needed on the board. Cast one of your votes FOR Eric Rovelli.

Chamber Candidates' Forum

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce sponsored the Richland 2 Candidates' Forum this morning at the beautiful auditorium of the South Carolina Archives and History Center.

Ten candidates appeared and conducted themselves with professionalism. Seven questions were asked by the moderator, and each candidate had one minute to respond. Candidates did a great job of staying within their time limits, and the forum ran smoothly and efficiently.

Two candidates were No-Shows. Incumbent Teresa Holmes did not show up, and James Mobley did not appear. Their name plates were left in place, and their chairs remained empty.

There is a rumor that a recording of the forum may be posted on the YouTube channel of the Columbia (SC) Chamber of Commerce. 

[Edited] Watch the Chamber's forum here:

https://www.columbiachamber.com/richland-two-school-board-candidates-forum/

Difference Don't Matter

Can you believe this?

"Difference Don't Matter"

It sho' don't.

Proud "product" of Spring Valley High School (as she often claims) and holder of an Ed.D. degree from an online school in California, and she announces, "Difference Don't Matter"?

Is that how she submitted it to LAMAR? Didn't they give her a proof to approve, before they created the bulletin board signage? Didn't she sign it and approve it? Didn't LAMAR tell her about the grammatical error?

Needless to say, this article is NOT a statement of support for Teresa. I wish her well in her campaign, and I sincerely hope that she comes in no worse than 12th. Of course, they are only 12 candidates in the race.

Voters, examine qualifications

VOTERS, please examine carefully the qualifications and experience of the candidates for the Richland 2 School Board.

In this race, there are more than four good candidates. It may be hard to select THE four who will be the best board members.

So, do your homework. Don't just say, "Well, I like ____."

Remember, a lot of people "liked" the four who are leaving the board. And look what the District ended up with.

The dynamics on the board WILL change after November 8. When two, three or four of the top candidates take their seats on the board on November 18, you can be sure they will not shun the "minority" (and I don't mean, by race of color).

We can hope that there will be one board - one cohesive, collaborative, cooperative, unified board - unlike what existed for the past two years or more. 

The rudeness, disrespect and incivility of The Core Four (of 2018-2022 infamy) will be history. Especially during the 2021-2022 School Year. That's the one that resulted in drastic action by the State Legislature, the Governor, and the State Inspector General. 

Meet the candidates. Study their websites and Facebook pages. 

It's too bad that the Sandhills Library is waiting until November 2nd to hold its candidates' forum. Many will have already voted. 

Don't vote too soon. You could hear something at the last minute that sways your vote.

Voter Guide by League of Women Voters

Use this Voter Guide to learn more about the candidates in the Richland 2 School Board race.

The Columbia League of Women Voters has published candidates' answers to three questions at   https://onyourballot.vote411.org/m/candidate-detail.do?id=4164817

Early voting starts October 24th, and you can vote at R2i2. But don't vote too soon.  Early Voting ends on Saturday, November 5th. Election Day is November 8.

If you vote too soon and change your mind, you can't change your vote.

Vote for Eric Rovelli for Richland 2 School Board

 

Go to www.EricRovelli.com and watch his video on "School Board Management". You can get to the video right from his homepage. It is short and to the point.

Eric understands the function of a board. He is a businessman with business experience, which is just what the Richland 2 School Board needs.

Read over his website and watch his other videos. Mark your ballot FOR Eric Rovelli.

Early voting starts October 24, but don't vote too soon. Do your homework.