School Board President Falati Filets A Batson Burger

   Our constitution was wrestled from anarchy and civil war. In a landmark speech, Benjamin Franklin saved Congress from itself. He reminded all that in a nation built upon escaping the tyranny and oppression from without, the greatest threat was the inability of those who govern to govern themselves. When titans clash, kingdoms crumble.

   Fairfield is not about the business of nation building, but timeless lessons are always well remembered, and particularly on this glorious day of our nation’s birth.

   Publisher Bill James recently reviewed the goings on at the last Fairfield Suisun Unified School District Governing Board meeting when the issue of a fourth high school stoked passionate sentiments. I was there and I was ashamed.

   Passionately divisive issues can lead to fanning the fires of faulty reasoning and paranoia, self absorption, arrogance and at times sheer hubris and lack of common graces. See for yourself, Thursdays at 10:30, Channel 26.

   Vice Mayor Batson choreographed a presentation based on the erroneous belief (for now) that a deal was in the works for a new high school in the valley. Bullying from the pulpit and reigning down from the dais, indignant board president Gary Falati served up a Filatian filet of Batson burger in a pedantic Perry Mason like manner reminiscent of post adolescent school boy debates. Pressured speech, escalating tones, officiousness, intemperate threats and surprise ‘gotcha’s’ were the side dishes. At the end of his soliloquy, Mr. Falati aptly observed, “Suisun Valley is hurting, the beautiful statue...is not (its) ... salvation...” The Vice Mayor’s presently incorrect accusation and board president Falati’s response are precisely what Dr Franklin warned leaders against.

   This is emblematic of the civil war that seems to be increasingly characterizing the city council. We have enough nincompoops peppering our little paradise with real bullets. We do not need our leaders popping off with poison prose, posturing and positioning for votes this November.

   Those who govern Fairfield, especially those on the city staff, boards and commissions, represent a potential wealth and treasure trove of sincerity, intellect, passion, front line experience, pragmatists, historians, tacticians and talent. I would think that we can work together on issues of fire stations without inflammatory ill advised commentary, budgetary issues without draining the coffers of public patience and utility fees without putting us all through water torture. A New York judge said, in 1866, "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session”; indeed

   The sky is not falling and pandering to panic and fostering fear has a limited shelf life in the pubic forum. Furthermore, there appears to be an undercurrent of urgency for regime change at the hands of some dynamic duo designing to save us from accused skullduggery or sheer stupidity of those with opposing views. As regards this urgent undertone, how about our felony accused councilman assist us all with a little Habeas of his corpus so we can all move on. Or must we wait for an election first?

   As we negotiate our future together, leaders should dazzle us with real data, wow us with evidence driving wise decisions and convince us when we face largely subjective decisions that what you advise is rightly so. Do not subject us to the two sided sword of uninformed idiocy. Expose all agendas and stand by them by honestly. Special interest groups; learn more melodies and resist being only ‘one note Willies’.

   Keep ‘ADHD’, aggressive defamation and hyperbole disorder, out of the board room and politics. Mind the three R’s as you lead us; research, reflect and respond not rant, rave and react. Listen to Doc Franklin who said when signing the Declaration of Independence; "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately," it was no less than the literal truth.

©Kevin Ryan 2007