The big news out of the Guilford County Board of Education is that the two Republican board members are suing the other seven members in order to remove District 3 board member Bill Goebel from that seat and replace him with teacher Michael Logan – the man selected by the local Republican Party to fill a vacancy created last year.
That vacancy arose when Pat Tillman, the former District 3 representative, stepped down to become a Guilford County commissioner.
Another interesting aspect of this very complicated and monumental legal battle, which could end up in the state’s Supreme Court, is that, even after the papers were served, the participants on both sides were able to keep the lawsuit under wraps for one week before the matter became public.
Even many people who work in Guilford County Superior Court were unaware the action was being taken within that court, even though an initial hearing is expected very soon.
The suit is being brought by District 2 school board representative Crissy Pratt and District 4 school board representative Linda Welborn, as well as by Logan – the man the Democratic school board members refused to seat multiple times. The plaintiffs filed their complaint in the Guilford County Civil Superior Court for violations of the state’s open meetings laws, among other things.
When they did so, the seven defendants were served papers on our about Tuesday, May 23, and, according to one source very familiar with the proceedings, Pratt, Welborn and Logan expected the seven members to blow up. The three anticipated that the group would make loud public pronouncements and put out a united message harshly condemning the action after getting all the press attention they could find.
Instead, the three were stunned when they heard nothing but complete radio silence.
The source said that at least one of the three plaintiffs even contacted court officials to make sure the papers had been served as expected.
The source also said that the board members did not call or contact the three to express their anger.
It is also interesting that Pratt, Welborn and Logan were able to keep their legal action quiet through the Memorial Day weekend, despite all the activity going on behind the scenes.
How many times are you going to write the same thing?
As many times as necessary.
Hope the 7 get what is due to them….and then some more.
“It’s all Hush-Hush.”
Guilford Co/GSO politics are nothing but a mafia at this point.
“First, G0d made idiots. That was for practice. Then He made the school board.” (Mark Twain)
I hope Michael Logan wins this case.
Somewhere deep in a hot, dark sealed room a man in a dark suit moves around the circle of (NS)DP Guilford County school board members who sit in a circle in hard, straight back chairs, visibly sweating.
He speaks…” You vill continue to do as you have been instructed and vill not speak to ze press about this. Always remember, ve know what you do, who you speak to, und who you socialize with. Without us, you are nothing…NOTHING! Now go and do the voodoo that you do so vell!!!”
Thanks to Major Strasser from the greatest movie Casablanca for inspiration