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Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Stonewalled!

It seems incumbent County Commissioner Jerry Stone is not please with dialogue about how best to improve schools.  Here's his recent Facebook status:


I have removed and blocked several posts from SS members. They are not interested in facts. They have an agenda and they stick to it. They blocked me from their site several months ago, I will unblock them when they unblock me.


The claim Stone makes about being blocked is false, by the way.  The group posted a list of currently blocked individuals, containing 7 people.  Jerry Stone is not on that list and leaders of the organization insist he's never been blocked.

This issue apparently arose because after Stone posted false claims about parent-led advocacy group Strong Schools on his page, several members of that organization took the time to respond. When presented with facts about the schools and with pleas from members of Strong Schools to stop making gross generalizations, Stone's son, Nathan, began responding and was joined by SURG supporters Donna DeSopo and Kurt Riley. 

Commissioner Stone's only response has been to post that he's blocking those who disagree with him or who attempt to engage him in dialogue about schools. 

SURG claims that Stone is the only current County Commissioner who is a member of their organization.  And their leadership is standing behind Stone in the 2014 elections.

This is the same Jerry Stone who opposed a proposal to use funds from the Sumner County's nearly $30 million in reserves to help bridge the gap in the 2012 school system proposed budget.  This would have prevented a tax increase and allowed time for discussion of alternatives. 

Just a few months later, though, Stone supported using reserve funds to bailout the County's mismanaged insurance trust.

More recently, Stone has come out in favor of a property tax increase to support the addition of a new judge in Sumner County. Why does he support this tax? Because the position is needed due to growth. No word on whether SURG leaders are taking Stone to task because of his support for higher taxes.

It's early in election season, but Jerry Stone's Facebook page is certainly proving to be interesting reading.  That is, if you enjoy reading Jerry's complaints about how his constituents want to engage in dialogue but all he wants to see is people who agree with his point of view.

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