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Sunday, April 27, 2003 100 Businessmen Dear Hockey Saga Diary, The tone of the email that I've been receiving has started to mutate. The initial messages were from wounded and confused kids who respectfully asked me to have the decision over turned. Now the messages contain inflammatory accusations against our Administrators and repeat innuendo from the rumor mill. I'm starting to get a little fed up with this bandwagon. Its one thing to praise the coach its quite another to bash the principal. Its especially ironic when someone impugns Laurie Knapp because they think she has impugned Mike Randolph. At the same time they clamor for an explanation for the decision. How can a refusal to comment by Knapp be construed as impugning Mike's integrity? A businessman called me up this afternoon to warn me that things are boiling over. He agreed with me that hockey was a pain but he wanted to make sure Mike Randolph got a fair hearing. I gave him the same old "no-fault" song and dance. He told me tht 100 businessmen are getting together tonight to figure out how to force the School Board to overrule the Administration. I appreciated his warning. When KBJR television called me up I told them I'd be happy to give them an interview. My message to them was that a hundred businessmen were getting together to save a part-time hockey coach. I then pointed out that the District faces a ten million dollar debt, closed schools, laid off teachers and reduced classes in our high schools. I then pointed out that when the District offered an excess levy two years ago not a single businessman lifted a finger to help pass it. I questioned their priorities. Unfortunately, my sound bite proved to be too long. Still, the reporter managed to get my point across I stewed about this all for a while and decided that this should be the subject of my next column for the Northland Reader. I stayed up till 2AM writing it. |