For a lot of people, emotional ties to one's high school last a lifetime. In my experience, friends and relatives who have sent to children to private schools tend to remain connected to those schools well after they have graduated. As a fact, I know that De La Salle - like most private high schools it seems - works hard to keep alumni and their parents connected to De La Salle. That is as it should be.
Commissioner Hauser may have rejected any further involvement or connection to De La Salle high school when her last child graduated. If so, she has not made that evident. Parents of private school graduates also make a substantial tuition investment in the high schools their children attend. I do not know Commissioner Hauser well, but she certainly strikes me as the kind of parent who was involved in her children's education rather than a disinterested observer! The question about her conflict of interest does not go away: there is ample reason to suspect that Commissioner Hauser is voting as the parent of De La Salle graduates and putting the interests of De La Salle ahead of the public. A similar situation exists for Commissioner Olson. The only way to resolve that conflict is to for both to recuse themselves from participating in the debate and votes pertaining to De La Salle's quest to use Park Board property to build itself a football stadium. FYI, I was aware that Commissioner Hauser had no children presently enrolled in De La Salle. I was not aware that Commissioner Olson was also the parent of a graduate as well and stand corrected. I tried to draft the post to be "graduate/enrolled status neutral". Jim Bernstein Fulton Candidate, Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, Dist. 6 -----Original Message----- From: Toni Hauser [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, August 08, 2005 12:51 PM To: Mpls Issues; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Mpls] DeLaSalle Alumni Jim Bernstein wrote: With regard to the De La Salle stadium (it is a stadium), commissioners Marie Hauser and Jon Olsen clearly need to sit this one out because as parents of De La Salle students, the conflict of interest is absolutely clear. Their children attend the school that is pushing to build the stadium - how can they be even modestly objective about the decision? As elected Park & Rec Board commissioners, Ms. Hauser and Mr. Olson are supposed to put the public interest ahead of their personal interests. In this case, as parents of De La Salle students, there is ample doubt whether their votes will be based on their status as De La Salle parents or as commissioners acting in the public interest. --------- Toni Hauser replies: I don't know Commissioner Olson's situation, but as one of Marie's daughters I can guarantee that none of her children currently attend DeLaSalle. Did we in the past? Sure. And we all graduated, the last one in 2001. We are now all well into our 20s and graduated or attending college. So as far as Marie's interest in DLS as a prospective school for her children goes, maybe there are some individuals who should do their homework before throwing assumptions all over this forum. Toni Hauser. -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.10.4/66 - Release Date: 8/9/2005 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.10.5/67 - Release Date: 8/9/2005 REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
