Comments on: Are Norfolk’s schools that great?

By: Brian Kirwin

Brian Kirwin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:50:58 +0000

I was aware of why. I just don’t think proxy voting is a great practice, and voting by phone sounded even worse. Hell, imagine someone doing that in Virginia Beach

By: Henry Ryto

Henry Ryto — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:12:38 +0000

Brian,

I learned today that Paul Riddick is in the hospital from knee replacement surgery. That’s why he had to vote by telephone – from his hospital room.

By: Reason #9,859,743,201 why Norfolk should elect school board « VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:57:00 +0000

[...] once, I agree with Brian Kirwin: Electing the School Board won’t solve everything, since electing the City Council hasn’t [...]

By: Britt Howard

Britt Howard — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:07:20 +0000

Ya know……….even if I strongly disagree with your logic, if your son was shot last year……..I kinda take that into consideration if your judgement is affected. Having said that, I didn’t see that HBO special and wouldn’t have known about it if it wasn’t for this ruckus over this guy.

Who do you blame for MORE people hearing about some gang issue in Norfolk because his detractors are raising up a storm over it. Go ahead, cut off your nose to spite your face.

Again, I didn’t see it, but if he went negative, that can still be constructive. Constructive in that awareness is the first step to solving a problem. If my child was shot, I might be a little edgy myself.

How many areas other than Norfolk have gangs? How is this guy the doom of Norfolk? Why do his detractors perpetuate this “bad press” by keeping it in the media?

Norfolk council/schoolboard had a chance to work towards a solution. Perhaps later if THEY worked towards an answer, somewhere down the line there’d be a success story for the city of Norfolk to crow about. Instead, they look a bit petty and bitter. I guess we’ll get a display of vengeance when this guy loses his position.

By: Brian Kirwin

Brian Kirwin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:11:02 +0000

It saddens me that you don’t think democracy is a constructive solution.

By: Clairese Lippincott

Clairese Lippincott — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:20:07 +0000

You offer no constructive solution. What would you do, as a Board member, if you had been working all year on various priority issues and trying to attract better funding for student programs, then one of the members of the Board, goes on national TV in a way that distracts, and indeed, obliterates, all of the good work that had been done for the entire year?

Mr. Cook has the right to express his views, but he still has a responsibility as a member of the Board to work to improve Norfolk’s schools. Hampton Roads has been in denial about its thriving gang problem for decades, so one must ask why at this juncture did Mr. Cook choose to gain publicity from this longstanding issue? Could it be that he is laying the foundation for climbing the political ladder? Probably so.

Is he right about the gang problem? Of course, but as a Board member, what has he offered as constructive solutions? Merely yelling fire without forming the bucket brigade, leaves the same result had no one cried out about the fire.