Teacher Less Than Impressed by Gripes of Losing Candidate
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One message that is becoming very clear in this current business-political year is that “arrogance and indifference” do not sell well with the general public. Whether it is Donald Trump, a world leader or a small-fry politician, the public’s attitude has been one of rejection.
Locally, defeated candidate Kenneth Manning has complained about his loss in the 52nd Assembly Republican “primary” (Times, June 24). The fact is that Mr. Manning only garnered 17% of the actual vote, and only 6% of the registered Republicans, hardly a “mandate” for anyone who understands simple math.
Much of that 17% came on the shirttails of his father, Tag Manning, who in his own right earned his political respect, instead of assuming that it was his “natural right” as did son Kenneth Manning.
Mr. Manning hasn’t endeared himself to the employees of the Hacienda La Puente School District or the community. Mr. Manning was the principal effort in leading the board to spend over $326,000 on a stadium at Wilson High School while approving $3 million in cuts in the school budget.
Mr. Manning did little if anything to bring about a resolve in the teachers’ labor impasse of 22 months even though he advertised himself as the “educational candidate.” Nor did Mr. Manning project much of a democratic image to the students of our district when he arrogantly stated that all other candidates should just quit the primary race because they didn’t have a chance.
Do we really need a Board of Education member or an Assembly representative that mocks the democratic process, speaks with a double tongue on party unity or publicly embarrasses everyone with his completely unsportsmanlike behavior as a “bad loser?”
As far as Mr. Manning’s penchant with conservatism goes, if George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the rest of our forefathers were ultra conservative, we would still be singing “God Bless the Queen,” and this country wouldn’t exist.
RUSSELL A. FILL
Teacher, Hacienda La Puente
School District
San Dimas
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