Update: Parks Drops Re-Election Bid
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Facing the toughest re-election campaign of his life, longtime School Board member Bob Parks announced today he will not run for re-election.
Parks’ withdrawal leaves the field open for Nora Rupert, a Coconut Creek resident and Piper High School teacher.
Speculation is that parent activist Jeanne Jusevic, best known to me as an apologist for Parks and the old ways of doing business at the School Board, is gearing up to run. Parks may endorse her.
News that Parks was quitting was first posted earlier today by The New Times, which quoted sources. I posted something shortly afterward, also quoting sources.
Parks departure will shake up the status quo at the School Board. He was generally a vote for the School Board administration.
He was also firmly in the pocket of the lobbyist contingent at the School Board. Law enforcement authorities are investigating the ties between Board members like Parks and lobbyists.
Parks will presumably stay long enough to continue to push for another year on School Board Attorney Ed Marko’s contract. Marko is due to leave this year, but Parks had been seeking a one-year extention for the veteran lawyer.
Parks was first elected in 1986 after having worked as a teacher and a union official. It was an easy campaign, along with other campaign.
His upcoming re-election promised to be tough. The union and a majority of the city officials in Coconut Creek have already endorsed Rupert.
Here is the news release:
Wed, May 26, 2010 4:52:54 PM [ No Subject ]
—– Original Message —–
BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS NEWS RELEASE
DATE: May 26, 2010
CONTACT: Eddie T. Arnold, APR, Executive Director, Public Relations & Governmental Affairs, 754-321-2300
SUBJECT: STATEMENT ISSUED BY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER DR. ROBERT D. PARKS
Dr. Robert D. Parks, School Board member, District 7, issued the following statement today, May 26, 2010:
After three months of thoughtful discussions and weighing the pros and cons of seeking a seventh term, I have decided not to run again at the end of my term in November.
Many elected officials and friends in my District urged me to run one more time, and I was honored by their support and encouragement. But after serious discussions with my wife Linda, we decided it was time for us to enjoy retirement .
I want to thank all those people who have supported and worked with me to make Broward schools and all those in District 7 the best in Broward County.
I want to personally thank Jim Notter, my friends on the School Board, the District and school administrators, teachers and especially Marcia Simmons, who made my time on the School Board a wonderful experience during my career in education.
Bob Parks
School Board Member
May 26th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Once any politician loses the ability to be an outsider looking in it is time for them to go. Once they lose the ability to put the needs of the people above any other consideration it clearly is time for them to move along.
For Parks, departure is about 12 years overdue. He has become a guardian of mediocrity and status quo over a profoundly corrupt institution. He has lost all perspective. It is time for him to go and I am glad he made this decision.
Society gets only one chance to educate a child properly. In Broward that is not being done nearly as well as is necessary to ensure their success as adults. During Bob Park’s tenure, we have seen too many examples of that failure coming out of the school system. I have no sympathy for excuses when it comes to the well being of our children. We are worse off not better for his service and he leaves a school board in much worse shape than the one he found. Failure.
May 26th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Parks has proven himself to be useless to those who really matter; his constituents. He is a mouthpiece for the construction industry and his leaving will be much like getting over the flu; it feels incredible just to feel normal again. Normal is something this town has not felt for sometime now.
Bob, you are one arrogant, self-centered and ignorant bastard. I only hope that you live to be at least 80 so that you can have a year or two as a free man after your release from Federal prison.
Bye bye Bobby…maybe you can room with Marko.
May 26th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Class is over for the college professor. The Big Cheese and Miss Matron are next on the list. The schools are infested. The exterminator has come. We can only hope that more bugs don’t fly in to take their places.
May 26th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Bob,
We told you a while back what your legacy will be, and it won’t be your name on the stadiums at the schools. Do your buddies one more favor and tell them to forget it.
May 27th, 2010 at 3:06 am
As Ben Williams would say “this is fantastic.” I wonder what Maureen Dinnen will do now that she has lost her two fellow spin-masters (Parks and Kraft)? With Gallagher gone, the “voting coalition” you know, the one everyone denies that it exists? Well it is being busted up and now board members will have to find new ways to rig their bidding for their construction friends. Thanks to those who have helped to expose and explain it to us. Thanks Karnack, Score Keeper, Hammerhead, Beth the Bounty Hunter, Zorro and countless others.
It’s funny that the board is nearly bankrupt but they insist on trying to build more; more that they do not really need. Sure there are some old schools and/or buildings but the current space is more than adequate. They need computers refreshed and supplies for students and pay for the low pay grade teachers, but the only thing they talk about is how much they can build and how they can funnel more money into the construction program.
With Parks, Gallaher and Kraft off the board one of the most powerful and corrupt voting coalitions (you vote for my pet project/I’ll vote for yours) is over, done, obsolete and that is a major blow to the construction community. They may actually have to earn their projects now through fair bidding.
Watch closely as the real benefactors begin to expose themselves as the real anxiety and desperation set in (Ponzi schemes are hard do keep on life suppport once they’ve been spotted). You will see the faces that have been behind the scenes coming forward to beg for more. They are like crack addicts and it will be humiliating and exhonorating all at the same time to watch.
Dr. Parks, you could’ve had a legacy of greatness, but instead you chose deceit and greed. I wonder who will buy the rights (if anyone) to rename both your stadiums after you are indicted. Mayby now the board and other arrogant electeds will learn those things only happen to people with pure hearts and after their deaths.
May 27th, 2010 at 6:16 am
While I agree that the potential for change at the board level is a good thing, I would hope we could move past anger and recrimination. I think that many good points are being raised here…passionate but considered. I would like to see that consideration directed to constructive conversation. What should we do to insure quality education for our children? How do we move past the never-ending concerns of favoritism and insiderism to commit to creating an environment of safety and opportunity for our children. Too much discussion from the school board Mt Olympus has little or nothing to do with the whole life impact on our students or the long tern goals for our educational vision – I would like to see those discussions held.
May 27th, 2010 at 7:40 am
Hoof Hearted…..after this election, we should all get together for a party. I wish Buddy would find out how much vacant land is owned by the School Board that could be sold for the good of education in this County. Because we will not need new schools just replacement schools that can be built on the property they are located on. Look at the old and closed multi-cultural center located on US1 just north of 17th Street, in Ft. Lauderdale. Prime real estate. SELL IT!!!!
May 28th, 2010 at 5:02 am
Hurrah! Yippee! And yipeekayay!!!! We’re getting on with cleaning out da’house!
(Actually, he’s bye-bye is 23 years overdue…) Now, we’ve only got a couple more left…
My next thought is that Broward residents will get off their fat behinds on Election Day and actually get out there to vote. Away with the voter apathy here. We need people to help us make sure we vote for quality candidates. Our lives depend on it. These azzes have been getting their way thanks to voter apathy.
May 28th, 2010 at 5:03 am
sorry……I meant his, not he’s.
May 28th, 2010 at 5:10 am
You’re 100% right, Beth TBH. No reason why a lease at Sawgrass has to be paid with a vacant building sitting there. We also have plenty of underused space in many schools in the county. They could either put it to good use as offices, or put the kids together in their own neighborhoods, empty out a couple of underutilized schools here and there and use them as offices. I’m then willing to bet you we wouldn’t have to pay the bank rent for the Crystal Palace either.
While we’re on the subject, whaddasay we take all of Notter’s perks away…..i.e. his car, etc. He could drive his own wheels around, and pay for his own things out of his pocket, like we do.
May 29th, 2010 at 6:54 am
lets list all of the unethical things Parks has done…..it would take up lots of space!