The Gadfly On The Boardroom Wall

Poor Porter: Oklahoma City's now-suspended school superintendent, John Porter, is fighting tooth and toenail to keep the job he's held for slightly more than five months. But Porter's strategy to keep that job, accusing Board of Education Chairman Cliff Hudson of things Hudson said never happened, or happened differently than Porter claims, is a poor way for Porter to wage his campaign. The new guy versus the community icon seldom works for the new guy. Anyone who has followed Hudson as chairman of the board of education should be aware that he is a no-nonsense leader, one who is quick to praise and slow to criticize. It thus is my summation that the allegations against Porter must be serious, indeed, to bring Hudson to his position. Indeed, Porter appears to blame someone else for questionable expense reimbursements, saying all he does is turn in receipts. And then what? Payment magically appears? Porter's biggest mistake may have been his "don't bother me, I'm on vacation in Maryland" attitude when Hudson and others tried to contact him to discuss the findings of an investigation into Porter's alleged expenditures. Ignoring others seldom is a good way to resolve a problem or reach agreement. It's also poor management style, ignoring those who employ. Footnote: I am baffled by those who seek to make this a racial issue. Their cry seems to be "leave him alone, he's black." Nonsense. He's being called to account by the same board that HIRED him, for crying out loud.

Who's Listening? Did any of the presidential candidates pay any attention to anything that was said during David Boren's get-together in Norman? Thus far, no recogition from any of them that I've seen that the meeting even occurred. Meeting did get the media excited.

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