Guest column: City, school officials need to unify, not splinter

Note: This is copy of a column summarized by Oak Ridge Board of Education member Dan DiGregorio at a Monday night City Council meeting. DiGregorio had earlier sent a similar column to Oak Ridge Today in response to questions about a letter written by City Council member Trina Baughn that sparked a fiery debate this past week over drugs and violence in Oak Ridge Schools.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, and each has the right to express that opinion. I, too, have the right to express opinions. I agree with my opinion about what I just wrote.

Within the Oak Ridge City Council and School Board there are 12 elected officials—all of whom were elected by the same citizens. But, we were elected to do two different jobs. We should not be stepping on each other’s toes. Both elected bodies are accountable to the citizens of Oak Ridge.

Earlier this year, our Board of Education Chairman, Keys Fillauer, asked us (board members) to meet one-on-one with members of City Council. I met with five of the seven (Trina Baughn, Anne Garcia Garland, Chuck Hope, Charlie Hensley, and David Mosby). I have not yet made the time to ask Tom Beehan and Jane Miller for such a meeting. (I am not neglecting you, Tom and Jane. I just haven’t done it yet.)

We had nice, cordial chats about a variety of subjects—principally, school maintenance, school resource officers, the capital improvement program, and school safety. There were other topics that crept in, of course. Nothing was decided or resolved. However, we did agree (at least some of us) that we should continue the one-on-one chats. We also seemed to be in general agreement that casting blame on each other is not productive. So, where am I going with all this?

I am going to hope for several things.

• We move forward rather than backward. If we keep looking backward, we’re going to run in to something or, perhaps, turn into pillars of salt.
• Members of the BOE and City Council continue with the one-on-one chats. I think I will be very disappointed if we don’t continue these.
• Members of City Council reach out to BOE members also for these little chats. I look forward to your phone call or e-mail.
• All members of the City Council meet with our new superintendent, Dr. Bruce Borchers. I think that he and our city manager have met already, and Police Chief Jim Akagi is scheduled to meet with Dr. Borchers within days. Dr. Borchers has certainly reached out. These are positive signs. Truthfully, I can see no reason why these meetings cannot/should not take place. Again, I think I will be very disappointed if these meetings don’t happen.
• We talk more. Maybe even joint City Council/Board of Education meetings—or as David Mosby suggested during our chat, a “Summit.” Folks, I will freely admit that I am probably not the brightest bulb in the box, so there may be lots of things that I don’t see in a particular issue. But, that’s why we get together, have meetings, and talk to each other. There is value in person-to-person conversation. And, as the old saying goes, none of us is as smart as all of us.
• If we disagree, we need to remember that disagreements are just that—disagreements. They are not the end of the world. How we handle those disagreements is far more important.
• We can remember that we were elected by the same people to lead the community. A part of leading is unifying—not splintering. Nationwide, at every level of government, this seems to be a problem. We don’t have to go there. But, first we need to unify ourselves.

Among us 12 elected officials and even those employed by us, I am sure there are some Rotarians. When I attended, they ended every meeting with a recitation of the four-way test—one of its hallmarks.

“For Rotary, The Four-Way Test is the cornerstone of all action. It has been for years, and it will be in the future. Of the things we think, say or do:

Is it the TRUTH?

Is it FAIR to all concerned?

Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”

Without formally adopting this, we can still operate that way—individually and collectively.

It really is not important who has the upper hand—if there is such a thing. We are all working for the same city and hopefully want the same thing(s).

Oak Ridge, in my opinion, is a very fine city. I never fuss about paying my taxes. We have a very fine police department, fire department, school system, very fine city services of all kinds, etc. Yes, our city can be improved. That’s our job while we serve and even after.

Our nation’s founding fathers even knew the same thing when they formed the nation and wrote the Constitution: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, ….” They certainly seemed to have known that the job is never done.

These are my opinions.

Donato “Dan” DiGregorio