I am happy to report that I listened to concerns expressed here and that I apologized in a face-to-face meeting Friday with Cindy Menz-Erb for not giving her a full 24 hours to respond to telephone calls. She accepted my apology and gave me her personal cell number so that I can reach her in a more efficient and less frustrating manner in the future. We spent more than an hour at Stir Crazy discussing community concerns that lead had been discovered in the water at some RPS schools and how she and the administration were addressing the issue. We also talked about the dismal fact that RPS is NUMBER ONE IN DROP-OUTS. She promised to keep me in the loop concerning RPS plans to improve school attendance and keep kids from dropping out. I stressed the importance of erring on the side of "over-communicating" with parents and concerned citizens. We also discussed some of her controversial votes and actions as the seated Third District member of the School Board. Because the purpose of meeting was to apologize and not play any "gotcha games," I did not take notes or record it.
I told her I plan to continue to address her votes and actions as my representative on the board, regardless of how this election comes out. Newspapers do not stop covering candidates for elected office -- or expressing opinons about campaigns and the individuals running for office -- just because the paper endorses one candidate over another. She has the power of the incumbency advantage over her opponents, but as an incumbent, she also must take responsibility for her votes and actions in her role. I promised her that I plan to continue to use my skills as a reporter and as an advocate for the students, parents, teachers and citizens of Richmond. Cindy Menz-Erb, Brian Ross Cannon, Barrett Hardiman
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