Sen. Lawlah praises Johnson and Hornsby

Post, 13 Jan 2005

Governor's Visit to Include Town Hall Meeting

By Ovetta Wiggins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 13, 2005; Page PG02
. . .
Sen. Gloria G. Lawlah (D-Hillcrest Heights) praised Johnson for bringing the delegation together. She also lavished praise on schools chief Andre J. Hornsby, who was in attendance as well, for the work he has done in the school system.

Comment:

I don't understand!

Murders and car thefts are up on Johnson's watch. The schools remain lousy and Hornsby is under investigation.

Why the praise, especially for Hornsby?

Does Sen. Lawlah endorse ethics violations, school bus and report card problems, audit delays?

And how about Johnson's failure to deal with the ongoing, graffiti-covered Oxon Hill Library fiasco in Sen. Lawlah's own district?

Does Sen. Lawlah somehow have the difference between success and failure turned around in her mind?

Feds now investigating school chief Hornsby

Feds now investigating school chief Hornsby

Post: Pr. George's Schools Panel To Study Contract Awards

Re: Feds now investigating school chief Hornsby

Why does the school system have ethics rules?

Both the Sun and the Post have run a number of stories about the appearence of improper behavior by PG school CEO Andre J. Hornsby.

The school board's ethic rules prohibit "even the appearance of improper influence."

According to press reports, Beatrice Tignor, chair of the non-elected patronage school board is not concerned by Hornsby's apparent violation of the rules. There is no indication that the board plans to enforce its own rules.

Quoted by the Post, Howard Tutman, president of the County Council of PTAs, said the inquiries into Hornsby's conduct are "another distraction."

As far as the school board and PTA folks are concerned, Hornsby's apparent violation of the ethics rules is unimportant. That's a great message for the CEO and his employers to be communicating to the staff and public.

Obviously, the messages here are

• the rules are not important, and
• if rules are made to be broken, it's ok to violate the other rules too, right?

Wouldn't we be better off without the rules and accompanying hypocrisy?