Madison School board hubbub just another mockery of democracy

Chris Rickert:

It's ironic that democracy activist Sarah Manski would run for the Madison School Board knowing that if she won, she might have to resign before her term was up.

As it happened, she dropped out of the race on Thursday, just two days after winning her primary -- turning what had been a solidly democratic contest among three candidates into a cakewalk for one. T.J. Mertz is now the only person on the ballot who could actually take the seat.

Ironic, too, that fellow progressive and current board vice president Marj Passman would allegedly -- i.e., Passman denies it -- tell Manski not to worry about having to resign because if she did, the board would, as Manski claims Passman told her, "appoint somebody good."

But I can't be that shocked about a pair of progressives in democratically engaged Madison engaging in some democratically questionable behavior when the process for electing school board members in Madison is itself a minor mockery of democracy.

Here's why:

Much more on the 2013 Madison School Board election, here.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at February 27, 2013 3:48 AM
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