City Council Candidate lacks respect for schools, community

By The Malibu Times · Wed Mar 05 2008

After my last letter, I found myself worrying that in my zeal to respond to what I felt were unfair attacks on Kathy Wisnicki by City Council candidate Susan Tellem, I had described Tellem as unfriendly to our local schools, based solely on my memory of letters she wrote to The Malibu Times years ago. Had I myself been unfair to Tellem? Fortunately, your Web site now has a searchable archive, and I was able to find the letters I remembered. Here are some excerpts:

November 19, 2002:"I raised a gaggle of children who went to private schools so, in effect, I have been paying twice for years-for both public and private education … Ask each parent to ante up $10 or $20 or even $50 a year per kid. That should make a nice slush fund. It's a pittance when you compare this to what Mom and Dad spend on big screen TVs, beauty salon visits, fast food and SUVs."

May 6, 2003: "I don't want to pay extra for someone else's kids. I paid for four of my own to go to private school (while I paid taxes for your kids to go to public school). Take a lesson from Catholic schools: If you want music teachers, get some parents to teach… have bake sales and car washes; get financial pledges from parents; learn to run a tighter ship. Show some initiative and creativity to raise money. Do something else besides sticking out your big fat hand again and again."

These letters display some traits that I find troubling in a City Council candidate: a lack of respect for public education; a lack of involvement in our community (can Tellem truly be unaware of the many hundreds of thousands of dollars raised yearly by parents in our local schools?); and, most troubling of all, a willingness to insult those with whom she disagrees.

Support from our next City Council will be crucial to Malibu's attempt to break away from the SMMUSD. Please consider this when you vote.

Pam Eilerson