Trench Warfare in the Battle Over Measure W

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Nov. 3 Sample Ballot

What could possibly make the Measure W campaign more controversial? How about pulling the embattled Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District into the fray?

This week, the political hot potato is an advertisement placed in the Oct. 8 edition of The Malibu Times, entitled “PTA Leaders Say ‘YES on W.’”

The advertisement, including a picture of three smiling children watering plants in a garden, several lines of text and the signatures of three Webster PTA members, has community members erupting in rage.

With only two weeks to go until election day, The Malibu Times continues its coverage of the Measure W vote, this week addressing controversy over the “Yes on W” campaign’s advertisements and the fallout, from Western Malibu all the way down to Santa Monica.

What exactly does the ad say?

“Leaders of the Webster School PTA strongly support a YES vote on Measure W,” proclaimed the ad on page A3 of the Oct. 8 edition of The Malibu Times.

The advertisement claims a “yes” on W will yield an organic food market, a community learning and sensory garden, and a gardening exchange program between Webster Elementary and a sister school in the inner-city, and is signed by Stephanie Mona Schmelzer, Webster PTA President; Mark Egerstrom, Executive Vice President and Melissa Hopkinson, Chairman, Edible Classroom Project, under the words, “please join us in voting YES on Measure W.” Mona Schmelzer, Egerstrom and Hopkinson’s titles are included under their names.

 

What was the response?

Though it is unclear exactly how the cookie crumbled in the seven days between the publication of the advertisement and the public response, one week after the publication of the ad, Webster Principal Dr. Susan Samarge-Powell wrote a letter to concerned Webster parents disavowing the PTA’s involvement with the “Yes on W” campaign.

“We want to make it clear that Webster PTA’s support as an organization was never offered to the campaign to pass Measure W – a local measure on the November ballot,” Samarge-Powell’s letter stated. “Webster PTA has no position on this initiative.”

The letter was immediately publicized, which, according to district officials, exacerbated the public relations nightmare for the school. 

“The school is getting bombarded with calls and emails and will no longer respond to this issue,” District Spokesperson Gail Pinsker told the press in an email Tuesday morning.

“The PTA was unaware of the Measure W campaign’s intention to place the letter, signed as individuals, in newspaper ads and online advertising,” Samarge-Powell’s letter went on to say. “Once we became aware of this, PTA president Stephanie Schmelzer immediately contacted the campaign to insist they withdraw any future use of Webster PTA’s name.

“I know I speak on behalf of our PTA when I say that we are sorry for any concern these recent events have caused and wish for nothing more than to continue our work of supporting the students, teachers and families at our wonderful school,” the letter stated.

So did they endorse?

According to Samarge-Powell’s original letter, it appeared Schmelzer, Egerstrom and Hopkinson endorsed the “Yes on W” campaign “as individuals,” without full agreement by the Webster PTA, which includes a roster of about 20 parents, according to the school’s website.

When asked whether the advertisement was deliberately misleading by using the Webster PTA’s name, “Yes on W” campaign spokespeople answered with a simple “no.”

“Webster PTA leaders helped plan Whole Foods and the Park. They were instrumental in creating a community garden site. They appeared at public hearings to urge approval of the plan. They sent letters to the newspaper in support of the plan. The ad was accurate, and approved by the three Webster PTA leaders who signed it,” the spokesperson continued.

Late in the afternoon on Tuesday, a revised edition of Samarge-Powell’s letter was circulated to Malibu press from school district headquarters, with some notable changes to the original wording, including what appears to be a claim that Schmelzer’s support for Measure W was never meant to be made public.

“Stephanie [Schmelzer]’s signature was intended to establish this [Whole Foods Inner-City Garden Exchange Project] partnership, to benefit the children of Webster, and nothing more. She has apologized for any confusion this has caused,” the new letter read.

The revised letter is signed by Samarge-Powell, though, according to Pinsker, she is away with Webster fifth-graders and has “limited email access and a huge supervisory role that she needs to focus on.”

As of Tuesday evening, Samarge-Powell has not responded to questions posed by The Malibu Times on Monday afternoon.

It should be noted that in the June 11 edition of The Malibu Times, Schmelzer published a letter in support of Whole Foods and the Park, apparently on behalf of the entire Webster PTA.

“As a part of our mission, the Webster PTA supports local projects that not only benefit our school, but also the entire community,” the letter read. “For this reason, we are proud to support the Whole Foods and the Park project located in Malibu’s Civic Center.”