Letter: School board candidate Frank Triggs comments on editorial
Frank Triggs
Editor’s note: This letter from Frank Triggs, a candidate for Paso Robles Joint Unified School Board of Trustees, offers his comments on the editorial, “Local leaders offer advice on voting for school board candidates,” submitted by Jeff Railsback and other community leaders.
To the editor,
My response to the “Local Leaders” advice/questions on voting for school board trustee.
While I expect politics to be a lively arena of ideas and disagreements, I did not expect the non-partisan position of school board trustee to degrade into personal attacks by twelve people that do not know me or my motivations for running for office.
First, I will address the issue “that four candidates are running as a slate focused on past financial issues that are already under control.”
I am a part of the group of four. We four hold common values in our love for America, respect for education and our dream for continued local control of our school system. I thought that interpersonal support was a good fiscal decision. A common phrase is “more bang for the buck.” Combining expenses was and is a means to reach more people with less expense. The district could use that kind of thinking when preparing and reviewing the budget. If the past financial issues are under control that is wonderful, but somehow there has not been transparency for the taxpayers because I am constantly asked what has happened to hold those responsible accountable. At no time have we ever discussed voting as a block. If the signers of the letter think we hold a narrow view, that demonstrates they have never bothered to get to know all members of the four.
Second, we four bring various skills to the table, I personally am a graduate of Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, I have served as Director of Christian Education for a Christian denomination area that covers from San Miguel to the Mexican border. I have founded, operated and consulted in private pre-schools. In my ability to communicate well with the public, I chuckled at that innuendo. I have a fifty-year career in public speaking. No one bothered to call and discover that fact.
Finally, I think is pertinent that I have served as a business manager for a private school with an enrollment ranging from 350 to 400. My responsibilities included oversight of the campus grounds, buildings and other assets. A simple phone call or email could have relieved these unfounded fears.
I find this rude approach to an unknown candidate to be not helpful for friendly dialogue and it makes me question the motives and means of those that signed such a poorly researched letter.
This is my personal response for which I alone am responsible. I can be reached at ftriggs@gmail.com
Sincerely,
W. Frank Triggs
School board candidate
Editor’s note: Letters to the editor are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Paso Robles Daily News or its staff. We welcome letters from local residents regarding relevant local topics. To submit one, click here.
