I’ll predict that Kettering will reject all three state issues and will approve both levies.
In Kettering this election there was strong competition in both the City Council race and in the School Board race. It’s a good sign that our democracy in Kettering may be stronger than it sometimes lets on.
W. Edwards Deming said that those thing most important cannot be measured. In our school system we are defining excellence in terms of those things we can measure. In other words, we are agreeing to a meaning of excellence that from a broader view is very trivial. I guess the first thing to realize about education in 2022, is that there has occurred a revolution in our understanding about the purpose and aim of education. There has been a revolution in what we see as indicators of excellence.
An involved citizenry would be engaged in thinking about such questions. I’m setting a big challenge for myself in thinking this through in the book I’m seeking to write — “Public Education In Kettering, Ohio In 2022.” I think it could be a topic that could attract a lot of attention and discussion and could become a focus of a Kettering group who join CitizensTogether.com. So, win or lose, I’ll have something useful to do.
I believe that the underlying premise that must guide all of our thinking concerning public education is the proposition that the key to a strong system of public education is a strong democracy. As I’ve said in my speeches, I believe that Kettering is well positioned to be a leader in public education and the fact that there is real competition in these Kettering races today, November 3, 2009, I think, is one indicator that we have hope for Kettering public education in 2022. It’s an indicator that in Kettering we have the capacity for leadership.
It’s great that in Kettering democracy seems very alive today. This thought makes me optimistic and so I am predicting that I will finish third in the Board race. Barely squeaking in is the best I can hope for and this morning I’m hoping for the best I can hope for. I guess I have enough confidence in myself that I think a vitalized democracy is to my advantage.
Julie Gilmore, I’m thinking, will come in first. And the second place then, according to my logic, must be Jim Brown. This outcome, that seems to follow as part of my squeaking in, would be huge. It would mean that two incumbents seeking reelection were, instead, turned out. It would send a big message that voters want change — a message I’ve heard from many with whom I talked.
The City Council race, this is a tough call. I think the most likely outcome is that Amy Schrimpf and Ashley Webb will win. But there is a scenario also that puts Ed Smith in and Ashley Webb out. The fact that Ed is a Democrat may be the key. I think the voters are in an ornery mood and so, my prediction for Kettering City Council is Amy Schrimpf and Ed Smith.
Kettering School Board: Gilmore, Brown, Bock
Kettering City Council: Schrimpf, Smith
