Candidate for EMSB Chairman Anne Lagace Dowson Denounces Outgoing EMSB
Chairman Angela Mancinis sand box politics
Montreal - October 20, 2014
Outgoing Chairman Angela Mancini prefers personal attacks on her opponents rather than defending her record of governance, which is a dismal failure. Her anti-democratic management of Council of Comissioners meetings is the root of the newest petty attack on incumbent Commissioner Julien Feldman. What Mancini doesnt mention is that a majority of Commissioners passed a motion of censure against her and her lieutenant Sylvia Lobianco, calling on them to apologize (for excluding a sitting Commissioner from voting), or resign. Mancini and Lo Bianco did neither.
Their lack of respect for critics, both at the level of commissioners and among parents, has led to divisiveness that does a great disservice to the EMSB.
Julien Feldman began his mandate on Council in 2007 by fending off attacks from Mancini and her allies, who contested the legitimacy of his election. Attempts to unseat Feldman eventually led to a court decision in his favour which cost the EMSB and taxpayers thousands of dollars in legal fees. These unnecessary costs were incurred because of the intransigence of Mme Mancini and her allies on the Council of School Board Commissioners, most notably Sylvia Lo Bianco. Mancini also fails to mention these bogus ethics complaints were made mainly by members of her group and allies. The ethics commissioner exonerated Feldman on almost all of them.
None of the complaints actually deals with ethics in a substantive way, in particular, conflicts of interest, nepotism or abuse of power by a member of the school board, all of which have been problems in the board in recent years. Anne Lagace Dowson is proud to have Feldman as a candidate on her team. Feldman has tried to bring openness and transparency to the EMSB. TeamLagaceDowson candidates include a procurement officer for a Crown Corporation, a sitting city councillor, journalists, a parent Commissioner, and several respected veteran Commissioners.
Says Anne Lagace Dowson >Outgoing Chairman Mancini should stop wasting time with this kind of sand box politics. Members of our team are all eminently qualified to sit on the Council of School Board Commissioners at the EMSB, and will do a great job when they win. We need rational policy discussions and fair minded leadership at the EMSB to build a successful future for this critical english community institution. Voters deserve to hear about plans for the future rather than rehash the squabbles of the past.>
Mancini also used her power over the EMSBs legal services to block Feldmans right to defend himself against frivolous ethics complaints. After Feldman was granted a court order against Mancini in Superior Court, the chairman appealed and lost in Quebec Court of Appeal. Almost seven years later, the matter is now still before the courts.