Unruly News & Updates

Friday, February 4, 2005

Does Craig Mann Wear an Orange Bracelet? If so, is it time for a RECALL?

At the January Board meeting, Paul Robichaux addressed the audience, formally announcing his group’s intent to incorporate Evergreen Valley High School and Silver Creek High School into the Evergreen Valley School District in order to unify that district. They also want to build a high school further south in the Coyote Valley area. The move originated from a group of angry parents primarily from the Silver Creek Country Club area who have been historically concerned with the boundary lines around Evergreen and Silver Creek. Some say the move comes from parents who feel their children should have been allowed to attend Evergreen Valley, the newest high school in the ESUHSD. Others claim it’s a case of the haves not wanting their children to mingle with the have nots.

Robichaux is the leader of the group pushing for secession. The symbol of their cause is an orange bracelet, similar to the yellow bracelet popularized by cyclist Lance Armstrong. In his address to the Board, Robichaux offered the trustees their own orange bracelets. The Board did not take the bracelets, but they did not deny them either.

The curious moment came when Robichaux thanked Trustees Lan Nguyen and Craig Mann for meeting with their group. Lan Nguyen has been visiting groups and schools across the district in order to learn about specific concerns in each community. So why did Craig Mann meet with the group? After all, he’s been in the district since the late 1990’s. He claims to be in tune with community concerns. However, since Mann resides in the Evergreen community, it’s too coincidental to believe Mann met with Robichaux’s group to promote the better interests of the ESUHSD.

Trustees are supposed to serve all of the constituencies within East Side’s boundaries. It is unethical for a trustee to put the needs of one group ahead of another; they are entrusted with the stewardship of the entire district. At the Board meeting, Robichaux told the audience the next move for his group was to file a letter with the county in order to dissolve the East Side Union High School District. He then thanked Craig Mann for his assistance! Team Unruly is unsure if Mann just met with the group or actually helped Robichaux outline the necessary steps for his group’s plan to succeed.

The evidence suggests Craig Mann likes to play to his Evergreen base. He is a politician with his eyes on a larger prize. The Metro reported that Craig Mann was upset when Joe Coto announced his bid for state assembly because he wanted to run for the seat himself (read the article here: )Robichaux is the CEO of a Silicon Valley company. The rest is simple political math: if Mann helps Robichaux, Robichaux in turn will help Mann.

In the Monday, February 7 Mercury News, Jon Fortt spoke to leaders of the secession group (the article is not on the web as of this writing). Cecil Lawson, former Board candidate and Craig Mann look-a-like, stated that part of this secession movement has to do with Evergreen property values: "Cecil Lawson, another Evergreen resident working with Robichaux, mentioned a study showing that home values jump in districts with higher overall API scores. 'Realtors in the area are quite interested in it,' [Lawson] said. 'That's not really our driving force, but it's one of those things where it was compelling.'" If Lawson was running for ESUHSD school board with the hidden intent to dissolve the district, could Craig Mann have had the same intent? He does live in the Evergreen area. . .

So does new Board Member Lan Nguyen. But unlike Mann, Nguyen is a graduate of the East Side District. He grew up in a socio-economically depressed community. He sympathizes with the needs of those students because he was one himself. He also has a responsibility to learn the issues concerning the various communities in the East Side, so meeting with Robichaux's group would not be that out of the ordinary. But Mann has been in the district for a long time. He knows the issues. He is also, in the words of the Mercury News that endorsed him, "Self-promotional" (read it here: ) His child attends Evergreen.

Team Unruly also knows Craig Mann has tried to placate his Evergreen neighbors' specific concerns. On his website, http://www.craigmann.org, he pledges to build a Coyote Valley High School. Team Unruly wonders what Mann discussed with Robichaux’s secession group. If he is helping with the secession, does he really have the best interests of the district at heart? Wouldn’t helping to dissolve the district he was elected to serve be grounds for removal from office? We can’t say for sure, but this story needs to be watched carefully in the coming months.

By the way, in Team Unruly's effort to unseat Mann and Ramirez, we suggested Cecil Lawson as a fair choice for canididate. Given that Mr. Lawson is more interested in property values than the interests of the entire district, the Unruly Advocate's editorial board rescinds its endorsement of Lawson for any future office. We regret the error.