Read below about Orrin Kole, a candidate for an open seat on the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (GCCCD) board, who had some interesting “contacts” from labor reps in the days approaching the deadline to file for office.
Interesting that the union head, Jim Mahler, claims that he and his operatives contacted Kole because, as he put it, “We don’t want people who are lying to run for these board seats.”
Ironic. If the union at GCCCD were telling the truth, the ballot statements for their hand-picked candidates would read as follows:
“Bought and paid for by the teachers union. I will do all that they instruct me to do when they tell me to do it. I will vote for each and every raise and benefit, even if it means cutting services to the students. I will do
nothing to hold teachers accountable.”
The ballot statements don’t read that way, but the union pres still insists they don’t want “people who are lying to run for these board seats.”
The story in today’s SDUT:
A Republican running for a seat on the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District board filed his candidate’s papers Wednesday, saying he did so despite union attempts to intimidate him.
The union president said the union did contact the candidate, Orrin Kole, to discuss his background, but not to intimidate him.
“I’ve fought for freedoms,” said Kole, a Santee resident. “I’ve been to Iraq. I’m not going to take this.”
Kole said he picked up candidacy papers at the Registrar of Voters Office on Friday, still not sure he was going to run.
“By the time I got home, there was an e-mail waiting for me from the American Federation of Teachers telling me how much money they had to spend and inviting me to a meeting. I basically ignored it,” he said.
“Then on Saturday there is something in my mailbox, saying basically the same thing. Then, (Tuesday) night somebody showed up at my house with basically a (warning) letter. Also, on Sunday, I got a call from somebody asking why I was running.”
Read the entire SDUT story.