Follow-up on Chris Lind: Prior Lake-Savage Superintendent to resign.
November 9th, 2007 7:57 pm by DJ DanielsonRather than face what would at the very least be an awkward situation, School District 719 (Prior Lake-Savage) Superintendent Tom Westerhaus has decided to resign effective at the end of his contract in June.
“The election to the board of a former employee, whom I had progressively disciplined and ultimately recommended for final dismissal from employment in our district last
summer, confirmed for me that it was time to move on,” Westerhaus said in a letter to district staff. “The community has spoken through this election, and therefore I will seek employment elsewhere to more successfully continue my 35+ years in education.”
Also during Tuesday’s election, two bond referendum questions failed by wide margins. Westerhaus said the voters have spoken, presumably about both the desire to not have a referendum and the feeling that Lind was wrongly terminated.
I find two things to be peculiar about this situation. First, the referendum failed by a wide margin, yet of the three incumbents running for re-election, two were victorious (finishing first and second for four seats; the board has seven seats total). Since voters were upset about the question put to them, why didn’t they “kick the rascals out” wholesale when they had an opportunity to replace nearly half of the board? I don’t want to hear any excuses about cronyism; board incumbents were successfully defeated last year in Winona.
Second, if the citizens were upset that Lind was fired, why was Dick Booth, who was one of two “nays” on Lind’s termination vote, sent packing?
Questions, questions…