Anna Krome

Nov 5 2009, 02:49 PM

The following is from www.lyndascheel.com. I became aware of it when I received a robocall from Ms. Scheel on Monday. I did not edit or change this in any way.



The TRUTH about Lynda Scheel

Thank you for taking the time to learn the TRUTH about me and my record. I have a passion for serving this community. That passion will not be diminished by the actions of one or two cowards who mail out this type of literature, but do not sign it. However, I do need your support and your vote to bring my leadership to Livonia’s City Council this Tuesday, November 3rd.

Accusation: As a Livonia School Board Trustee, Lynda Scheel voted to spend….. “sinking fund” tax revenue…. (to remedy & develop the “old Cooper” site)….that is not a part of any school facility and does not provide any benefit to Livonia Public Schools students.

TRUTH: This is the “old Cooper School” property that was discovered to be contaminated and closed in 1991. Our district has been working with the City of Westland, Michigan DEQ and other resources over the last several years, since 1997, to find a positive reuse for this property. Several potential developers have backed out of deals in the last few years due to the economy and the cost of preparing the land. State funds available for preparing the land for safe use were about to expire. The approved lease agreement allows the district to take advantage of state funds for preparing the land for this use and any future development. This opportunity also provides a small amount of revenue on an annual basis. Finally, it provides a positive community use for the land, as well as for use by LPS students.

Accusation: Endorsed city council candidate James McCann who voted against cable competition (AT&T).

TRUTH: Councilman James McCann actually voted FOR cable competition (AT&T). I wholeheartedly endorse James McCann for Livonia City Council and I hope to have the privilege of serving with him.

Accusation: Voted to spend $10,000 to create a new logo rather than calling back laid off teachers.

TRUTH: There was NO money spent to create the new district logo. This fact has been stated clearly at LPS School Board meetings as well as in the Livonia Observer. I am proud to say that our district has re-called more than 95% of our laid off teachers as enrollment requires to fill open positions.

Accusation: Voted to cut school custodian and bus driver wages, while at the same time granting raises to 43 Livonia Public Schools administrators who already make over $100,000 per year, most of whom don’t even live in Livonia!

TRUTH: There has been NO VOTE by the LPS School Board regarding the AFSCME (custodian and bus driver wages) contract. The negotiating teams for both sides came to a tentative agreement, however this was voted down by the AFSCME Union members, so NO CONTRACT has been brought forth to the school board. There is no law that states LPS employees need to reside in the city of Livonia. In fact, it is against the law to use residency as a requirement.

Accusation: Voted to obstruct the hiring of a new auditing company for LPS who subsequently “found” almost $3,000,000 in undisclosed fund balances. Do we really know how our school taxes are being spent?

TRUTH: I did vote not to change our auditing firm, which was Plante Moran. However, the vote passed and the district immediately changed firms to Yeo&Yeo with absolutely no obstruction from any board trustee. We just had our 2008-2009 audit presented to the LPS School Board at our committee meeting on Monday, October 26th. This meeting can be viewed at livoniapublicschools.org. The additional $3 million in our fund balance was NOT money found by the auditing firm, it is the result of the dedication and sacrifices of ALL of our hard working staff and administration who managed to spend less then the amount budgeted at the beginning of the school year. Our district received the highest possible audit opinion and they recommended NO CHANGES to our current accounting policies and procedures. YES, our LPS District is transparent in showing how are school taxes are being spent. Our check register is online, our budget is online, and our audit will be online once presented at the regular LPS School Board Meeting on November 16, 2009.

Accusation: Supported the Northville Annexation even though Livonia would be burdened with ….of infrastructure costs.

TRUTH: The annexation question was placed on the Livonia ballot by actions taken by citizens of Northville. By law, this issue could not be placed on the ballot by citizens of Livonia or the Livonia City Council. There are limited opportunities for Livonia to find increases in revenues to support the superior services we offer. I saw this as an opportunity to increase city revenues and knew it was up to the citizens of Livonia to make the decision. The voters spoke. The issue is behind us, and our City Leaders are working on solutions for the future.

Accusation: Livonia cannot afford another tax and spend business-as-usual politician like Lynda Scheel in City Hall.

TRUTH: Since I have been on the LPS School Board (7 years), we have CUT over $30 million dollars in expenses. I did vote to put the Millage renewal on the ballot for November 3rd. This is NOT a new tax, it is a renewal of an existing millage that our LPS school district very much needs. It is even more important to our districts ability to educate our children now that the Governor has cut $10 million from THIS YEAR'S budget, even though we are already in the fifth month of our fiscal school year. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE YES FOR BOTH SCHOOL MILLAGES!

Again, thank you for taking the time to learn the TRUTH about me and my record. Please contact me at Lynda@lyndascheel.com or 248-477-6374 if you have any questions. I ask for your support and your vote this Tuesday, November 3rd.

Jimid

Nov 6 2009, 09:22 PM

"Lie" is a strong word LPS. In my experience, people are careful not to lie. But, misrepresentation runs rampant.

LPS Reformer

Nov 7 2009, 01:31 PM

Jimid

Nov 6 2009, 09:22 PM

"Lie" is a strong word LPS. In my experience, people are careful not to lie. But, misrepresentation runs rampant.

Main Entry: 3lie
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): lied; ly·ing \ˈlī-iŋ\
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English lēogan; akin to Old High German liogan to lie, Old Church Slavic lŭgati
Date: before 12th century
intransitive verb
1 : to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive
2 : to create a false or misleading impression

Mrs.M

Nov 7 2009, 03:27 PM

LPS Reformer

Nov 7 2009, 01:31 PM

Jimid

Nov 6 2009, 09:22 PM

"Lie" is a strong word LPS. In my experience, people are careful not to lie. But, misrepresentation runs rampant.

Main Entry: 3lie
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): lied; ly·ing \ˈlī-iŋ\
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English lēogan; akin to Old High German liogan to lie, Old Church Slavic lŭgati
Date: before 12th century
intransitive verb
1 : to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive
2 : to create a false or misleading impression

Reformer, That definition was before the 12th century - times have changed

kids do that, politicians, some people are frequent users.

Mispoke, forgot, misunderstood the question, harmless one, little white one all sorts of justifications and excuses.

Think about the person who, out of habit, preface their answers with "to be quite honest" or "honestly?" What??
When I ask a question, do you think I want the truth, something made up or something that sounds good?

I wonder now - if these people don't preface the statement with "to be honest" are they being honest?