Kinnon - Making Decisions Based on Spite?

Malden Advocate - S. Broadway Council Discussion

If we ever had any doubt as to what traits make up Neil Kinnon's character, we don't any longer.

It would appear as though SPITE is the dominant trait of Neil Kinnon and is at the heart of what he bases his decisions and actions upon. With all the mud that is currently being thrown at MVRCS due to him, some might be having difficulty in keeping it all straight (Maplewood Firehouse, Roosevelt Park, the Dog Park, etc.). Just to recap, as the City of Malden was approaching the end of their lease of the Maplewood Firestation, MVRCS reached out to them and attempted to (in our opinion) extort field time from them due to what MVRCS believed was their need of the Maplewood Station. Of course when the City fought back and closed the fire station due to the deplorable conditions in the structural issues of the building, Kinnon and Nestor attempted to stir the pot by claiming that the building itself was fine, the issues were the result of the firefighters lack of housekeeping skills (although roof issues, HVAC systems, rodents and mold are not usually as a result of housekeeping issues). It was pretty apparent that their reaction was based on Kinnon's anger at not being able to strong arm the City into giving him what he wanted (field space). Kinnon, to demonstrate just how truly vindictive and spiteful he is, rebutted by proposing a tax hike to finance the new fire station that Malden has been discussing and/or building since 2003 when they originally sold MVRCS the firehouse. Let us also not forget his on-going battle with the firefighters (did he allow the building to crumble around them out of spite? We think so) and that while his 'followers' spout off about what a great deal the city got in renting the firehouse, that it was at the expense of the students of MVRCS. We won't even broach the subject of conflict of issues on this matter as we'd never get to further demonstrate our point.

Last week the City Councilors met with Mayor Howard to discuss the South Broadway Park renovations. The meeting was covered most thoroughly in the Malden Advocate and can be found Here (Malden Advocate). The city has the majority of the expense of renovations covered by grants but these grants are only available to the city for a limited time and the deadline is quickly approaching. While it sounds as though the majority of the Councilors were on-board with proposal Mayor Howard presented, Kinnon appeared to try and stall the Councilors from moving forward. It would appear as though his actions are based more on spite at not being able to command field time for MVRCS (anyone else hearing 'conflict of interests' ringing in their heads). He specifically took issue with the fact that the Mayor had overestimated the cost of renovations in a prior presentation (as long as the project stays on budget, what is the issue?) and claims that he had made requests for changes to the original plans and hadn't heard anything (although he wouldn't specify what changes he had requested). He then requested that the park discussion be delayed and addressed at an upcoming Public Properties Committee meeting even though that Committee (nor the Finance Committee which he is part of) controls the design of the park. Even more interesting is that one of the roadblocks that he put up was at the idea of using funds from the recently implemented Meal Tax as he felt it wasn't right to 'ax' a project that those funds were earmarked for. Interestingly enough, in yet another article at the Malden Patch is quoted as using funds from the Meal Tax for various projects that INCLUDE the South Broadway Park (and yet Kinnon is now finding fault with it and Howard is claiming that that scenario was not addressed...hmmmm). The Malden Patch Article can be found Here (Malden Patch Meal Tax Money Discussion.

We're thinking that Kinnon will try every trick in the book to stall the South Broadway Park project until the funding is no longer available in an attempt to make the City of Malden agree to field space for MVRCS. While this may allow MVRCS to gain the field time Kinnon requires, it does nothing to better the name of MVRCS or mend the adversarial relationship Kinnon has caused between the residents of Malden and the MVRCS community.

Yes Mr Kinnon, you are definitely a very spiteful individual.

Malden Advocate Quotes

Kinnon did not like that Howard’s cost estimates differed from an original presentation he gave in November, going from $6.4 million to $5.5 million. He also had some changes he’d like to see written into the park plans.

  Kinnon also bristled at the idea that the city could use money from the meals tax, passed earlier this year, to fund the park improvements. The tax revenue, Kinnon said, is already targeted toward specific projects.

“I could not go along with axing any of those projects to fund South Broadway,” Kinnon said.

  But Mayor Howard replied that the meals tax was never mentioned.

  “I believe we can accomplish what we do under new bonding – with new revenue sources,” said the mayor.

  Kinnon requested that the discussion be continued back in Public Properties Committee which Condon is chairman, requesting further dialogue.

  Condon reminded Kinnon that Public Properties doesn’t control the design of the park and again asked the committee to focus on the bonding issue.

  “I’ve asked for redesigns for the past few months. I want to know what I’m getting down there,” said Kinnon. “I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request.”

  The matter will be discussed at a joint meeting of Public Properties and Finance committees next Tuesday.

Malden Patch Meal Tax Money Quotes

 South Broadway Park
The biggest project funded by the meals tax is the South Broadway Park improvements. The reconstruction of the site will include new drainage, road and traffic construction, and folding in additional land from the adjacent Broadway plaza.
The current project cost is set for $5.5 million, but the amount actually needed from the meals tax money could be far less.
“It might be that the actual cost won’t cost anything on the municipal budget at all,” said Howard.
The drainage improvements will be paid for by a water and sewer overlay account, while the city can tap into Chapter 90 funding from the state for roadway and traffic-calming improvements in the area. The project is also eligible for federal Community Development Block Grant funding. If additional funding is needed, it will come from the meals tax binding.
Once completed, the park aesthetically will look like the neighboring Maplewood Park. The diamond will shift away from neighborhood homes, and the path between Maplewood Street and the shopping plaza will be better defined and have better traffic controls.

Mystic Valley teacher pay below state average; staff youth, experience cited - The Boston Globe

In today's Boston Globe - Article by Brenda Buoute and Top 50 Ssalaries @ MVRCS

Mystic Valley teacher pay below state average; staff youth, experience cited - The Boston Globe

Top 50 Salaries at MVRCS - The Boston Globe

Mystic Valley lags state pay norm

Director says pay still competitive

By Brenda J. Buote Globe Correspondent / October 24, 2010

At Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden, only three employees earned six-figure salaries last year, and most staff members earned less than half of school director Joseph McCleary’s $166,332 paycheck, according to records released to the Globe.

The average salary for teachers who were among the top 50 earners in 2009 was $50,853, well below the statewide average of $64,166 earned by public school teachers for the 2007-2008 school year, the last year for which Massachusetts figures are available.

Mystic Valley administrators topped the pay list, including assistant director Chris Finn, who earned $113,001 in 2009, and business manager Richard Veilleux, $106,650. McCleary’s 2009 earnings included compensation for moving from Maryland in 2007 to lead the charter school, which has about 1,400 students from Malden, Medford, Melrose, Everett, Stoneham, and Wakefield.

Others in the top 50 earners were two relatives of Malden City Councilor Neil Kinnon, who serves as chairman of the school’s board of trustees, an unpaid position. Neil Kinnon’s brother Greg earned $53,656 in 2009 for his work as facilities manager and nurse. Kathy Kinnon, Neil Kinnon’s sister-in-law, earned $84,658 as special education director, an increase of about 9 percent over 2008, when she earned $77,187.

School officials said Kathy Kinnon’s salary for 2009 included a $1,000 “stay bonus,’’ similar to the pay raises mandated by general public schools in their stepladder approach to determining salaries; a one-time salary increase to ensure Kinnon’s compensation remained competitive with the charter school’s sending districts; and a $3,000 stipend for serving as administrative secretary to the school’s swim team.

A Great Read from the Washington Post

How to fix our schools: A manifesto by Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee and other education leaders

Sunday, October 10, 2010; B01


Joel Klein, chancellor, New York City Department of Education; Michelle Rhee, chancellor, District of Columbia Public Schools; Peter C. Gorman, superintendent, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (N.C.); Ron Huberman, chief executive, Chicago Public Schools; Carol R. Johnson, superintendent, Boston Public Schools; Andrés A. Alonso, chief executive, Baltimore City Public Schools; Tom Boasberg, superintendent, Denver Public Schools; Arlene C. Ackerman, superintendent of schools, the School District of Philadelphia; William R. Hite Jr., superintendent, Prince George's County Public Schools; Jean-Claude Brizard, superintendent of schools, Rochester City School District (N.Y.); José M. Torres, superintendent, Illinois School District U-46; J. Wm. Covington, superintendent, Kansas City, Missouri School District; Terry B. Grier, superintendent of schools, Houston Independent School District; Paul Vallas, superintendent, New Orleans Recovery School District; Eugene White, superintendent, Indianapolis Public Schools; LaVonne Sheffield, superintendent of Rockford Public Schools (Illinois)
As educators, superintendents, chief executives and chancellors responsible for educating nearly 2 1/2 million students in America, we know that the task of reforming the country's public schools begins with us. It is our obligation to enhance the personal growth and academic achievement of our students, and we must be accountable for how our schools perform.
All of us have taken steps to move our students forward, and the Obama administration's Race to the Top program has been the catalyst for more reforms than we have seen in decades. But those reforms are still outpaced and outsized by the crisis in public education.
Fortunately, the public, and our leaders in government, are finally paying attention. The "Waiting for 'Superman' " documentary, the defeat of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million gift to Newark's public schools, and a tidal wave of media attention have helped spark a national debate and presented us with an extraordinary opportunity.
But the transformative changes needed to truly prepare our kids for the 21st-century global economy simply will not happen unless we first shed some of the entrenched practices that have held back our education system, practices that have long favored adults, not children. These practices are wrong, and they have to end now.
It's time for all of the adults -- superintendents, educators, elected officials, labor unions and parents alike -- to start acting like we are responsible for the future of our children. Because right now, across the country, kids are stuck in failing schools, just waiting for us to do something.

So, where do we start? With the basics. As President Obama has emphasized, the single most important factor determining whether students succeed in school is not the color of their skin or their ZIP code or even their parents' income -- it is the quality of their teacher.