|
| |
05/02/06 Parrott the
Puppet?
 |
|
Seems like after 10 awful years, Lois Parrott would
know enough about her job on the DISD school board to speak for herself
without her husband. I bought Parrott's conspiracy act years ago
during the Edison fiasco because she can sound so sincere, but Parrott's
a total flake who does not keep her word. Some of us have to learn
the hard way. |
Parrott not only cost the DISD
$183,000, but she did not keep her end of the settlement to pay back $3,000.
You can't say you disagree with her agenda because she doesn't even know what
her agenda is, except to keep her seat on the DISD. When you think about
Lois Parrott teaching young people at Richland College, you have to be
concerned.
 |
Business owner squares off against incumbent trustee
DISD: Parrott wants to finish vision; challenger Ellis says time is up
Tuesday, May 2, 2006
By KENT FISCHER / The Dallas Morning News
|
TRUSTEE
DISTRICT 3 Lois Parrott has represented
District 3 on the Dallas school board for nearly a decade, and she says
there's more work for her ahead. Leigh Ann Ellis thinks that Dr. Parrott has
had her chance and wants her seat on DISD's board of trustees.
... Recent headlines detailing district corruption
and questionable vendor relationships have cost the board the public's
trust, said Ms. Ellis, a business owner.
... "Who is watchdogging the board, other than the
Morning News?" Ms. Ellis asked. "[Dr. Parrott] has been in office for 10
years, and what do we have to show for it?"
... Dr. Parrott also sued the district while she
helped run it.
In 2001, while a sitting board
member, she was part of a lawsuit against DISD over a contract with Edison
Schools. The case was thrown out, and in a settlement agreement, Dr. Parrott
agreed to pay the district $3,000 toward its $183,000 legal bill.
... Dr. Parrott, however, never paid the
installments. Dr. Parrott's debt was finally settled by her personal lawyer,
who sent the district's scholarship foundation a $3,000 check from his
account Jan. 27.
... "I will not talk about any of that legal stuff
because you wouldn't understand it," she told a reporter Friday.
... Ms. Ellis also has worked with Just for
the Kids, an Austin-based nonprofit school reform group. In the mid-1990s,
she spent a year as executive director of the Refugee Services of North
Texas, overseeing caseworkers and the resettlement of 350 refugees.
... "What we hear from folks in the district is:
Who is Lois' opponent? What can you tell me about her? What are her views
and opinions? What experience does she have? Who are her supporters?" said
Brill O'Brien, Dr. Parrott's campaign manager.
... Dr. Parrott's campaign raised some hackles in
District 3 late last month when her husband, Bruce Parrott, and Mr. O'Brien
clashed with the Bryan Adams High School PTA.
The PTA had planned a candidate forum
at the school. The Parrott camp balked, saying that it
did not receive the invitation and that a DISD policy would prohibit Dr.
Parrott from attending.
PTA president Cheryl Herman
said she was threatened and bullied when she refused to cancel or reschedule
the event. ... "[Bruce Parrott] kept asking
why I was trying to undermine Lois' campaign. He said if I didn't cancel it,
he would get my [PTA] charter yanked. He made me cry."
... Mr. Parrott helps run his wife's campaigns. He
often speaks on her behalf with constituents and reporters and has been
known to grill them when they call seeking an interview with Dr. Parrott.
"When people are voting for Lois,
they're also voting for Bruce," said resident Philip Mendershausen. "Not a
lot of people understand that."
Dr. Mendershausen, a retired
biochemist, met with Dr. Parrott for coffee and a talk about her work on the
board. However, it was Bruce Parrott who dominated the discussion about
district affairs, he said.
"Lois is the
candidate," Dr. Mendershausen said, "but Bruce did all the talking."
Dr. Parrott declined to answer
questions about the role her husband plays in her district business. |
Sure seems like there's some
spousal dominance in play here --
sb
| |

|