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May 16, 2006
May 16, 2006 - May 29, 2006
Volume , Issue 10
In This Issue...
Neighbors Unite to Clear Schwan Lake of Marsh Pennywort
Proposal Withdrawn for 211 Homes at Aptos Par 3 Golf Course
Retiring Terry McHenry to be Pajaro’s Interim Superintendent until December
On the Record: Kathryn Benson Talks about Her Challenges Behind the Scenes at Pajaro Schools, Part I
Capitola’s Parking Project Could Displace Mobile Home Residents
Trustee Works to Get the Word Out
County Superintendent of Schools Candidates on the Issues
High Dollar Race
Volunteers Help Soquel Creek Go Native
Capitola to Scale Back Proposed Alarm Ordinance
Differences Emerge in Race for Third District County Supervisor
Caltrans Says Highway 1 Merge Lanes Project on Schedule
Santa Cruz City Council Explores Monorail Concept
Ruling May Suspend High School Exit Exam This Spring
County Takes Steps Towards Modernized Voting Systems
911
CRIME BEAT
Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
Capitola Police Department Offers Child Safety Seat Inspections
Identity Theft
“Click It Or Ticket”
Around Aptos
Aptos History Museum to Open
How Can a Small Business Manage its Public Relations?
Business
California Fencing Academy Brings Mythic Sport to Santa Cruz County
Opinions
Soquel Village â€" A Closer Look
POSTMARKED
The Mid-County Post > News
Trustee Works to Get the Word Out
Board Member Says Benson and Mays Weren’t About to be Fired
Responding to an article in the Register-Pajaronian, Pajaro Valley Trustee Doug Keegan is trying to let people know the Board never discussed firing Pajaro Superintendent of Schools Mary Anne Mays or personnel director Kathryn Benson. The column was written by former Pajaro district employee and Pajaronian local columnist Juan Fonseca. In his column, Fonseca wrote “Dr. Mays resigned on Mar. 22 before she could be fired along with Human Resource Director Kathryn Benson â€" “far better to resign than be fired.”

Pajaro Trustee Keegan says that Fonseca is a friend of certain trustees.

“I think he is close with Sharon Gray, Sandra Nichols [and] Rhea DeHart,” Keegan said.
Because Fonseca is a former Pajaro employee and because of his “friendship” with three of the Pajaro Board’s seven trustees, Keegan believes a response from the Board is necessary.

“We as a board have to publicly state our disagreement with those statements,” Keegan said. “The letter just says that the rumor that they were about to be fired is untrue.”

Keegan has drafted a letter for each Pajaro trustee to sign stating that Dr. Mays and Benson were never about to be fired, and that the Board had never discussed firing either Benson or Mays. He presented the letter at the Board’s May 10 meeting.

“I was never aware that any board member had any expectation that we were going to fire either of those two people,” Keegan said.

Keegan said that he wants each Board member to sign the letter at the Board’s next meeting.

“If any member refuses [to sign] I think they are going to have a lot to answer to,” he said.
Veteran trustee Evelyn Volpa is very pleased Keegan prepared the letter.

“I would like to be the first one to sign it. … I agree with every word,” she said.

While Volpa believes that individual board members may not have supported Dr. Mays and may have discussed replacing the superintendent, Volpa agrees with Keegan that the board never discussed in closed or open session the idea of firing either Benson or Mays.

Both Board President Gray and DeHart said they would sign the letter.
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