Fourth in a series

Re “Mr. Gourley’s Last Lousy Job”

 Hardly anyone speaks more plainly than the attorney Steve Gourley.

Reflecting recently on the homestretch of his notable public career, Mr. Gourley poured a glass of vinegar and said:

“After being beaten up in Sacramento during my time as head of the Dept. of Motor Vehicles, I had to go through the awwwful experience of being on the School Board.

“Which, by the way, I volunteered for. I understand that.”

Easily the most colorful and, yes,  outspoken member of the Board between 2007 and 2011, he was not prepared for what he discovered.

“I also understood that the people entrenched in the educational system do everything possible to make it not function,” he said.

Sometimes Mr. Gourley reminds you of a speeding driver. Like a blur burning rubber, he will make a memorably bloody point, and just keep firing.

Question: How soon after election day did Mr. Gourley realize he was walking into a wall?

“About two full years.”

Question: What was the tipoff?

“The first issue was that the School Board had been making contracts without consulting lawyers,” said lawyer Gourley. “They had a system called an ‘evergreen contract,’ which constantly renews. If you give (the superintendent of the School District, the School Board’s only employee) a favorable review, that (automatically) extends their contract for a year.

“This means the sitting School Board never can fire anyone from that position without giving the person a negative review.”

(To be continued)