Part One
[img]1190|left|Laura Chadiet||no_popup[/img]It seemed a timely question for the newest minted School Board candidate, Laura Chardiet (Shar-dee-ay), who this afternoon becomes the third of at least five anticipated contenders for the two seats at stake in the November election.
As a force for good, and for change when needed, where will she fit into this Board of distinctly divided personalities?
No reason to maintain the suspense. In Ms. Chardiet’s first sitdown interview of her first campaign, she came across like a picture window freshly and thoroughly scrubbed.
No need to guess where she positions herself.
Bold, perhaps even revolutionary, in her thinking, perched across a picnic table in a scenic park, she promised to be creative in her reasoning, and she delivered.
She did not feint to the left or right when asked difficult or awkward questions. With friendly, unvarnished directness, she confronted and responded — on the theory that the body of voters unfamiliar with her years of PTA service, school activities and professional life with LAUSD need to know her convictions.
Her father was voted Teacher of the Year in her hometown before she was born. So the genes were in place and the stars were aligned — just waiting.
As for the perceived gulf on the current School Board:
For the last 3_ years, Board President Scott Zeidman and his predecessor in the chair, Steve Gourley, have been stentorian voices at all hours on all subjects and sometimes, though not often, on opposing sides.
When this edition of the Board is recalled by future generations, those will be the first two, the dominant two, names. The three newer members, Kathy Paspalis, Pat Siever and Karlo Silbiger, generally have beenmore reserved.
Where will Ms. Chardiet, smiling, redhaired mother of two pre-high schoolers, fit into this equation?
She says in the middle, and that is an assessment to remember.
As a mom who is as current as the present edition, she, too, has been observing the explosive ongoing taffy pull between Mr. Gourley and the President of the Teachers Union, David Mielke. Mr. Gourley has been openly labeling Mr. Mielke “a liar” for weeks.
Ms. Chardiet was prepared to respond.
“The only thing I have to say about this,” she said from behind a congenial expression, “is, if there are going to be fireworks at School Board meetings, at least allow the PTA to sell tickets so we can raise money.”
That promotional idea is making its debut in the campaign marketplace.
Ms. Chardiet would go farther.
“Somebody should say something,” she said. “Everyone needs to express himself or herself.”
Question: If she were on the Board today, what would she say?
“I would say ‘We all need to play nice. We need to model our behavior for the students of Culver City. And we need to speak civilly to one another.’”
Since the charges have recurred throughout the spring, Ms. Chardiet was asked if she could think of a way to discourage the repetitive scenes.
“Perhaps they should make a rule people will be fined if they don’t behave themselves,” she said.
Her suggestion:
One hundred dollars per offense, with the money being channeled to the Education Foundation.
(To be continued)
