How Kent and McVarish Are Spending the Day

[Editor’s Note: There are two major gatherings, starting at 8:30 this evening, for the three School Board candidates: Prof. Kelly Kent will be at 4204 Lafayette Pl., and Anne Burke and Scott McVarish will be at Paul and Madeline Ehrlich’s, 11472 Diller Ave.]

At the sound of the non-existent church bells at 12 noon today, the three candidates for the School Board did not drop their rakes and hoes, did not reach into their hip pockets and withdraw vivid red, oversized handkerchiefs to mop their leaking brows.

When a curious reporter dialed their numbers and asked how they were spending Closing Day, here is what happened:

While Anne Burke was out of reach of her cell phone, Prof. Kelly Kent and attorney Scott McVarish delivered apposite responses, with Dr. Kent rocketing the Golden Line of the Day.

With a perfectly straight face, she said:

“I have a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting tonight at 7 with my good friend Laura Stuart. So I will be doing some Commission meeting prep.”

A whopper, this will telegraph the sense of humor of Dr. Kent.  Readers may recall that last week Ms. Stuart, Dr. Kent’s Parks and Rec colleague, penned the most explosive, controversial letter of the campaign about Dr. Kent (“Deconstructing Kent’s ‘Misinformation’ Case”).

Once again, though, exchanges between and among the candidates have been positive.

Mr. McVarish, an immigration attorney, said he is too busy with his office schedule to think about, oh, yes, the School Board race.

“I am working, and that is a good way to not think about Judgment Day,” he said.

Can Mr. McVarish keep his mind off the election?

“I have a very difficult job,” he said. “When I am locked in, I am not worrying about anything else.”

He did append a “Vote for Anne and Me” message. “If voters want to invest five minutes into who they should vote for,” said Mr. McVarish, “they should go to the video section of my website (forgreatschools.org) for five-minute videos that should help them decide.”

At mid-day at home, “I am busying myself,” said Dr. Kent. “That means, like, spring cleaning, keeping my mind occupied. Doing manual labor with a podcast in my ears, thinking only about what I am listening to (NPR’s This American Life).”

So she is trying not to think about tonight. Mr. McVarish insists he is too busy to think tonight – with a half-day of voting to go.