First in a series
Steve Gourley and I took a pleasant walk in the warmth of yesterday afternoon down a tree-lined street — and if you ever have strolled with Mr. Gourley of the School Board, you know there weren’t any roses strewn in our path, more like rhetoric sprinkled with thorns.
This was throat-clearing Man Time, with attention to a penetrating, piercing analysis of his permanent bulldog dialogue with Teachers Union President David Mielke. No space for poppycock.
I had telephoned the most outspoken voice on the School Board for an insight into the bombastic budget cuts meeting the night before. He proposed meeting face to face at the high school following his mock-trial class.
Visiting with Mr. Gourley is like driving 90 mph down the Santa Monica Freeway at rush hour.
He weaves, he bobs. Sometimes you are being put-on, sometimes not. When he is furiously serious, write furiously fast. He peppers almost all conversations with yards of satire and frequent laughs.
At the appointed hour — after a nearby wit, noticing the absence of outdoor chairs on campus, predicted the furniture savings had been ploughed into teachers’ salaries — Mr. Gourley suggested a walking interview through the neighborhood.
A mature, occasionally gruff-speaking gentleman of myriad tastes and interests, Mr. Gourley wanted to explore several subjects:
- Men’s headwear — and David Mielke.
- His family tree — and David Mielke.
- Vulnerable non-teaching School District employees — and David Mielke.
- Next Tuesday’s 5:30 showdown Board meeting at Lin Howe School — and David Mielke.
Before I turned on the tape, Mr. Gourley spun an impressive riff on the history of men’s caps, fedoras, and the millinery habits of Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy, a topic provoked by an intense sun that was punishing the few refugee follicles reposing atop his sharp head.
Reaching into the backseat of his car for a cap for whose purchase there was no competition, he said he only owns baseball caps, no fedoras. “If I could look as cool as Andy Weissman (of the City Council), I would wear a hat,” he said.
Although Mr. Gourley, busy reading a Humphrey Bogart biography, has a steaming feud with Mr. Mielke that has spanned his soon-to-end School Board term, he is friendly with Classified Union President Debbie Hamme. “Debbie and I are good pals,” he says. “When we go to meetings, I give her chocolate with almonds on it. Did that last night. Gave the rest to Kathy Paspalis.”
He was surprised there were seven installments in a recent series of stories covering his end-of-the-year departure from the Board, and added, Gourley-style, “I am worth it.”
The corpse to be inspected no longer could be avoided. What did you make of Tuesday night’s meeting? he was asked.
Ever see a starved man dig into a bubbling-hot steak?
“I was pleased to see an overflow crowd there because
“ a) They could see we are real human beings who listen to their problems, that we listen to the issues and are concerned about the same issues, and
“b) Mr. Mielke has been lying about that ever since I met him. He has been lying about everything.”
Important interruption as we walked farther from our cars: How deeply would we stray into the neighborhood?
“Why don’t we go back toward the Robert Frost Auditorium if I fall down in the meantime.”
Back to business. “Have you looked up Mielke’s comment that we were cutting off 25 teachers, 19.2 who were notified by March 15, plus 6? Are the 6 in this year or next year?”
When Mr. Gourley’s companion said Mr. Mielke was referring to this year, the Board member said, “Of course. But if he wasn’t, he’s a big fat liar and stupid.”
(To be continued)
