Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Commentary by Reaghan McCloud

While Chesterfield County School Board members were trying to figure out where to cut 5 million dollars out of the the school budget; one member was missing from the meeting. Board Member Carrie Coyner was no where to be found. Was she out of town? Was she sick? Was she trying to find corporate sponsors wanting to donate the money?

Nope she was in the government complex. What could she be doing you ask? Was she trying to scour the Chesterfield County Computer system or internet to gather research to help her her comrades down the hall?

NOPE!

Well what was she doing then you might ask?

Well she wasn’t in the role of Carrie Coyer, School Board member, trying hard to find where to cut or where to find money for the school budget. Not at all. She was Carrie Coyer, Corporate Lawyer, fighting the county from making her land developer client from having to pay fees that offset the impact of their new houses on the Chesterfield School System.

But wait! Isn’t it her job to fight for the county school system first? Shouldn’t she be demanding ‘her client’ pay the fees to offset their financial impact on the schools? Isn’t what she is doing a conflict of interest you say?

Appropriate Ad for Carrie Coyner
in the Richmond Times Dispatch Article.
Well not according to the county’s commonwealth’s attorney. The Richmond Times Dispatch said this in an article they published on the matter:

“The county’s commonwealth’s attorney has said Coyner’s work representing developers is not in conflict with her duties as a School Board member. Legal experts have said she could have a problem if it appears she is misusing her position on the board in an attempt to gain an advantage for her developer clients or if she is representing a developer in a matter in which she participated as a School Board member.”
Well if this isn't a conflict of interest I don’t know what is?

Especially with the Chesterfield County School System’s financial problems. After all her colleagues are down the hall trying to figure where to cut 5 million dollars.

And for months she and the Board of Supervisors and School Board have been pushing a meals tax that failed in November, and now are trying to push a rise in the Real Estate Tax, not to mention they want to buy every student a laptop. But that is more of the madness for another time.

Its time for all Chesterfield Resident to speak out against this hypocrisy, conflict of interest and mismanagement of government funds! Contact School Board Member Carrie Coyner here.





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