Saturday October 7th, 2017 12:59 PM, when I walked into the Plainsboro Library Community Room for the West Windsor session of 2017 WW-P BOE candidates Forum hosted by West Windsor Plainsboro Education Support Association (WWPESA), I was surprised to find that I was 86 minutes too early. Ms. Dana Krug and Mr. Martin Whitfield, the first two speakers/candidates according to the original schedule, chose not to show up, and the forum had to start with the 3rd speaker/candidate at 2:25pm instead.
What is inappropriate with the Forum? By giving all the candidates the same questions to answer and the same amount presentation and Q&A time, the forum aims to introduce all the BOE candidates to those WWP residents who care about the upcoming BOE election. This is WWPESA’s second annual WW-P BOE candidates Forum. According to Ms. Dana Krug and Mr. Martin Whitfield’s withdrawal-of-the-acceptance-of-invitation letter, they had “serious concerns about the lack of objectivity of this forum”.
Come on, as we all know, Hillary Clinton isn’t happy about the way the media gave her opponent the advantage during the presidential race, and Donald Trump probably has been the most media unfriendly presidential candidate ever in the history, but both of them appeared in all the three presidential debates in 2016. Even though Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump did not shook hands with each other after every debate, they both shook hands with the moderators they probably dislike very much!
I am not sure whether it is the questions raised by WWPESA or the WWP residents that Ms. Dana Krug and Mr. Martin Whitfield tried so hard to dodge, I want to offer some advice: show the public your concerns about the education quality of our school rather than your concerns about which individuals support whom in this race; give the public the opportunity to see WWP residents’ trust in you, rather than your distrust in WWPESA.
— Jian Lin, West Windsor
Editor’s note: Below is the letter sent by Krug and Whitfield explaining their non-participation in the forum. Following that is a response sent by the WWPESA Board to Krug and Whitfield.
Dear WWPESA Trustees:
We respectfully decline the invitation to appear at the WW-P Board of Education candidates’ forum hosted by the West Windsor-Plainsboro Education Support Association (WWPESA).
Helen Ming’s husband, Ming Pan, is a trustee of WWPESA, and Helen Yin is the treasurer of both WWPESA and Peter Syrek’s campaign (which is working in tandem with two of our opponents, Veronica Mehno and Helen Ming). Several of the WWPESA’s trustees are also outspoken critics of the
current WW-P board and administration. Therefore, we have concerns that the WWPESA implicitly endorses certain board of education candidates, regardless of the organization’s disclaimers.
Additionally, after we reviewed the WWPESA forum questions provided to each of us this Wednesday, we have serious concerns about the lack of objectivity of this forum.
Furthermore, the media release form for the forum indicates that WWPESA would have permission to use excerpts of our forum participation “in part” in any publication or media “in perpetuity and does not require prior approval” by the participant. This clause allows WWPESA to take our participation out of context at any point in time and use it however WWPESA would like.
We respectfully request that you read our statement during each of our time slots at the forum in lieu of our appearance. We expect that this statement will be part of any audio, written, or video record of the event.
Sincerely,
Dana Krug and Martin Whitfield
***
Dear Dana and Martin,
Good morning. We are truly sorry to learn, on the night before the event, that you have decided not to attend the West Windsor Meet the BOE Candidates forum. We do not agree with many of the reasons mentioned in your email (which was made an open letter). We would like to clarify as follows.
First, the purpose of the forum is to provide an opportunity for WW-P parents and residents to meet the BOE candidates and understand better their positions on various issues regarding our school district. It consists of a 25 minutes presentation with 5 minutes of Q&A, for each candidate.
During the session for one candidate, no other candidates are allowed in the forum room. Suggested topics of discussion are the input of registered participants. They were forwarded to each candidate on Wednesday before the forum. Some candidates in the past have chosen to address other issues they deemed important and appropriate, which was perfectly OK.
This is the second year we host the forum. Last year’s forum was pleasantly received by all candidates and the audience. We encourage you to watch the videos from last year’s forum (https://wwpesa.org/2016-ww-p-boe/) to make your own judgement. You may also reach out to the candidates from last year to learn about their experiences.
As for the media release form, it is a standard form we downloaded from public sources that we use for not just this event but also the other lecture series we hosted. We work with each speaker on the detailed items on the form. Last year two candidates sent us revised forms with their specific requests on how the videos should be handled. It worked out smoothly. All videos were sent to the candidates for approval before they were posted. If you do not wish to publish your video, we would respect your decision.
Second, it is not uncommon that people have different opinions on some school district issues. As an organization, WWPESA does not endorse or oppose any candidate. However, each WWPESA member may choose to vote for any candidate as a personal decision. Their personal choices do not represent WWPESA and these two issues should never be mixed.
It is not a secret that Dr. Ming Pan and Ms. Helen Yin have been on the WWPESA Board of Trustees since July 2017. It is also not a secret that some WWPESA members have expressed different opinions on school matters in the past. But WWPESA has also had some of your most enthusiastic supporters as our trial members who have participated in last year’s forum and this year’s forum. The Candidate forum provides a great opportunity for us to understand the perspectives of each other, and a great opportunity for you to directly communicate with community members.
As organizers of the forum we were very disappointed to receive your decline email on the night before the forum. Our organization runs entirely by volunteers who also have full time jobs. Our volunteers have prepared for this forum since August. In early August we sent you invitations, explained the format of the forum and you have both agreed to participate. Since then, we have communicated with you multiple times regarding the date, time slots, and your biography. In early September, we sent you the event flyer and obtained your approval before posting it.
We have actively advertised for the event since then. Many people have registered for the forum. More than half of the registrants are not WWPESA members. With so many volunteers putting in their time and efforts, we wish to be responsible for the audience who will show up in a few hours.
Last, we hope this message clarifies the misunderstanding. We sincerely hope you reconsider taking part in this forum. If you still decide not to participate, we will not read your letter during your time slots. It is your statement and you shall read it yourself. During your slots, we will post the list of questions collected from registration, to show respect to the registered attendants.
Sincerely yours,
Board of Trustees, WWPESA
