To: Mr. Malik Evans, Commissioner, Ms. Willia Powell, Commissioner, Ms. Melisza Campos, Commissioner, Mr. Van Henri White, Commissioner, and Ms. Cynthia Elliot, Commissioner
Ask CETF to stop its malicious vendetta against Rochester Board of Education Commissioner Mary Adams
As the Board of Education of Rochester, the New York State Commissioner of Education, and the New York State Board of Regents have been made aware through correspondence from Mr. Mark Friedman in association with the Community Education Task Force (CETF), allegations of untoward behavior have been leveled against Rochester Board of Education Commissioner Mary Adams, against her husband Ricardo Adams, and against Mr. Hubert Wilkerson. CETF is demanding a public apology from Ms. Adams for unprofessional conduct related to an August 26, 2012 incident.
The narrative in the CETF petition demanding an apology of Commissioner Adams is unsubstantiated by anyone outside the handful of members in CETF making the allegations. Moreover, the petition requesting an apology from Commissioner Adams is dishonest through the omission of any of the pertinent facts that led to whatever happened on August 26, 2012. If, as CETF is claiming, Commissioner Adams, Mr. Adams and Mr. Wilkerson were the ones engaged in wrongdoing, then why is the CETF now barred from the private meeting space in which the alleged wrongdoing occurred?
The meager support garnered by the CETF petition also speaks volumes regarding the public trust in Commissioner Adams, despite the attempts by CETF to denounce her and persuade members of the Rochester Board of Education to do the same.
The process for lodging a complaint against Commissioner Adams is as open to CETF as it is to any member of the public, and if their claims are anything more than an attempt to inappropriately try Commissioner Adams in the court of public opinion, then they should avail themselves of that process.
For the board of education to grant CETF’s request to “compel” Commissioner Adams to publicly apologize would be to circumvent due process and in effect, condone the same bullying tactics that the CETF purportedly denounces.
I am asking that anyone who agrees that CETF should stop its public vendetta against Commissioner Adams sign this petition.
The narrative in the CETF petition demanding an apology of Commissioner Adams is unsubstantiated by anyone outside the handful of members in CETF making the allegations. Moreover, the petition requesting an apology from Commissioner Adams is dishonest through the omission of any of the pertinent facts that led to whatever happened on August 26, 2012. If, as CETF is claiming, Commissioner Adams, Mr. Adams and Mr. Wilkerson were the ones engaged in wrongdoing, then why is the CETF now barred from the private meeting space in which the alleged wrongdoing occurred?
The meager support garnered by the CETF petition also speaks volumes regarding the public trust in Commissioner Adams, despite the attempts by CETF to denounce her and persuade members of the Rochester Board of Education to do the same.
The process for lodging a complaint against Commissioner Adams is as open to CETF as it is to any member of the public, and if their claims are anything more than an attempt to inappropriately try Commissioner Adams in the court of public opinion, then they should avail themselves of that process.
For the board of education to grant CETF’s request to “compel” Commissioner Adams to publicly apologize would be to circumvent due process and in effect, condone the same bullying tactics that the CETF purportedly denounces.
I am asking that anyone who agrees that CETF should stop its public vendetta against Commissioner Adams sign this petition.
Why is this important?
Community Education Task Force (CETF) members have asked that the Rochester Board of Education compel Comissioner Mary Adams to issue an apology for behavior unbecoming of an elected official. I urge you to sign this letter in support of Commissioner Adams' right to due process and in opposition to the the dubious tactics employed by CETF in pursuing their grievance.