This really smells of corruption

Today's R-J reports CCSD school board member Linda Young (D-3) coming under fire for e-mails lobbying school brass on the potential hiring for former State Assemblyman Wendell Williams as a substitute teacher at the school that bears his name.

It bears the question...is this the role school board members should be taking in the course of "official elected duties?"

R-J:

A community activist is criticizing School Board member Linda Young for lobbying the Clark County School District on behalf of a former state lawmaker who had applied to be a substitute teacher at the campus that bears his name, Wendell P. Williams Elementary School.

"There's a lot of stuff behind him, a lot of baggage," Marzette Lewis said of Williams. "I don't want him around nobody's babies."

Lewis organized WAAK-UP, a West Las Vegas community action group
Williams, who lost his Assembly re-election bid in 2004 after a series of scandals eroded his support, once received the district's Crystal Apple Award in appreciation for his contributions to education.

The veteran lawmaker's fall from grace was fueled by evidence from his one-time employer, the city of Las Vegas, that he was getting paid for work he did not do when he was serving in Carson City. At the time, he also had failed to reimburse the city for $1,844 in personal cell phone calls.

That's not the kind of role model students should have, Lewis said.

Young on Wednesday denied she was using her influence to get Williams a teaching job, saying "I don't have that kind of authority." But she criticized school district staff for not responding to Williams' inquiries about his job application, saying it was a missed opportunity to get a male role model into a school where many students need one.

I don't know about you, but there appears to be a lot more here than meets the eye.

E.C. :)