OK, I will admit it. Since I’m not now in public office or running for public office, I can admit that there were times during my two terms as a county supervisor that I wasn’t particularly interested in what a particular speaker had to say to the board. During my service on the board I had the privilege to meet and to listen to scores of interesting and eloquent people. These were wonderful learning experiences. On the other hand, there were quite a few folks

who, when speaking to the board were neither interesting nor eloquent. What they had in common from me, however, is that I always tried to give them a respectful hearing. It’s easy to pay attention to and show interest in those speakers who engage you, but it takes more of an effort to show the same level of involvement with those speakers who do not. In addition to paying attention, it is important to treat speakers with respect, and to not act or say things that patronize or condescend to people. As a public official you do this. You do it because it is integral to the process of governing. You do it out of respect for the people who take the time and effort to come to a board meeting to speak their mind. I know that public speaking does not come naturally to most people and I always tried to show respect for their effort. It’s just simple common courtesy.

Which is why I find the behavior of School Board member Lynn Pardee at the March 14 School Board meeting so troubling. This was the School Board meeting where a large number of parents and relatives of bullied school children, plus the children themselves, attended and vented their frustrations over specific attacks and the issue of bullying in general in King George schools. What further aroused the ire of the audience however was the odd behavior of the At-Large member and last year’s School Board chairman, Lynn Pardee. One parent told me that during the public comment period, as parents were speaking, that “She rolled her eyes, raised her eyebrows, and laughed to herself.” The mother of the young man whose jaw was broken stated that Pardee “was laughing, smiling and just making it all a big joke. The three boys that had to stand there and watch her laughing and grinning should never have had to witness this from anyone.” These and similar sentiments were expressed by many others in attendance. In the interest of full disclosure, I was not at the meeting, but a review of the broadcast video of the meeting confirms these descriptions of Pardee’s verbal and nonverbal behavior. Time after time, comments from these parents and children reflect their disgust at Pardee’s condescending, gratuitous and indifferent attitude on the podium to their situation. All were mystified at her incessant grinning, chuckling and generally strange demeanor.
Pardee’s comments after the close of public comment also infuriated the audience when she said “But I want to say this. And I know that this is going to be offensive, but I feel like I was bullied tonight.” Referring to the audience’s clapping, Pardee said “that’s a form of bullying. So, I guess, are we weighing what kind of bullying is OK and what kind is not.” These remarks simply mystify me. Equating clapping with bullying? In all my years as a supervisor, I sat through many meetings where the crowds were large and very emotional. As chairman in 2006 I presided over several very emotional and lengthy sessions with the Dahlgren Heritage Trail as the target. Public comment on both sides was very emotional, sometimes a little rowdy, and the applause frequent, but I never once felt bullied. People clap as a show of support for a speaker, that’s all.

It’s not bullying, Ms. Pardee, and you need to know the difference. You should learn a little respect for audience members and not act as if the public comment period is a charade and that the remarks of those speaking is a joke. Watch your behavior, show respect, and don’t treat your constituents as if they are children. Stop acting as if you know it all and the audience doesn’t. It wouldn’t hurt to try, would it? If not, then perhaps you might want to take some advice from Harry Truman: If you can’t stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen.

Steve Wolfe is a former member of the King George Board of Supervisors and a resident of King George.

Steve Wolfe