A Look At Stanard and Turner’s Campaign

In the campaign for the board of Three Rivers Community College, as in most campaigns, the incumbent points at successes and tries to diminish the importance of his or her failures.  For Stanard and Turner, success means the college has not yet had to shut down.  Sure, things are worse than they’ve ever been.  Nine superintendents, the head of a vocational technical program, Southeast Missouri Hospital, and Southeast Missouri State University do not want Three Rivers Community College in Cape Girardeau County.  Teacher moral is at an all time low, reports of harassment and intimidation flourish, but to Stanard and Turner this is success because at least the college has not completely shut down since they first joined the board.  Stanard and Turner have merely made things worse.

To diminish their failures the two incumbents point to their most public failure, that of trying to discredit local hero Gene Bess.  The two board members had private information about the coach given to a local newspaper and the leaker of the information was given an extended contract at the college.  When the coach’s two former bosses asked for the board to rethink their attacks on the coach, the board responded in an embarrassing and tacky manner.  Stanard admits to writing and signing a letter that Turner also signed.  In the letter they mock the coach and in particular, mock the coach for being a deacon at his local Baptist Church.  Stanard and Turner were surprised to find out this bothered people and that the local newspaper called the letter tacky.  Stanard and Turner have decided to claim it is obvious the unwarranted attack on Coach Bess is the only thing their opponents care about. 

True to form, Stanard and Turner have decided to attack their opponents in a childish manner.  After mocking the coach for his religion, Turner has reportedly tried to paint retired Superintendent of Schools Randy Winston and Postmaster Wilbur Thornton as “troublemakers” who want to make an issue out the way the coach was treated.  Leaking personal information to the press and mocking a man’s religion is a major issue to the rest of us but not to Stanard and Turner. 

The treatment of the coach is not the only issue there are others.  Problems include, money missing from the college, the hiring of unqualified cronies, low morale, finances being kept secret, threats, and the use of police to try to intimidate teachers, staff and booster club members. Problems also include the board picking fights with the booster club, the local university, a nearby hospital, and several local school districts.  There are too many other problems at the college to be addressed in one article.  

Its seems focusing on the shameful treatment of the coach by Stanard and Turner is Stanard and Turner’s best hope to keep people’s minds off of all Stanard and Turner’s many failures.