LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. — The political arm of the teachers union sent a postcard to Brighton-area voters last week that inaccurately depicted a school board candidate as being involved in a string of lawsuits, the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus reported.
The 8-D Coordinating Council PAC, a political action committee for the Michigan Education Association in Livingston County, linked board candidate John Conely to 21 lawsuits, the Press & Argus reported.
The newspaper reviewed the cases and learned that only 13 involved Conely, while the remainder involved his father, whose legal name is John D. Conely, the Press & Argus reported. Of the cases related to the younger Conely, two were more than 20 years old and several were small-claims cases that the younger Conely filed to collect payments from people who owed money to his business, the report said.
"I think it's an indication of how desperate they are for not wanting change," Conely told the Press & Argus. Conely has said the district should link employee compensation to state funding, so that if funding goes down, so does pay, according to the Press & Argus.
Barry Goode, president of the Brighton Education Association teachers union and the 8-D Coordinating Council, disputed that the postcard was inaccurate in an e-mail to the Press & Argus. He said he found the cases at the court website, the Press & Argus reported.
SOURCE:
Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, "Postcard paints
error-filled picture," Oct. 31, 2010
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Capitol Confidential, "Government Unions: The Real
Wealth in American Politics," Oct. 29, 2010
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