There's a modern outbreak of ‘nakedness'

May 23, 2006

SPECTRUM/Mike Chmielewski

In the old story about the Emperor's New Clothes, a clever tailor creates the illusion that the emperor is outfitted in the most marvelous set of clothing.

Fearful of being the first to point out the obvious, that the emperor is naked, observers exclaim how beautiful the emperor looks.

Finally a young boy, not yet suffering from the tendency of adults to go along with the crowd, points out the obvious. Let the reader's imagination fill in the rest of the story.

Why bring up this old tale at this time? I think we are experiencing a modern outbreak of nakedness collectively ignored.

To be direct, I'm referring to the ballyhooed dissension between the borough, ruled over by the mayor, Mr. Anderson, and the school district, personified by Mr. Doyle, the chief school administrator.

If I understand correctly, Mr. Doyle has made some decisions recently in his role as administrator that Mr. Anderson has decided are wrong-headed.

What's most interesting about this situation is that Mr. Doyle's actions have either been acquiesced to or directed by his supervisor, the school board.

The mayor is in a somewhat more ambiguous position. He appears to have no supervisor, with the exception of that portion of the citizenry that votes.

There is, of course, the borough assembly, whose members seem divided over whether they have a role to play in running the school district.

Although the assembly legislates, the mayor has the awesome threat and reality of the veto.

That awesome power has diminished somewhat, since his veto may be overridden, as recently happened.

So who is the emperor in this modern-day fable?

I don't think it is Mr. Doyle, although many would like to heap upon him the responsibility for the present sad state of affairs.

And Mayor Anderson, although his clothing may be threadbare, still serves more as a scarecrow rocking in the winds of a waning regime than the unclothed emperor. As for the assembly members, they may be clothed oddly, but they are clothed.

No, I believe the school board members need to look in the mirror. What they see may shock them.

While Mr. Doyle has been taking action over the last few months, the board has left a trail of clothing, discarding item by item of their collective responsibility until even the youngest student can exclaim &#8220but they aren't wearing (or doing) anything at all.”

Mike Chmielewski is the

former president of the

Mat-Su School Board.