Public Forum:
By Jill Galvez
Sweetwater Schools have had enough from bad public officials! Enough corruption, back room deals, nepotism and incompetence. Our educators and students are working hard to achieve rigorous academic goals. They are harmed by the corruption that has plagued the political representation on our school board.
The Sweetwater School District has been mired in political scandal for over two years. Millions of dollars have been misspent on questionable land deals, behind closed doors, without public knowledge or discussion. Facilities such as Bonita Vista High School are so run down, it is an embarrassment to our community and a slap in the face to students. Bond obligations that cost each and every resident living in the community a significant amount of money each year on their property tax bill or as part of their rent have been misappropriated for short term purchases rather than invested in new and modern classrooms and facilities. Teachers’ contracts have been shortchanged due to financial mismanagement in the administrative offices.
Students have gone without modern improvements to their facilities such air conditioning, lockers, and sometimes even desks.
As voters, it is our responsibility to know who we’re voting for. We need to do more than look at the surface of a candidate when we vote for this important position.
We need to look beyond race, gender, political party, and other superficial measures we sometimes resort to. And we need to look beyond friendships, acquaintances, and the special interests that often back the wrong person for the wrong reasons.
We need to understand what is required of a school board member.
An ideal board member should have the experience, intelligence, integrity, and desire to rigorously serve our community. Board members approve multimillion-dollar contracts, set policy and educational goals, and hire and manage the superintendent. Their job is to represent the community’s priorities and needs when it comes to the budget, vision, and direction of the school district.
A school board member should be more than just a nice person or someone who has been an educator. A school board member cannot lack the experience and vigilance necessary to understand and discuss every detail of major financial decisions. I think we have learned in the Sweetwater School District that the days of the rubber stamp of approval and willful ignorance about major investments and lack thereof should be over with the criminal pleas and convictions of five former board members and the superintendent (Bertha Lopez, Jim Cartmill, Pearl Quinones, Arlie Ricasa, Greg Sandoval, and Jesus Gandara).
Kevin O’Neill is exactly who the Sweetwater School District needs on our school board right now. I am voting for Kevin O’Neill because he is one of the smartest, most honest, sincere, and hardworking community advocates I have ever known. He is the best person to read and scrutinize the contracts our district negotiates. He knows and thoroughly understands the school district’s budget, operational needs, and processes.
Kevin O’Neill grew up in Chula Vista and graduated from Hilltop High School. He is a successful businessman, a good neighbor, and has been a generous and reliable contributor to our community’s wellbeing for decades. Kevin and his wife Carol donated the material and labor to create a dog adoption park at the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility. Kevin donated equipment and labor for the community garden on 5th Avenue. When the city’s budget was forced to cut funding for the dances at the Norman Park Senior Center, Kevin stepped up and donated funds to keep the program going. He regularly supports South Bay Community Services and other programs for students and families.
As a member of the SUHSD Bond Oversight Committee, Kevin challenged the District to do better for our students and schools. He was instrumental in unraveling questionable land deals made by the District. For two years, Kevin fought to reveal the truth and uncover problems with bad land contracts so that money could be used for education of our students and not wasted on worthless, empty lots. Kevin stood up for our students when the District spent thousands of dollars depositing then removing bad soil from a high school football field. Kevin worked with Bonita Vista High School and Southwestern College to compromise during a recent dispute. Kevin O’Neill insists that District business be conducted in the open!
It is time to restore the District’s good reputation so that our students, parents and community can be proud of Sweetwater once again! It is time to elect a qualified, highly respected, admired, and proven candidate to represent us on the school board. Because of Kevin’s expertise, vigilance, and unquestioned integrity, he has been asked by public officials to serve on some of Chula Vista’s most important civil commissions. These include the Growth Management Oversight Commission, the Planning Commission and the City Schools Task Force. Kevin reads contracts, does his homework and works hard. Because of his hard work on behalf of Sweetwater Schools, Kevin O’Neill has been endorsed for this office by Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox and County Supervisor Greg Cox and the Chula Vista Taxpayers for Responsible Government.
This election cycle, there are 21 people running for the 5 open seats in the Sweetwater District. I can only vote for District 2. But I know that all across the South Bay, the other candidates and voters are hoping that we elect Kevin O’Neill for District 2. They know that Kevin O’Neill will clean things up for Sweetwater, safeguarding the District’s finances so that more money can be spent on classrooms and education of our youth. Kevin O’Neill would be a board member we could be proud of once again.