FIRE THEM ALL: “Back-Stabbin’ Bob”, the “green-eyed monster,” and the collapse of a grand opportunity

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If your only sources of news were The Pilot or WRAL, you’d think Moore County school board member David Hensley was an out-of-control maniac.   The truth?  He’s the only member of the once-conservative six-person majority that has actually honored his commitments to voters.  Hensley and five of his colleagues ran as conservative reformers and defeated a bunch of useless dead-weight.  With the exception of Hensley, all of the board newcomers have turned out to be worse than what we turned out of office.

For years, as with many a school board, the Moore County Board of Education had a problem with people getting elected but allowing the central office staff to run the whole show unrestrained.  The bureaucrats, with no one holding them accountable, ran wild with spending and leftist propaganda. The budget bloated, the quality of education declined and the kids suffered.  The local paper, with the editor’s wife then employed at the central office at a sweet salary, turned a blind-eye to the goings-on at the central office. 

Grassroots conservatives went to work and found six candidates to eventually take over control of the seven-member board.  All six promised to work together on a conservative platform, and the voters believed them.  It appeared that Moore County might honestly become a laboratory for real conservative reform in public education.

Here we are in 2023.  Today, the school board met while Hensley was at a doctor’s appointment.  Unanimously, they verbally trashed Hensley and voted to strip him of his vice-chairman title and all of his committee posts.

Arguably, five of the six board members present at today’s vote would not be on the board if it had not been for the hard campaign work of David Hensley and some key allies out in the county.  And this is how they showed their appreciation.  By screwing the guy who had their back when times got tough. 

Chairman Bob Levy has been the most vocal critic of Hensley.  Levy and Hensley started out this new “conservative” era as close allies and teammates.  Somehow, we got to a point where Levy is accusing Hensley of “anti-semitism,” shutting down all of Hensley’s proposals, and engineering the stripping of all of Hensley’s positions on the board.

And to think — While Levy was recently in the hospital being treated for a critical illness, David Hensley was at his bedside consoling him every single day. 

Nowadays, when you see Levy, he’s usually skulking around sneering and whispering with political operatives.  He’s trying hard to look like Niccolo Machiavelli, but comes off more like a KING-SIZED schmuck. 

What’s behind all of this?  I believe it’s the “green-eyed monster,” — one of those seven deadly sins. ENVY.  Levy and Hensley are clearly the two best-educated members of the school board.  They’re best informed on the issues.  Hensley is more competent and more aggressive with transparency and communication issues than anyone else on the board.  As a result, his name is better known.  He’s gotten a lot of attention.

Apparently, some folks — including Levy — don’t like it.   Never mind that Hensley has encouraged me, for instance, to downplay or omit his name in school board coverage.  He’s told me he would rather have coverage of the issue rather than himself.

This year alone, I’ve learned more about the inner workings of public education in this county than I have in the last twenty years.  (No thanks to our useless local paper.)

Levy is an attorney by trade.  You would think his communication skills would be better.  Watch a school board meeting, and you’ll see how his skills are lacking.  Hensley stands head-and-shoulders above Levy and the others in this department.

Levy’s leadership skills have suffered since he returned to the board from his stay in the hospital. His grasp on school policy – and his ability to follow discussions during meetings – appear to be suffering.  Recently, Hensley grew frustrated trying to explain to Levy and other members that they DO NOT need to ask the county board of commissioners for money because that money had previously been awarded to the schools.  Hensley could not get Levy to understand and other board members got frustrated.  Hensley’s attempt to educate the clearly confused chairman got portrayed as “rude” and “uncivil.”

Some of the so-called conservative warriors elected with a lot of help from Hensley have actually been encouraging their colleagues to just rubber-stamp whatever the central staff comes up with. No questions asked.

That B.S. is not what we voted for.  THAT is what we got in the Grimesey and previous eras.

The anti-Hensley coup today is the last straw.  It confirmed that this group of liars and back-stabbers can’t be worked with or even helped.  They ALL need to go as soon as possible. Replace each and every last one.  They have no credibility left whatsoever.  

It’s a shame that all of this trouble, spurred by Bob Levy’s butthurt and schoolgirl envy over Hensley’s PR has flushed a grand opportunity for serious public school reform down the toilet.

As Bob Levy’s confusion and delusion grow, and Hensley is further sidelined, the board will be thrown into further chaos and the central office career bureaucrats will run amok and prosper.

Ken Benway.  Shannon Davis. Pauline Bruno. Bob Levy. Philip Holmes. Stacey Caldwell. They ALL need to GO at the first possible opportunity.  I’m for anyone running against any of them.  Lying to and defrauding the voters is despicable.  If ANY of them have any shame left, they’d resign.