Monday, March 17, 2008

Let's keep the conversation moving

We made a couple of mistakes with the Jim Van Horn story in last Friday's edition. I haven't seen the reporter since then, but trust me when I tell you I'll let him know exactly where he was when he went to District Justice Augustine's office. There also was a problem with the charge, which, apparently was harassment, not disorderly conduct, which leads me to the topic of discussion.
Should Van Horn resign from the school board?
If you think he should let me know why, and if you think he shouldn't let me know why as well.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stan, are you seriously asking whether Van Horn should resign? Of course he should resign. He should have been voted out way before his attack of Dr. Mollick happened. The only reason he continued to get voted in is because he runs on both sides of the ballot just like Ms. Barbone. That is a political trick to get all the straight party votes and it worked for both of them.

That being said he should be charged with assault, harassment, and disorderly conduct. They should not allow him to accept the one he feels correct. He is the criminal here.

This is not new information or my sole opinion here, but Van Horn has bullied EVERYONE from school board members to audience members for years. He is extremely arrogant and does not have the tax payers or students best interest in mind. I still wonder everyday why he pushed so hard for that 5-6 school, that is my opinion is a waste of money. Money that could have be spent in a much better manner... $50 million dollars is a lot of money.

Anyway, I think there is NO question Van Horn should resign or be thrown off the school board!!!

Anonymous said...

Stan, Happy to hear you are admitting your mistakes. It is disappointing that you couldn't make the mistakes as public as your "headline" story! Your paper consistantly gets things wrong, but publishes them anyway! This is especially true when it comes to Lower Providence/Methacton stories. It is ashame that you feel that you are above being held accountable to doing your "homework" up front before the story is published. Once it is in print, to many of your readers, it is fact. It does make one wonder who you are getting your information from? And how well your reporters do in attempting to get both sides of a story?? Let's try to see more accurate stories in the future!
Disgusted reader in Lower Providence

Anonymous said...

Jim Van Horn should step down. You MUST hold the adults in the school district to the same standards you hold the children. Otherwise, you're being hypocritical. Any child who put their hands on another student in an aggressive manner would at least serve suspension and possibly expulsion. Mr. Van Horn has a pattern of uncontrollable outbursts at school board meetings which have gone unchecked for a number of years. He should step down and let someone else who is better able to handle the pressure of the job, step up to the plate. I'm not sure what his intentions were toward Mr. Mollick ( although the video looks like he's ready to throw a punch), but the two have had a long-standing dislike for each other. That doesn't show the students and faculty at Methacton how to reslove a conflict peacefully. Isn't there anyone better out there? Maybe people need to take a really hard look at some of the other candidates who ran prior and see who is the best replacement for Jim Van Horn.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Huskey, You certainly know how to keep a sore festuring. The DJ ruled. Mollick got his wish, Van Horn stepped down from the chair.Let him finish his term then the voting public can decide. AMEN

Anonymous said...

Not only should Mr. Van Horn resign from his post on the School Board, but his position on the Republican Committee in Lower Providence. He is a disgrace to Lower Providence, Worcester and the Republican Party.

No Tolerance on Bullying means NO TOLERANCE ON BULLYING. If we hold our children to these standards, our leaders should be held to a higher one.

Mr. Van Horn, spare your family and constituents the embarrassment that you are causing them and resign.

You are elected to represent your constituents, correct?

It's still about the people and the party, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

I read the VanHorn article, and knew at that point the article was flawed and the correction would appear as usual. But,Van Horn was elected to the School Board, a non-political office, and he and his wife as Committee People,a political office,so when his/their terms expire, that is the time to replace them. One person can not make all the decisions when serving on a School Board or a Committee. - Now personalities vary on the Methacton School Board and the Tax Payers that attend - sometimes they are arrogant too when their point of view does not agree with the Boards' decisions and they are not held accountable but cheered on by political parties that have candidates for the positions that will be vacant on the School Board. The School Board - pay (none)and time spent (great) on all projects that keep our school system running smoothly is unbelieveable.

I'm a LP Resident and pleased with the Times Herald's coverage of our Township and all their comings and goings. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hey Dolphin Eye,

You should attend some of the LP board meetings and see the bullying Dininny puts out. It is only a matter of time until he attacks Mr. Borai. Everytime Mr. Borai speaks out it ends up with Mr. Dininny screaming at him.

As far as Mr. Van Horn is concerned, Mr. Mollick has been stalking him for several years now and Mr. Van Horn has been putting up with it for all this time. It was just a matter of time before this happened, too bad no one came forward to stop Mollick's harrassment. Leave Mr. Van Horn and his family alone, the voters will decide his fate soon enough. He has served the Methacton School District with distinction for over 20 years, it is one of the best School Districts in Southeast PA, surely he had something to do with it. Oh well, it is easy to kick someone who is down, let the real bullying begin on this blog site.

And yea, by the way Mr. Huskey, you need to hire some good investigative reproters and just one proof reader.

Anonymous said...

Hat trick,

Are you kidding?
Go to you-tube and check out your boy VanHorn and his ridiculous behavior. What do you think would happen to a teacher who put their hands on a student?

Are you saying that people who attend public meetings are "stalkers" and that gives VanHorn the right to attack them?

Please put your name out there and I'm sure Mollick will have a present for you too. It's called a slander suit to go with your hat.

You sound like one of those home and schoolers with 3 children in school, costing the taxpayers $42,000 but only paying a fraction of the cost with your property taxes.

Hat trick? It's more like the mad hatter.

Dolphin's other eye

Anonymous said...

Hat Trick...We do have a great School District and of course look at the last 15 years to see who stood up for better housing of our students and also the teaching staff...interesting. Now, we do need to calm down and let the School Board continue their fine work. Trailers used for class rooms in LP sure looks like shanty town, compared to the great Golf Course the Township is helping to back without a thought of how many people will use it and for how long. Our Audubon Elementary School was not in use for quite a few years, before the second, housing boom but now space is at a premium. I'm sure with the addition to Arcola all the space will be utilized for many years to come.
I get the joke ... Stan needs an investigative reproter (reporter) and a proof reader. Sorry there isn't a spell check connected to Blogs...it makes for interesting reading.

Anonymous said...

Having 9 members on the school board should help from creating problems, not so. Todays paper had a 5-4 vote to continue the 5-6 grade addition to the Arcola School. Wait until the public see the road extension from the school to Arcola Road. Right through the ball fields, the kids don't need the recreation, after all the girls basketball team is the only winner. Thanks to the four members who did their homework,can't wait until the next election for school board members.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with the comments made by "Hat Trick" regarding the bullying by the Lower Providence Township BOS Chairman, Mr. Dininny. His long winded and nonsensical speeches along with his sarcastic retorts to anyone daring to stand up and oppose him is appalling. He does appear to suffer from a Napoleon Complex over his size(reference height only) and does manage to abuse his power of speech wih well meaning citizens with questions. However after 2009 we will no longer have to listen to his chatter.
The Professor

Anonymous said...

I thought this was a blog about Jim Van Horn, not LP Supervisors. Jim Van Horn is not what I'd call a stellar school board member. His legacy is that of screaming at people who simply ask pertinent questions as a way to avoid answering them. There will be plenty of room at the elementary schools even without the 5/6 school. I've been in several of them during school hours and don't see anybody falling over each other. If you want to see overcrowding, go to Philadelphia and maybe you'll realize how lucky we are. The modulars at Audubon are used for the ESL kids who come in and out for less than an hour a day. I don't see any parents complaining about it. Mostly I see administrators using it as a way to score points with the school board. Really, there's nothing that bad going on at any of the elementary scools. Granted, Woodland definitely needed remodeling but everyone else is fine. I hate to say it but I think the 5/6 school is going to end up costing us more than it's helping us. Mr. Van Horn isn't too well liked now because of his behaviors. I doubt that anything will change that in the future, especially a shut down of one of the schools for low occupancy numbers.

Anonymous said...

To Hat Trick: Stalking!? Since when is asking questions at a public meeting "stalking"? Since when is trying to get around a stonewall "stalking"?

To Anonymous: Mr. Van Horn is not up for re-election to the school board until May 2010, in case you want to mark your calendar. And, unless there is a write-in, Mr. Van Horn is unopposed for his Republican committee seat on this primary on April 22.

So much for the political processs "taking care of" a situation!

Anonymous said...

Oops, I was wrong. Mr. Van Horn is up for re-election to the school board in May 2009.

Anonymous said...

I have been in Audubon Elem. School many times and the maintenance is OK and the space per child is average, so why the modulars if space is not a problem? The grounds need some work - leaves have not been gathered in the front of the school, the drainage area from the school to the parking lot has never been addressed. I'm sure this could be accomplished without it being written into the job spec. The School Board should visit all schools at least three times a year to see where their/our money is being spent.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure how many years it takes to have an addition to a school approved & built, but it usually takes approx. (7) for the paper work alone, so the figures change on the need for an addition, (i.e.Arcola). After all our School Board put in all the time & expense to have an addition built, we should give them credit for time spent. But we can always ask to have the whole building downsized, so that we no longer will need the modulars in Lower Providence Areas.