The Attack of Ralph

As many of you know, my name is Thom Ryder, and I am a teacher in Roanoke County, Virginia. I’ve spent a quarter of a century in the classroom mostly in grades three through five. Over the last two school years, I’ve become an Instructional Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT). In parallel to that career, I have been a member and active supporter of my local education associations as well as the Virginia Education Association (VEA) and the National Education Association (NEA). Several times in the past, I’ve served on executive boards of my locals or president. Currently, I’m beginning my first term as president of the Roanoke County Education Association. (My ITRT training alerts me that I’ve shared way too much personal information…but I don’t care!)

Back in late March, members of our political action committee began to mull over potentially endorsing candidates in the upcoming state senatorial race in our area. VEA and our local are very careful to separate our political activities from our regular association activities. Any recommendation of endorsement would then be carried before the regular VEA-PAC body for consideration and debate before decisions by that body would be made. Endorsed VEA-PAC candidates would then receive a $1000 contribution to their campaign fund and ancillary material sent out to PAC members (not every VEA member is a PAC member).

In accordance with customary procedure, I, as acting Chairman of RCEA-PAC, sent an official VEA questionnaire to the two known candidates (both Republican). A Democrat had recently announced his bid to run for the position, but we had no information on him at that time. (Frankly, I suspect that wouldn’t have altered our final recommendation.) It was explained to both that we’d like to meet with them privately to discuss their written answers to the questions.

Republican Ralph Smith was the first to reply, and he sent this amazing letter.

Dear Mr. Ryder:

Thank you for thinking of me regarding the VEA’s endorsement process for the 22^nd Senatorial District. I wish to submit to you and the VEA the following statement regarding my views on education.

I have long realized the importance of education to individuals and to the broader community. Educators have an important responsibility to prepare our young people for their roles as participating citizens and for their successful entry into the world of work. This recognition of education’s role in preparing our students is the very reason I support quality education for every single student in Virginia.

As a public servant, I feel it is incumbent on me to insure that the Commonwealth will partner with parents and support them with meaningful opportunities for and involvement in their children’s education. Every child has individual needs regarding the way he/she learns. The state’s role is to assist parents in finding the right match for their child(ren).

Virginia has been blessed with many fine schools at all levels of learning—elementary, middle school, high school, undergraduate and graduate. It has also been blessed with excellent public, private, parochial and home schools. I believe our future can best be served when we support parents in finding what works best for their child.

In the future, I hope we can work together to promote the highest quality education for ALL of Virginia’s students.

Sincerely,

Ralph Smith

P.S. My campaign manager, Steve Mabry, is a past president of the Roanoke Education Association and a past vice president of the VEA.

Hopefully, you’ll notice several key things in his letter buried in the friendly letter-speak. First, Mr. Smith refused to meet with us. He refused to participate in the process. I suppose that some of those he caters to would jump up and down and cheer him for that, but I find it very sad when a person running for elected office will not sit down for a discussion with a group of people who care very deeply about one our areas most important issues, education.

Mr. Smith also spent considerable time in his letter crafting and refining his position on vouchers/ school choice. He made it quite apparent from what he wrote that he favors using tax payers money to support private schools. VEA is steadfastly opposed to this misguided idea. Very few on Mr. Smith’s side ever delve in to the financial impact of vouchers/tuition tax credits on public schools. The reality is that in an era when state and federal funding for public schools have not kept pace with the demands of the high stakes Federal accountability program, local school divisions have been forced to shoulder an increasing burden for public schools. Funding private schools would mean the erosion of more money from that finite resource. That would mean an even larger burden on local school systems.

Mr. Smith’s liberal position on the giveaway of taxpayers’ money to private schools coupled with his refusal to fill out our questionnaire and meet with our committee made him an automatic disqualifier.

Along the same time, Senator Brandon Bell (Republican) took the time to fill out our questionnaire and set up a discussion time. Along that same stretch, the tragedy at Virginia Tech occurred and we were forced to reschedule our first meeting. We ended up meeting Friday April 20, 2007.

We’ve known Senator Bell for many years now. He’s served three terms in the state senate at different times. While we’ve never endorsed him before, we’ve always found that we could have discussions with him on issues. I’ve always appreciated his thoughtful responses to our questions in the past and at our April 20 meeting, he was no different.

The VEA has several key issues of interest which include vouchers/tuition tax credits, teacher retirement fund, teacher salary, and fully funding the Standards of Quality (formula devised by the state to fund essential education staff, services, and programs). On these issues, Brandon and our committee had a thorough discussions.

On the issue of vouchers, Mr. Bell said that he does give limited support to voucher/tuition tax credit programs. This, of course is in opposition to the VEA position on the issue. Mr. Bell, however, was able to discuss specific situations where he believed that tuition tax credits made sense. He then listened carefully and respectfully to our problems with such programs. After our discussion on the topic, although I still disagreed with him, I still respected him and vice versa. It seemed to me at that moment that what’s missing in the political world today is this honest discussion. Instead we are left with discussion that immediately devolves into personal attacks.

On the issue of teacher retirement fund, Brandon was solidly in support of our position. Teachers in Virginia contribute to a retirement system (VRS) each year as part of their benefit package. In addition, the state kicks in a dose of cash on our behalf. With all state employees and teachers vested in the program, VRS holds a huge pot of money that is set aside for its employees. Many people would like to get their hands on that money stream. The system is currently set up as a “Defined Benefit System.” With VRS guaranteeing a defined benefit to retirees, they can make choices on how to develop their own personal risk accounts to supplement. In conjunction with Social Security and personal, individual retirement accounts, an employee can develop a reasonable retirement portfolio as long as they can count on VRS’ defined benefit. Mr. Bell, a financial planner, understands the logic and passion behind our support for the current VRS system. He is also aware that there are others who see VRS money as a tempting funding stream. These people want flip the program and turn it in to a “Defined Contribution Program.” Who sets the contribution level? Can that be monkeyed with by politicians? Can I count on it? We prefer to label this unwanted intrusion into our future financial plans as a virus attacking our VRS system hoping to morph it in to a “Personal Risk Account” program.

On the issue of teacher salary, Brandon Bell was in favor of raising salaries, but we had a frank discussion looking at the issue from all angles. He spoke of the “never attainable goal” of meeting a national average. We countered with the fact that most localities in his district were about $8,000 below the state average teacher salary and even further below the national average.

On the issue of SOQ funding, Mr. Bell solidly supported full funding. You can’t just mandate a program yet not provide the financial resources to help it succeed.

So in the end, I believe that Mr. Bell and our committee would agree that we certainly do not agree on everything, but we very much enjoy the opportunity for honest discussion. That’s more important to me than any policy stance; it’s a bedrock principle in our democracy.

Things were quiet after our endorsement recommendation of Senator Brandon Bell was approved by VEA-PAC. However, in the last week, things began to heat up from Mr. Smith.

Let me tell you a little more about Mr. Smith. I do not like him. I find his political stances nonsensical and his tactics repulsive and abrasive. Mr. Smith is a wealthy businessman from Roanoke City (I think he ran a sandblasting business). He ruled the city for several years as Mayor. He lived for many years in Roanoke’s most famous mansion, Rockledge, which is located right on the money side of Mill Mountain-just under the star. When he was thrown out of the city council, he promptly sold Rockledge and moved to Botetourt County. Since then, he’s been filling his war chest with his millions and now has launched his bid to carpetbag a state senatorial seat. No, I do not like Ralph Smith. I like him even less after his recent attack ads surfaced. Here’s an example…

E-News from Ralph Smith June 6, 2007 VOTE JUNE 12! Campaign Web Page www.RalphSmithSenate.com The primary election will take place on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at ALL polling precincts within the 22nd District. Please mark the date on your calendar, NOW. Politics as Usual You already know that the liberal Virginia Education Association (VEA) has endorsed Ralph Smith's opponent for voting with them "83 percent of the time" and for having his doors always open to their lobbyists. Most conservatives believe there is no greater threat to educational choice and reform than the liberal VEA. In case you needed proof: They're now urging all their Democrat members to vote in OUR Republican primary! The VEA has sent out a postcard to all its Democrat members in our district asking them to vote in the Republican Primary. "We need Brandon Bell in Richmond!" the VEA president says. Why? "To secure our funding needs." "Cast a party-blind vote even if you're in the other party!" the VEA urges all Democrats. The VEA goes on to quote their "good friend" John Chichester as encouraging the opposition to cross over and vote in the Republican Primary: "I encourage people to go in there, and if they want you to sign something sign whatever you want, and in the general election, do what you want to do." (Translation: "Lie if you have to. Your word means nothing.") So, a liberal special interest group quotes a liberal Republican telling the opposition to lie if they have to in order to support my opponent, who has recently taken to calling himself "our conservative senator." Remember, Bell wanted a general primary instead of a closed party meeting, and now you know the rest of the story. This is the "politics as usual" nonsense we need to end. Please spread the word. And vote Ralph Smith on Tuesday. Paid for and authorized by Ralph Smith Senate Committee.

It’s hard to refute all of the charges Ralph makes against Virginians in his ad, but I’ll try.

1. Ralph Smith must not know the law. Anyone is allowed to vote in any primary in Virginia. That’s the law.
2. What does Ralph Smith have against being “party blind”? Is he such a neo-conservative clone that he can’t fathom reasons why people might want to consider people from many political parties?
3. Senator John Chichester (Republican) is a good friend. He helped VEA forge a coalition of Republicans and Democrats to break a funding logjam a couple of years ago to push Virginia toward full funding of the SOQ? What does Ralph have against kids?
4. (Translation: "Lie if you have to. Your word means nothing.") I’m not a lawyer, but that sure sounds like a libelous statement to me.
5. So, a liberal special interest group quotes a liberal Republican telling the opposition to lie if they have to in order to support my opponent, who has recently taken to calling himself "our conservative senator."

I don’t like even writing such slimy words. If I had received such an attack ad from ANY candidate, that would be a signal for me to NEVER cast a vote for the person sending that message.

So if you need even another reason to not vote for Mr. Smith, consider what Mr. Bell’s campaign manager sent me the other day.

You probably knew he [Smith] commented at a recent AARP debate that he would not support maintaining defined benefit for VRS. He specifically said that tax dollars should not go to benefits for retired teachers.

I was very pleased to see how Mr. Bell responded to Mr. Smith’s attacks. It seems so very obvious to me who the true leader is of the two candidates.

A Desperate Campaign

As many of you have heard on the radio, read over email or seen in the mail, Ralph Smith has launched a last minute, desperate attempt to mislead the voters about my record. Election day is next Tuesday and my opponent's sense of desperation has clearly intensified. He has even resorted to name calling, referring to me as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Legitimate debate is healthy; however, the actions taken by my opponent are embarrassing. We deserve better than this.

Please see these last minute, negative attacks for what there are: A desperate politician who is willing to say or do anything to get elected. I am glad my daughter is too little to wonder why Mr. Smith is calling her daddy a monster.

A Failed Record on Education

In his most recent email attack, my opponent has criticized my record on education. Specifically, he has referred to the fact that I have received the endorsement of the Virginia Education Association. Yes, the VEA has endorsed my candidacy--though this is the first time in a total of four races for the Senate. Does this mean I agree with the VEA on every issue? It does not. I have always been a strong supporter of home schooling and school choice. My record in the Senate proves this. While the VEA and I disagree on some of these issues, they are even more concerned about my opponent's record on public education in Roanoke City.

Mr. Smith presided over a school system that was literally crumbling at his feet. He did nothing to stop it. In the last year of Mr. Smith's term, the graduation rate in Roanoke City was only 63%. That is an embarrassing 19% below the statewide average. 19%! In the year following Smith's tenure, the accreditation rate was an abysmal 52%. That's right. Only half of Roanoke City schools were fully accredited. This stands in stark contrast to the 84% of schools fully accredited in the 22nd Senate District.

As you can see, our public school teachers have much to fear when it comes to Mr. Smith's record on education. My record on education however, both public and private, is one I can be proud of. I wish I could say the same for my opponent.

Send A Message

The best way to send the message to Mr. Smith that these last minute, negative smear campaigns do not work, is to come out and vote in the Republican primary this Tuesday, June 12th. Join me on Tuesday in sending that message.

I plan to join Brandon and vote tomorrow. If you live in my district, I hope you will, too.

thom