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Dover CARES sweeps election (Intelligent Design loses big)
York Daily Record ^
| 11/9/2005
| Michelle Starr
Posted on 11/08/2005 11:05:11 PM PST by jennyp
Dover CARES swept the race for school board Tuesday defeating board members who supported the curriculum change being challenged in federal court.
After months of fierce campaigning that included some mudslinging from both sides, new members of the board are Bernadette Reinking, Rob McIlvaine, Bryan Rehm, Terry Emig, Patricia Dapp, Judy McIlvaine, Larry Gurreri and Phil Herman.
The challengers defeated James Cashman, Alan Bonsell, Sherrie Leber, Ed Rowand, Eric Riddle, Ron Short, Sheila Harkins and Dave Napierskie. Results are not official until certified by the county.
“We’re still in shock because we were expecting to have some wins,” said Dapp, who won a two-year term. “We weren’t expecting to have all eight.”
Dapp said “we recognized very quickly that we were a very cohesive, well-working team. I think that is one of our many strengths of what we will bring to the board.”
Candidates weigh in
Board members Bonsell and Harkins, who had voted in favor of adding intelligent design into the ninth grade science curriculum, received the least amount of votes, with 2,469 and 2,466, respectively. Bonsell and Harkins did not return phone calls about the results Tuesday.
Reinking, who was running for a four-year term, received the most overall votes with 2,754.
“It’s a nice thing,” she said. “I’m very flattered and very humble about the whole thing.”
During the campaign, the eight Dover CARES candidates had questioned the incumbents’ truthfulness and fiscal responsibility, while the eight incumbents touted their achievements in keeping taxes in line and the ability to provide quality education.
Cashman, who was running for a four-year term, had said during the day Tuesday that “I expect to win, but it’s not a big celebratory thing.”
About the loss, Cashman said, “We put our effort into this and we tried to manage the school district as conservatively as we could. I have nothing to be ashamed about.”
Rehm said he believed the voters responded because of the challengers’ combined efforts. It wasn’t one thing. They went door-to-door, held public meetings and didn’t exclude anyone, said Rehm, who won a four-year seat.
A major topic in this year’s race was the 2004 curriculum change that added a statement about intelligent design to the ninth-grade science curriculum.
The elected board members oppose mentioning intelligent design in science class. Rehm was one of 11 parents who sued the board in U.S. Middle District Court. The trial concluded Friday and Judge John E. Jones III hopes to have a decision before the year’s end.
Effects on ID Case
Regardless of the election results, those six weeks of the trial have not been lost, according to attorneys on both sides.
“The suit goes on,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Steve Harvey of Pepper Hamilton. “The mere election of a new board does not change anything.”
Harvey and defense attorney Richard Thompson of Thomas More Law Center said Jones has a set of facts to use to determine his ruling.
Harvey said he did not want to speculate on the fallout of what the new board might do. Thompson gave several scenarios.
The new board could change the policy and determine how it will handle legal appeals. It could keep Thomas More or choose another firm if it wishes to continue the case to keep intelligent design in the curriculum.
If the judge rules against the board, Thompson said, the new board could decide not to fight and could therefore be stuck with the plaintiffs’ legal fees, as requested in the suit.
“What is done is done,” Reinking said about the court proceeding, “but to take it to the Supreme Court? To me that won’t be an issue.”
ACLU attorney Witold Walczak said if the board abandons the intelligent design statement, the plaintiffs want a court order stating the new board won’t re-institute it.
“It actually is a way to conclude the litigation,” Walczak said. “The parties sign essentially a contract that says they will stop the unconstitutional conduct.”
Outside ID
Though intelligent design has captured international attention, it was not the only issue in the election.
For example, Dapp said looking at the district budget is one of the new board’s first challenges.
Property taxes, fiscal responsibility, a teachers contract and full disclosure of board members’ actions arose during the campaign.
Roughly 200 teachers attended the board meeting Monday night to show their support for a new contract. Their old contract expired in June.
Sandi Bowser, president of the teachers union who lives outside of the district and didn’t vote for board members, said the union didn’t officially support one group, but the teachers who have been vocal supported Dover CARES.
“I think that the people who are working with Dover CARES have children in the district and are concerned about some of the things that are going on including intelligent design in the science classroom,” she said.
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: crevolist; evolution; intelligentdesign; notbreakingnews
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21
posted on
11/09/2005 3:25:37 AM PST
by
Junior
(From now on, I'll stick to science, and leave the hunting alien mutants to the experts!)
To: VadeRetro; Junior; longshadow; RadioAstronomer; Doctor Stochastic; js1138; Shryke; RightWhale; ...
22
posted on
11/09/2005 3:45:31 AM PST
by
PatrickHenry
(Reality is a harsh mistress. No rationality, no mercy)
To: jennyp
Great thread, jenny! Sorry it took me so long to ping the list, but I was occupied elsewhere -- on behalf of the Grand Master, whose interests are global.
Now if only the republicans will wake up and see that this ID nonsense is a loser, even in a very conservative community like Dover, we'll all be fine.
Attention Karl Rove: Wanna keep winning elections? Dump ID!
23
posted on
11/09/2005 3:52:18 AM PST
by
PatrickHenry
(Reality is a harsh mistress. No rationality, no mercy)
To: jennyp
Another blow to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, but we shall rally and storm the Ivory Tower!
Fear our noodly agenda!
24
posted on
11/09/2005 3:52:49 AM PST
by
Wormwood
(Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!)
To: jennyp
After looking at the numbers, I suspect that the major factors were name recognition and the lying, not creationism.
I, as a teacher in the field, would have no problem with a simple statement to the effect that the tenets of evolution at this time may appear to conflict with some people's religions, but that in this class we are learning what the current views of scientists are.
That is honest and respects the religious concerns, without in any way diluting the science.
I would guess that most people who believe in special creation, unlike those from DI and many of those who promulgate it here, are honest and react badly when the dishonesty is put on display.
To: PatrickHenry
I don't think it's ID that got the school board dumped. I suspect very strongly that is is demonstrated dishonesty.
That's the tack to take in Kansas. That, and an organized group running.
We didn't pay much attention to the campaign in any of the threads I found, but it might be a good idea to track down some of that information and get it to folks in Kansas.
To: CheyennePress
Really, it's of very little consequence that one tortoise evolved from another after two populations had become isolated from one another.And what is the practical use of knowing about a heliocentric solar system, for anyone not sending a probe to the outer planets?
Useless OUTSIDE of what this tell us of who we are and where we came from.
But that, of course, is one of the primary motivations behind all of human knowledge.
To: From many - one.
I don't think it's ID that got the school board dumped. I suspect very strongly that is is demonstrated dishonesty. It's very difficult to separate the two. If someone of faith sincerely believes in young earth, Noah's Ark, etc., and is also a person of honesty, he won't participate in the nonsense of the ID crowd. Every now and then, such a person shows up in our threads, declares his faith, doesn't lie about the fossil record, doesn't lie about all of science being a homosexual Marxist plot, etc. He says that science is science, but he's sticking with his religious views, and that's that. No lies. No problem.
But the "creation scientists" and their fancy new front organization (currently called ID, but soon to evolve into "sudden emergence theory") are different. There's no honesty in any of them, as we've seen over and over in our threads.
28
posted on
11/09/2005 4:35:41 AM PST
by
PatrickHenry
(Reality is a harsh mistress. No rationality, no mercy)
To: jennyp
Christians who CARE should not have their children in public schools. They are amoral, anti-God nurseries for socialism and complete government control, as enumciated so blatantly by the Ninth Circuit Court's ruling that parents have NO authority as to how and when sex education is taught in the public schools.
When Christian parents learn that they are offending the faith of their children, and that Jesus says it would be better for be thrown into the sea, then perhaps they can make the sacrifices necessary to get their Christian children out of the toxic environment of the public schools where the Christian faith is mocked and attacked in some way every day.
To: PatrickHenry
Since so many Americans do believe in special creation, I find it hard to believe they dumped the school board just for supporting it.
To: All
31
posted on
11/09/2005 4:56:41 AM PST
by
PatrickHenry
(Reality is a harsh mistress. No rationality, no mercy)
To: LizzieBorden
Intelligent design: a hypothesis.
Evolution: a theory. Scientifically, both belong in the classroom. BUT it should be made clear that the above is the truth. In addition, neither concept has been introduced as a law, according to the scientific method. That should also be made clear.
ID does not even rise to the level of a hypothesis. A hypothesis requires specific testable criteria. ID does not have that. IS is, at best, a philosophical idea and has nothing to do with science.
In science, Laws are essentially another word for theories. For example, Newton's Laws of Motion are the basis for the physics taught in high school. These Laws are flawed and have been disproven by relativity. There is solid, observed evidence that shows Newton's Laws don't work but there is no observed evidence that Evolution doesn't occur. Why are Newton's disproven theories being taught without issue, but Evolution is such a sensitive matter?
32
posted on
11/09/2005 5:09:53 AM PST
by
doc30
(Democrats are to morals what and Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
To: PatrickHenry
Is that the new manifestation of creationsism? I guess that since ID has been outed as a creationist Trojan Horse, then need a new term. It means they have learned to keep their mouths shut about what it really means so they can credibly argue that "sudden emergence theory" is not creationism. It must be the stategy to get around the wedge document.
33
posted on
11/09/2005 5:16:00 AM PST
by
doc30
(Democrats are to morals what and Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
To: kittymyrib
When Christian parents learn that they are offending the faith of their children, and that Jesus says it would be better for be thrown into the sea So am I to understand that it is your contention that Jesus teaches that parents should kill their children rather than let them learn about the Theory of Evolution? Or am I misunderstanding you?
To: jennyp
Just get evo out the classroom too, cause science its not.
Wolf
35
posted on
11/09/2005 5:21:55 AM PST
by
RunningWolf
(tag line limbo)
To: Tempest
No....Intelligent design is not a good idea, It' neither fully grounded in religion nor science.....
Religion is a belief, science is a fact.....
No one can take away my beliefs by teaching me science. Some of our most bright and talented scientists are extremely devout.
Theology belongs in the Home and Church. Our schools should continue to try to teach the best science available.
If you're so worried about everyones' soul, try the Catholic Church. Catholic Schools have taught Evolution for years with little angst. The church does not take a hard literal only translation of the bible.
36
posted on
11/09/2005 5:23:28 AM PST
by
nevergore
(“It could be that the purpose of my life is simply to serve as a warning to others.”)
To: jennyp
Kansas and Indiana will be next, when votors find out the effect this nonsense will have on their children's college futures.
37
posted on
11/09/2005 5:34:22 AM PST
by
js1138
(Great is the power of steady misrepresentation.)
To: jennyp
Not a big loss in percentage terms. Dave Napierskie, the candidate for a two-year(unexpired) seat on the Board lost by 26 votes 2,516 to 2,542. The three DOVER CARES 2-year candidates got 2,670, 2,658 and 2,623 and three incumbents got 2,545, 2,544 and 2,466. For the 4-year seats Dover CARES 2,754, 2,716, 2,677 AND 2,625. The top incumbent was only 41 votes behind at 2,584. The others got 2,547, 2,526 and 2,469. The media (Our 'YORK DAILY RECTUM') gave that big headline at the top of its page. The teachers held a rally outside the school board meeting Monday to say they weren't ashamed of the union demand for a 19 percent pay raise this year. That issue was beginning to gain traction and I feel the incumbents are a viable opposition, especially when this Pennsylvania State Education Association bought school board (Nearly 5-thousand dollars to Dover CARES) starts up the spending and raising the taxes. Five seats up in two years.
38
posted on
11/09/2005 5:39:12 AM PST
by
Nextrush
(The Soviet Union died, but Robert Mugabe is alive and well.)
To: jennyp
If both sides said this wouldn't affect anything, and democrats won the seats in blue Pennsylvania, where is the big deal?
39
posted on
11/09/2005 5:42:15 AM PST
by
NapkinUser
("It is a damn poor mind indeed which can think of only one way to spell a word." -Andrew Jackson)
To: jennyp
"ACLU attorney Witold Walczak"
This says a great deal about the case, the election, and the direction of the debate.
40
posted on
11/09/2005 5:45:05 AM PST
by
Pietro
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