District 4: Say No to Sezin Palmer (Part 1)

Posted on August 13, 2020August 19, 2020 by Jenny

Sezin Palmer is an unsuitable candidate to represent District 4 on the Board of Education in Howard County. This is a multi-part series discussing the reasons why. See Part 2 here. I don’t know about you, but I had never heard of Sezin Palmer until last fall, when she and many other Howard County residents had a collective aneurysm over the idea of redistricting to better integrate our schools by socioeconomic status. The first time I saw her name was shortly after Howard County Public ...

Let’s Talk Redistricting (Part II)

Posted on July 17, 2020August 19, 2020 by Jenny

This is a two-part series reflecting on the 2019 HCPSS redistricting process. In Part I of my series on redistricting, I explained my position on the 2019 HCPSS redistricting process, and I stated that I while I supported the plan, I understood much of the opposition to it. Today, I’m going to discuss opposition that had a different, distinctly malignant flavor. This opposition was at best disingenuous and at worst covertly racist, characterized by vitriol filled with half-truths...

Let’s Talk Redistricting (Part I)

Posted on July 9, 2020August 17, 2020 by Jenny

This is a two-part series reflecting on the 2019 HCPSS redistricting process. Many folks are aware that I supported the school redistricting that happened in 2019. Every now and then, someone will drop a comment on my social media that points to my position on the 2019 redistricting as being inconsistent with or contradictory to something I may have written or tweeted lately. It’s important to note that the 2019 redistricting was a complex topic, and my thoughts and feelings abou...

Analysis of Scott E’s D3 BOE Debate

Posted on May 11, 2020August 17, 2020 by Jenny

On Friday evening, Scott Ewart held the third in his series of online debates for Howard County Board of Education candidates, this time for District 3. Of the three candidates in District 3, one is head-and-shoulders above the rest (spoiler: it’s Jolene Mosley), but I’ll cover all of them anyway. Tom Heffner Tom Heffner is a mystery to me. His website states that he has experience solving hard problems and innovating. When it comes to the issues, he has some fleshed-out ideas on his we...

Analysis of Scott E’s D5 BOE Debate

Posted on May 9, 2020August 17, 2020 by Jenny

On Wednesday, Scott Ewart hosted the second in his series of Board of Education online debates, this time for District 5. (See my analysis of his D4 debate here.) I procrastinated on listening to the debate and writing an analysis because this district, comprising most of the western half of Howard County, is unsurprisingly devoid of progressive candidates. For me, District 5 is a lot like the prize counter at an arcade. There are all these giant stuffed animals, skateboards, and electroni...