[lovethiscity]

The first 15 minute campaign talk is recorded. It will be aired from 2:45 to 3:00pm on WIMS on Friday the 22nd. If you aren't going to be in front of a radio, the message can be streamed on-line during that same time on www.wimsradio.com. In the message I talk about what I see the role of a school board member as, why a vibrant MCAS is important, and what qualifies me to be on the school board.

Do your qualifications have anything to do with whom you are related to?

[Ang]

Or what family you married into?

[Southsider2k12]

Today at 2:45pm is my first 15 minute school board chat session on WIMS AM 1420, listen live or stream it live at wimsradio.com!

[Southsider2k12]

The campaign signs are sitting on a FedEx truck in Hammond, so they should be here on Monday, if people would like one, let me know where you are to get it to you! You can also email me at mike@citybythelake.org.

[Southsider2k12]

Do your qualifications have anything to do with whom you are related to?

Trust me, voting for me for my relatives would be a really bad idea

In all seriousness, I can't see how that would be something worth considering on who to vote for. Those relatives aren't going to be sitting up there voting with you. If your relatives are a part of how you vote, all that means is you are going to be a sock puppet for whatever you are told to vote. Throw in all of the problems with relatives and relations getting accusations of nepotism and I can't see actually using who you are related to as a part of your campaign, especially as a central one.

Nope when you vote for me, you vote for me alone, and I am very proud of that. It doesn't matter who my brother is, or the like.

[Southsider2k12]

Signs were just delivered! Keep sending me the messages with your address's and I will drop them off during the day tomorrow (Tuesday) if that is OK with you. If you would like to pick one up instead, they are at my house 2422 Ohio Street.

[Southsider2k12]

Also this is a great week for those who still want to get to know the candidates.

Tuesday night is the neighborhood associates night. The forum will be open to the public and held on Tuesday, October 26th from 7:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m at HOPE. HOPE is located at 222 McClelland Avenue on the city’s west side.

Wednesday night will be a much more open forum which will be carried by ALCO TV 97. This event should start at 6pm and run until 7:30pm or so. It can also be attended live at City Hall.

Thursday is the League of Women Voters forum, which will also be at City Hall. This event will start at 6:30pm.

[Southsider2k12]

This is a great reflection of the school board race, including a very nice endorsement for myself.

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/no...p;id=1254752148

School Board Endorsements for 2010: City and At-Largeby John Avila Dds on Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 12:48am
When I was considering running for school board, someone asked me what my reason for running was, what was driving me to enter the fray in an active role. This helped me to focus on what was my passion about public education in Michigan City, my “nut,” so to speak; what was going to be the project or cause I would push from a position on the Board.



As it has turned out, I chose not to run this election cycle and find myself examining the candidates, incumbents and wannabes. I want to know what is driving these candidates into what seems to many a thankless job leading the most important local gov't entity we have.



This election cycle has the three City seats and the one At-Large seat at play. For reasons of their own, four candidates and the incumbent filed to run At-Large, and just one outsider filed to run against the three City incumbents, all of whom are running. This was very disappointing because the Board needs more new blood than the maximum two people will provide. If the candidates were distributed differently, my endorsements would be different, too.



I am going to endorse three candidates for the City, one for the At-Large. Normally, I would only endorse a candidate by giving the reasons in favor of that candidacy. The City district is multi-member, which means that three of the four running will win; one will not. I am endorsing Beryle Burgwald, Jim Kintzele, and Jeff Fanson. You will notice who is missing: I am recommending to the voting public that that person not be retained in the new Board. He seems to be saying all the right things now, but when the previous Administration was running wild financially and failing to achieve a new contract with the teachers and other employees of our school system, he was a dependable vote for the then-Superintendant; that taint will not wash off.



In the overcrowded At-Large race, the challengers make me feel better about the level of support and interest the public has in public education. I have great respect for them and for incumbent Kathy Lee, whom I have discussed certain issues with and found her sincerely interested in good public education. These five's disparate backgrounds prove how wide this interest is in our community and I hope their involvement in MCAS remains and even grows

.

Now for the endorsement. The incumbent is closely tied to the long struggle with the MCEA to achieve a contract and also was a reliable vote for the former Superintendant. These factors preclude my supporting the incumbent for another term, certainly since four others are strong candidates. I am endorsing Michael Gresham for the At-Large seat for four reasons.



First, I strongly believe that MCAS (and Michigan City and La Porte County, too) function too often in the shadows, away from the sunlight of public scrutiny. When asked about this, Gresham assured me that as much as possible, he would support open operations and discussions by the Board and Administration. Having seen his bringing many issues up to discussion in his online site, I trust him to do so. Second, he has a background in economics which is critical in the era of increasing State involvement in setting standards and cutting budgets; we need this knowledge on the Board. Third, his wife is a teacher and he has children entering the system. Sure, this may sound like something anyone can do, but knowing his involvement is personal and fundamental makes a difference. Last, he believes in the kids and the city they come from. Listen to him talk about the history of the schools, see what he has done for students in the scholarship foundation, hear him behind the microphone broadcasting football and basketball games, read the research he has pulled together to understand the financial situation and history of the schools.



The election is next Tuesday, November 2nd, and I encourage everyone to vote for the candidates of your choice; our schools, City, County, State, and Nation will function best when apathy is not the norm. The quality of our future depends on this.



[Southsider2k12]

I also want to mention that our candidate profiles done by Alicia Ebaugh up at the News Dispatch are in the paper today. They haven't been available on-line, but everyone should pay the 75 cents and read them today. I will post the text of mine a little bit later.

[Southsider2k12]

Here is my full interview. Some questions were left off to make space for everyone.

Full name:Michael James Gresham
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> Birth date: December 12, 1973
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> Address: 2422 Ohio Street Michigan City IN 46360
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> Family (spouse and children, names and ages): I have been married to my wife Angela (33) for 10 years. We have two daughters, Madison and Alexis (4 and 2)
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> Occupation (include who your employer is or what business(es) you own/manage): My occupation has been options and commodities trading support. I am also a WIMS broadcaster and the play-by-play voice of Wolves football and basketball.
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> To what religious and civic organizations do you belong? I am a VFW Post 2536 Auxiliary member. I am also the owner and head administrator of www.CityByTheLake.org
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> On what corporate or public boards do you or have you served? I am the President of the Michigan City Indiana Community Scholarship Foundation, Secretary of the Michigan City Planning Commission, and a former Michigan City YMCA board member,

> How long have you lived in your district? I have been a Michigan City resident for all but a few years of my early life. I am born and raised here.

> Why do you want to be on the school board? The school system deserves a responsible steward for all of the stakeholders in the Michigan City Area Schools. I want to be the person to represent all people in Michigan City, and to balance all of their interests in the idea of advancing our school system into the cornerstone of our community that it should be. Philosophically I believe that a school board member represents all parts of a school system. They represent the kids, the teachers, the taxpayers, the administrators, and everyone else who is a part of a school system. I will return the board to viewing all stakeholders as equal instead of treating a few better than others. The board also needs someone who not only looks at what is happening locally, but we also have to look at what is happening at the state and national levels. I attended the ISTA's legislative breakfast recently, and I listened to Ed Charbonneau of Valparaiso take positions on two vital issues that could take more money out of the MCAS in de-ghosting and the student funding formula. He seemed to honestly not understand why it takes more money to educate some students versus other students. He very clearly advocated the balancing of the budgets of school districts who have lower per student costs on the backs of system with higher structural costs. School board members have to be cognizant of these types of policy change attempts at both the state and national levels.
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> What makes you qualified to hold this office? I didn't start fighting for Michigan City Area Schools based issues the day that I filed to run for school board. No candidate for school board should disappear for the two years in between elections for fear of politics. They should have already been publicly active trying to fight for the things that they believe in. I have led the public movements on many of the vital school system topics in this town, including things like a new contract for teachers, the career center fight, the replacement of Michael Harding and Eugene Sweeney, and many others.

The involvement I have had in the leadership of many other organizations has prepared me for the investigations, research, and public communications which are vital to being a successful board member.
>
> What do you see as the biggest problem facing the school district? How will you help solve that problem? The boards decision making history in spending taxpayer money has been deplorable at best. The school system has accumulated record debts and debt-payments, all while still trying to add more to it. The only reason they were not able to was because the voting public defeated the Career Center referendum by a two to one margin. The decision making in the operations budgets hasn't been any better. We have high school classrooms with 40 and more kids in them. We had alternatives the last time cuts in operations had to be made. Using the school systems own numbers, I devised a plan that would have only cut one teachers job, and would have preserved the vital student to teacher ratios in our school system, while keeping our budget balanced. State Superintendent Tony Bennett made it very clear to me when I was a part of interviewing him that more cuts are going to happen by the state of Indiana. I want to be a part of making the right decisions this time around.
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> Where do you think the school district has opportunities to save money? What will you do about cutting those costs? There are opportunities for costing cutting in two of the three funds in the MCAS instantly. The capital improvements budget only improves by paying down debt and building responsibly in the future. In the operations budget there are opportunities, as evidenced by my plan I advanced while the last round of budget cuts was being done. I would also like to see the MCAS become a leader locally in environmentalism by exploring grant programs to green up our school system. Not only does it serve as an example for our kids, but it also cuts a major expense in the costs to heat and power our school system. The transportation budget could also benefit from the greening of our school system. It could also save money by looking at the bus routes in conjunction with smarter alignment of the students to schools in Michigan City. We have kids who have bus rides which are as long as a South Shore train ride into the city of Chicago. This impacts the money spent by taxpayers adversely, and it also takes the kids away from time they could be doing something more productive.
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> Do you have any relatives who work for MCAS? If so, who are they and what do they do? My wife teaches Biology at Michigan City High School.

> If elected, how will you handle actual or perceived conflicts of interest regarding your occupation or other affiliations? There is only one way to handle conflict of interest and that is to disengage from any possible discussion or votes which involve such a conflict. This isn't a complex issue. If you stand to benefit personally from something, you shouldn't be involved in its passage or denial.
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> If you have children, where were they educated? If it was not in Michigan City Area Schools, why not? I do have two children, but neither of them is school-aged as of yet.

> Does MCAS need to redistrict? Why or why not? And if so, when? I see redistricting as an inevitable occurrence in Michigan City. When the school system put on a budget symposium back in the spring, one of the figures that was featured in the presentation was the number of students at each building in the school system. Our two newest school buildings which we are paying millions of dollars for had less than half of their capacities being utilized. At the same time we much older buildings which are filled to capacity. Throw on top of that the distances that some of our kids travel to attend their assigned schools, and we as a school system can do better. We need to put students in the best possible situations to succeed. A large part of that is the continued recognition that students who do move within the school district should be working the same relative level of work no matter which school they are going to. A student going from say Coolspring to Knapp shouldn't be in a completely different place at their new school. It isn't quite the same as redistricting, but it is reality that many families "redistrict" themselves by moving to different parts of the MCAS.
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> What are your thoughts on dress codes for students? A dress code is an idea that should be explored by the school system. The more distractions that can be eliminated in the classrooms the better. A dress code would save the families in our school system money by not forcing them into the unwinable battle of keeping up with fashions. It could also prevent bullying those who aren't able to afford to keep up with those trends. The downside is that many students feel that there dress is an expression of their individuality. Those kind of exercises can be a productive part of growing up. At the end of the day I would like to hear the opinions of the stakeholders of the MCAS on this topic. It would be one where we should involve the students, the teachers, the administrators, and the parents in Michigan City. We should be able to have a productive talk on this topic and come to a reasonable answer, which I as a board member would endorse. Topics like this shouldn't just be decided by school board members and Carroll Ave administrators. They should be decided by as many people as possible in our school district.
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> How will you take an active role in making sure the school district is being run efficiently, both financially and academically? The answer isn't how will I take an active role in making sure the school district is being run efficiently, it is how I have been making sure. Financially I have been one of the community members who have been fighting for our collective checkbook for years now. For example I talked on multiple times about the financial impacts of what $70 million taxpayer dollars would be if a new career center was approved, even organizing a special radio broadcast on the topic, complete with facts and figures, pros and cons, and the input of the general public. As I said earlier I also advanced a plan based on the figures provided by the MCAS during the spring budget meetings which would have made the cuts needed to keep the budget balanced and our school system seeing as little impact as possible in the classroom. No other school board candidate has done any of that. I demanded accountability from our school board when they allowed Michael Harding to cheat our school system out of $59,000 in his fake retirement. I kept the spotlight on the fact our teachers at one point were the group that had gone the longest in the entire state of Indiana without a new contract. I made sure the general public knew when Michael Harding was looking for a new job multiple different times, and led the demands for his contract to not be renewed, or at very least have a public vote on the issue, instead of letting it renew automatically. The general public deserves to know where school board members stand on vital issues, so that they can serve as an educated check and balance to the administration and school board in our district.

Academically is another way I have already been engaged in our school system. I have volunteered a lot of time up at Michigan City High School in ways such as a guest speaker in economics classes, mirroring a teacher in the MCEA's "A Day in the Life" program, and spending time helping kids in many of their after-school activities. Personally I support the idea that we need higher standards and not lowered expectations. The work we do as a school system is the single biggest factor in how the rest of a persons life will turn out. A student who only graduates high school earns over one million dollars less over a lifetime than a student who is able to go on and graduate with a four year college degree. That number is even larger if the person drops out of high school. We have to figure out ways to convince as many kids as possible that it is vital to their futures to become educated. For many students that involves breaking a cycle of poverty that has many students in our City not seeing that an education can literally be a million dollar difference to them. Our school system has the best chances at doing that if we can keep our student to teacher ratios as low as possible as to allow the opportunity for as many students as possible to be helped along. Having more students get lost in overcrowded classrooms is only going to exacerbate an already serious problem in Michigan City.
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> About what student-focused program or issue are you most passionate? How will you become involved in it? I am passionate about doing everything I can to improve the quality of life for the people of my community. That is what led me to become a not only a member at the Michigan City YMCA, but a board member until the lights went out on our YMCA. That passion also led me to accept the offer to serve as the President of the Michigan City Scholarship Foundation in an attempt to give more of our young adults the chance at college. I also am a huge fan of athletics and the benefits that it can bring to the student-athlete. As a sportscaster for the Michigan City Wolves I even involved students in our broadcasts to give them valuable experiences that could help bring other career choices into their options. It is all a part of the recognition that each student is unique. Giving them many options to experience life gives them a lot of opportunities to find what they are most passionate about in their life. If students are able to find that one thing that drives them, it increases the chances of them finding something to push them to a higher level of success in their own lives.

[Southsider2k12]

POLL WORKERS WANTED! Hey gang, if you have time on Tuesday, we are looking for volunteers to stand out in front of polling places in the MCAS and ask people for their vote for Michael Gresham, Michigan City Area School Board At Large. Even if it is just at your polling place, or in your neighborhood, we would LOVE the help! Post a message here, or send an email to mike@citybythelake.org if you would like to help.

[Southsider2k12]

This is another great endorsement letter, which unfortunately was too late to make it into the Anvil Chorus.

Dear Editor,

At a very important time in the functioning of our school system in Michigan City , I feel that it is of the utmost importance for the voting public to make themselves aware of the qualifications of the candidates for the Board of Trustees of the Michigan City Area Schools. The past year as a member of the board of the Michigan City Scholarship Foundation, I have had the pleasure to work with the Board president, Michael Gresham. I have found him to be a person who possesses a remarkable amount of energy with most of it directed at improving the Michigan City Area Schools. Having been a teacher in the system for 32 and one-half years, I am familiar with the workings of the school corporation and what makes it tick. I have worked with many members of the school board in those years, and I realize how important a well-functioning board is to the health of the school system. I am not writing this letter to cast any negative notions on other candidates but to support Michael because of his avid interest in the future of our schools.

Michael is married to Angela who is a biology teacher at Michigan City High School . He also has two preschool age children who will soon enter the system. Please do not think that having a spouse in the system is a conflict of interests. He certainly wants this system to be the best for both of those entities, students and teachers. That is what makes up a school system.

Michael, a Michigan City product and an economics major from Manchester College , comes from the area of options and commodities trading so he has an excellent background in the workings of finance. He knows how it can work to benefit some school systems and work against others. His interest led him to attend the Indiana State Teacher's Association legislative breakfast where he heard a state senator advocate a policy that would take money from the Michigan City Area Schools and use it to balance the budget of the Valparaiso schools. He is cognizant of such policy actions and will work to stop this at the state level. Most people are totally unaware of such maneuvering and the harm it can have on our school system.

Michael was also interested enough to take the time to interview the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Indiana, Dr. Tony Bennett. Michael had that opportunity because he also works for WIMS Radio. Dr. Bennett told Michael that more cuts are going to happen in the educational realm in Indiana and all of us already know of the financial crunch that has occurred in the MCAS. Using the numbers provided by the MCAS Michael has devised a plan that has the ability to save teaching positions and provide a workable teacher to student ratio.

Michael also has plans to have the MCAS become a local leader in environmentalism. He wants to explore grant programs to green up the school system and as a result help cut costs to heat and power the schools. He wants to save money by realigning bus routes to make them more efficient. He is open to the sensitive topic of redistricting, something that needs to be addressed since our two newest schools are being utilized at half their capacity while older schools are filled to capacity.

Michael is sensitive to demands for a dress code in the schools. However, he feels that a decision on a dress code needs to be decided by the people who send their children to the schools not the school board or the administration.

Michael spends a great deal of time volunteering at the high school as a guest speaker in economics classes and in helping students in numerous after-school activities. He knows that the work the school system does is the single biggest factor in how the rest of a person's life will turn out.

Michael is a huge fan of athletics and the benefits it can bring to a community. Working in broadcasting also allows Michael to involve students in his broadcasts. He provides them with valuable experiences that bring them options for career choices. He believes that each student is unique and needs to be given the opportunities to find out what they are most passionate about in their life.

Michael Gresham is also passionate about life. He wants to see the Michigan City Area Schools move forward and provide an educational experience that will spell success to all of its participants. Michael is young. He is idealistic and he has the energy to help our schools realize their potential. I am delighted to support him.

Kent Lange
Michigan City

[Southsider2k12]

Today is the day. Hopefully many of you remember me today, Michael Gresham, Michigan City Area School Board At Large!

[Ang]

Good Luck today!!! I hope you win!

[Dave]

Today is the day. Hopefully many of you remember me today, Michael Gresham, Michigan City Area School Board At Large!

That's what the sign in my yard says! Go figure!

[Southsider2k12]

Well it wasn't meant to be. I do have to say I have over 2100 thanks you to send out to people. It was an amazing race, and I am so thankful for all of your support. A very solid 2nd place finish, including a sound defeat of the incumbent tells me that our message got out there succesfully to some extent. I also have to say thanks to all of the amazing people who worked so hard on my behalf.

[eric.hanke]

Are all the LaPorte County election results in? Nothing but music on WIMS.

[Southsider2k12]

Are all the LaPorte County election results in? Nothing but music on WIMS.

Yes they are. As soon as they were all in, they left. Not a big surprise really.

[taxthedeer]

Willie Milsap defeated Keith Harris by only 237 votes. Mrozinski beat Kirkham by just 141 votes. All the other races shown were pretty much landslides. I heard there was a four seat school board race in La Porte in which 4th & 5th place was decided by a difference of a mere 2 votes.

http://64.255.123.76/laporte.htm

La Porte County
Election Results Last Updated: 11/02/2010 11:35pm

County Sheriff
La Porte County
100% Precincts Reporting
* I Mike Mollenhauer -D 16,997 60%
David G. Gariepy -R 11,437 40%

Prosecuting Attorney
La Porte County
100% Precincts Reporting
* Bob Szilagyi -D 15,277 54%
Alan Sirinek -R 12,831 46%

County Commissioner District 1
La Porte County
100% Precincts Reporting
* Willie Milsap -D 13,366 47%
Keith A. Harris -R 13,128 46%
Mike Sloan -L 1,953 7%

County Council District 1
La Porte County
100% Precincts Reporting
* Terry L. Garner -R 4,046 56%
Annemarie Polan -D 2,467 34%
Gregory Kelver -L 722 10%

County Council District 2
La Porte County
100% Precincts Reporting
* Earl Cunningham -D 4,205 55%
Christopher M. Beebe -R 3,422 45%

County Council District 3
La Porte County
100% Precincts Reporting
* Mark Yagelski -D 4,853 100%

County Council District 4
La Porte County
100% Precincts Reporting
* Rich Mrozinski Jr.-D 3,823 51%
Cary Kirkham -R 3,682 49%

County Assessor
La Porte County
100% Precincts Reporting
* Michael R. Schultz -D 21,234 100%

[Grammy515]

The first 15 minute campaign talk is recorded. It will be aired from 2:45 to 3:00pm on WIMS on Friday the 22nd. If you aren't going to be in front of a radio, the message can be streamed on-line during that same time on www.wimsradio.com. In the message I talk about what I see the role of a school board member as, why a vibrant MCAS is important, and what qualifies me to be on the school board.

Any School Board news?