Member-only story
LAUSD Candidate Elizabeth Badger Responds
“Don’t shoot the messenger,
You might miss the message.”
After reading my candidate profile of Elizabeth Badger, she called to express her displeasure. While she demanded a retraction of the article, I stand by what was written. I will, however, present her arguments along with the responses that were given to the candidate.
Badger’s first complaint was that I had “lied about her record.” When pressed she stated that the article said that she had not been active in her community since losing the school board election in 2015. She then went on to say that she founded a non-profit, serves on the board of the Regional Center and has been elected as a member of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party’s Central Committee.
As explained to the candidate, the specific wording of the article stated that “she has not been a regular face around the district since her last run and her lack of knowledge about the issues is readily apparent in the Speak Up article”. In fact, her work with the Regional Center and the Democratic Party was actually specifically mentioned. However, none of this work has given her any insight into how the district is currently operating. This knowledge is something that is needed in order to make comments that the incumbent has “done absolutely nothing.” Of course she “can’t pinpoint anything [Schmerelson’s] done that’s significant or beneficial to the children in our community”; she was not paying attention.
Badger’s response is that she “can’t be involved in district policies” because Schmerelson won the election. This statement is based on a belief that elections are all about winning or losing instead of focused on ideas. Yes, winning the 2015 Election gave Schmerelson the privilege of sitting on the dais at school board meetings, but it did not give him the exclusive right to advocate on behalf of parents and students. As a member of the public, she has the right to attend meetings and voice her opinions there. These meetings are also available online and on the district’s television station, KLCS. While she may be very involved in her own children’s education, her answers to the questions that I sent her do not show that she has in-depth knowledge about district events.
