GSW is back in business

It is my esteemed pleasure to welcome you all back to GSW.

This is the fourth incarnation of this blog.

It started as a simple experiment two years ago, when right after the 2006 elections, I started this simple blog as part of my 2008 Guilford County Board of Education at-large race. It became a victim of its early success and was moved over to a new server (WordPress) in early 2007. After that campaign was unsuccessful in the Spring of 2008, I decided to rename this blog Guilford School Watch. However, recent events took me away from blogging for about six months (I'll explain in a second). But now that the dust has settled, recent events have prompted me to restart this blog...and restart it headstrong.

This post is an open letter to all my fans, supporters, former readers and curious onlookers.

After a nearly-two year run for an at-large position on the Board of Education, our campaign came in last in a five-way race in the May, 2008 Primary. Right after that unsuccessful run, I wrote:

This blog has an audience and has penetrated every corner of GCS, including many sitting board members. For the time being, we have enough power to influence those who make decisions on behalf of our children.

I still hold true to that. But right after the election, many things were said that did have a lasting effect.

For instance, take outgoing GCS Board member Anita Sharpe's remarks:

I guess I didn’t receive Anita Sharpe’s vote on Tuesday.

I was speechless when I read this moments ago in the latest Rhino Times, which is hitting the streets now. The outgoing GCS Dist. 5 board member tells Rhino reporter Paul Clark that I made a mistake running against the Bonds and that “running as a candidate for change rarely works in school board races.”

“He’s too radical,” Sharpe said. “Radical doesn’t work well with the county commissioners, and it doesn’t work well with the school board. An anti-school board campaign doesn’t work.”

Those words had a lasting effect that messed with my psyche for a while. Not to mention, it was one of the things I dealt with following my campaign and where things went wrong.

There were many other personal and private issues that prevented me from blogging and took me out of the local loop for six months. But recent events involving my daughter's education at her Guilford County school have prompted me to restart this blog. And I'm proud to say I'm back. And I look forward to joining you all once again as we attempt to make Guilford County Schools one of the best.

And as you well know, it won't get there overnight.

There are many things that must be said...and will be said in time. What did I think about the recent election? What do I think about Mo' Green? What do I think about the makeup of the new incoming Board? Those opinions will come very shortly.

For now, as has happened in the past, I will appreciate your support, your readership, and your participation. This is your blog, your site, and all are welcome here.

And I'm proud to say...it's good to be back!

E.C. :)