Monday, April 8, 2013

MCPP responds to Bomgar defeat

This is a sponsored post by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.

MCPP Executive Director Forest Thigpen comments on the defeat of the Bomgar nomination to the State Board of Education in a press release:

It is a travesty that a majority of the Senate Education Committee would consider the CEO of one of Mississippi’s greatest success stories to be unworthy to serve on the State Board of Education.

Maybe the education establishment is afraid that Bomgar might try to apply the same innovation to the education system that he has to the technology sector. The company he founded and runs, Bomgar, Inc., is the fastest-growing technology company in Mississippi and is among the fastest-growing in the country. With his product being used in 65 countries and by many Fortune 500 companies, he could locate his company anywhere, but Joel has chosen to stay here in Mississippi. He knows the types of skills employers are looking for, and he knows that the vast majority of jobs he offers will be filled by public school graduates.

For some reason, the eight senators who voted against him don’t think his perspective is valid on the state board of education.

These senators’ stated complaints were these: he was home-schooled as a child, he is considering homeschooling his not-yet-school-age children, he supports charter schools, and he serves on our board of directors here at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.

On that last point, I’ve seen first-hand how Joel exercises his role as a board member, and I can tell you that his passion for excellence is second to none. He challenges us to focus our attention on what is most important and to measure the results accurately. That is the type of person all of us should want on the state board of education.

Especially since the world of technology both demands and offers new ways of educating children, you would think senators would jump at the chance to have someone from that sector on the state board of education.

The state board is made up of nine people, who each serve nine-year terms. Three spots are reserved for people who work in the education system every day. But six are intended to be filled by people who are not part of the system, so that they can give objective oversight to the Department of Education. Joel’s experience, leadership, and insight would be a tremendous asset to the board.

Mississippi needs people like Joel Bomgar who are willing to offer their ideas and their energy to improving our state, including - and perhaps especially - our public education system.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heard the Gov on Gallo this morning. He too is mighty disappointed. And here we thought Republicans had seized control from the McCoyists, Frowning Brown and Six-Foot-Deep-Holland. Not so.

Anonymous said...

Did we ever get the list of eight names who voted against this? I heard Gallo name two of them but would like to know them all.

Anonymous said...

no votes:

David Blount (D)
Videt Carmichael (R)
Steve Hale (D)
Briggs Hopson (R)
Russell Jolly (D)
David Jordan (D)
Chris Massey (R)
J.P. Wilemon (D)

Anonymous said...

I would think that a person who was homeschooled and will home school his children would not have a vested interest in seeing the needed investment in public schools in this state. His lack of interest and experience in public schooling more than signals that he would not be an effective advocate nor judge of what would be best for the children in the public schools of MS. I am just surprised that the State Senate denied his nomination. Sound policy making coming from them for a change.

Anonymous said...

I thought Snow White only had 7 dwarves - who are those people?

Anonymous said...

Briggs Hopson has always been a RINO. I guess Carmichael did not become a conservative when he switched. Massey is probably scared of his own shadow. Brice Wiggins was quoted in the Clarion Ledger as whining about the MCPP's opposition to his pet project of pre-k expansion. Wiggins may be the worst of all of these because he is applying such a ridiculous litmus test to a qualified, conservative nominee.

Anonymous said...

In this correspondent's opinion, Tate Reeves is ultimately to blame for the RINO's voting against Joel.

Also, at today's Stennis Press luncheon, Sen. David Blount (Dem) said that he voted against Joel because Bomgar favors charter schools.

Anonymous said...

Hey, DumbA** at 2:20. Wiggins voted for Bomgar's confirmation. He asked him some tough questions, but that is appropriate. Final vote, Wiggins voted affirmative. So while he did take humbrage at the MCPP's opposition to a project on the coast, he did not apply 'such a ridiculous litmus test to a qualified conservative nominee'.

Besides everybody jumping on the three Repubs who voted against Joel - which I disagree with all three, btw - you ought to also be asking David Blount and Stephen Hale why they voted as they did. Running in their "white neighborhoods" they claim to be common sense conservitave Dems (something that doesn't exist in the real world). But this vote shows them for what they truly are - partisan Dems that will oppose anything just to hoe the party line.

Kingfish said...

Here is what I was told happened by four sources in the room and their stories all matched up.

1. The nominee brought his wife and kids. Wound up the nominee wound up holding the toddler and babysitting the other two kids while he was getting confirmed. That was the first thingi out of the mouth of every source and they said several senators did not like it one bit.

2. Poor preparation. The nominee didn't answer questions on MAEP funding or vouchers. It seemed as if he were not prepared for the hearing.

3. Failure to count votes. If the votes aren't there, dont' hold the hearing.

4. Not Tate's fault. Tollison is Tate's man on education and pushed the nominee. Mr. Tollison voted for him. You can criticize Tate on other issues but on this one, he and Gray were team players. Sam Hall does not know what he is talking about.

5. Charter schools. Yes, some voted against him over that issue. No surprise when the votes have been as close as they are. Everyone knew that going into the hearing.

6. MCPP. The staffer who did what he did should now have done what he did and is no longer at MCPP. The legislators offended by it took it out on the nominee. Everyone needed to grow up on this one.

I would have voted for Mr. Bomgar. He is bright and the board needs a business perspective other than Blake Wilson's.

The real truth is we need to revamp that board. 9 year terms? Please.

Anonymous said...

3. Failure to count votes. If the votes aren't there, dont' hold the hearing.

So team player Reeves isn't accountable for this KF? Or are you saying Tollison should fall on his sword? And if Reeves and Tollison are, as you allude, pseudo-Siamese on education matters then how in the world does Reeves escape accountability for not counting the votes beforehand?

Your logic about vote counting doesn't compute.

Anonymous said...

Kingfish is working way too hard to defend Tate. Those three Republicans who voted against Bomgar are all part of Tate's clique. I'm convinced Tate could have gotten Bomgar through if he had cared to do so.

Anonymous said...

"I would think that a person who was homeschooled and will home school his children would not have a vested interest in seeing the needed investment in public schools in this state. His lack of interest and experience in public schooling more than signals that he would not be an effective advocate nor judge of what would be best for the children in the public schools of MS. "

SO, by this brilliant logic, St. Dominic's, which delivers babies, should not have a nun as their CEO, right?

Anonymous said...

Great point 5:01. This entire episode is so Mississippi.

Kingfish said...

Yeah, its all Tate's fault. Never mind what the people there said. Its all Tate's fault. I think if Tate invented a cure for cancer some of you such as Plunkettool would love cancer.

Anonymous said...

They have male nuns now?

Anonymous said...

Kingfish has become to Tate what Gallo is to Feel Bryant.

Anonymous said...

"The nominee brought his wife and kids. Wound up the nominee wound up holding the toddler and babysitting the other two kids while he was getting confirmed. That was the first thing out of the mouth of every source and they said several senators did not like it one bit. "

Very professional. Is that how he conducts his day job?

Anonymous said...

Easy question Kingfish. Whose job is it to count the votes?

Anonymous said...

Bomgar is a religious zealot who shouldn't be involved in education.

Anonymous said...

The "real' reasons Joel wasn't confirmed:
Hard Worker/Self Made/ Not corrupt. When he is in the room with 99.5% of politicians, lobbyist all they see is a man who isn't paying them their 'tribute' with the money HE made.
Values education, not politics. See Paul Gallo interview with Kenny 'Lil Wayne' Jones, Sen from Canton. He was asked if his kids went to public school in Canton MS, he laughed and said 'rre u kidding me? why would I do that to my kids? Canton publix school kids are doing crayons while my kix are doing Calculux". Says it all right there. Could you imagine if he homee schooled?
All Joel has done is work while in college, start a business, market an idea, sell the idea in the open market where people have a choice to buy or not, become successful both in business, life and the rewards of family, money, respect and he has EARNEd it through his work.
When that committee saw him with 'his kids' et al, they saw a pile of cash (see congress shake down of Microsoft years ago for lobbyist money), that they were not getting, a man who was educated outside 'the system', and where they couldn't hold a position in his company on merits alone.
By the way, David Blount, what has he done in life to decide where you can shop for your kids education? Democrat op for Eric Clark, overlooked voter fraud for years so overlooking failing schools (do his kids go to Chastain? Bet not) shouldn't be too difficult-PS he is backed by teachers in JPS like craziii.

Anonymous said...

Tate "could" have garnered the support if he viewed it as a "must have" vote. Tate supported Bomgar, but when he heard how strongly the (R) members opposed the nomination, he stayed hands off. That's different than being anti-Bomgar. Tate might need those votes later for something more important.

Kingfish said...

Understand where you are coming from. Just repeating what I was told by several people who were there. My understanding is Tollison fought for the nomination. I would have voted for Bomgar if on the committee.

Anonymous said...

... so overlooking failing schools (do his kids go to Chastain? Bet not) shouldn't be too difficult ...

That is what 99% of the whites in Fondren and Belhaven do when faced with sending their children to Chastain. They exit the public school system and either send the kiddies to the privates or move out of Jackson. Blount isn't a hypocrite like all the rest, he's worse.

Keith Plunkett said...

Plunkettool, KF? Really? Are you that anxious to get into a pissing match? Carrying all that bile around can't be healthy.

I've been both critical, and supportive of Tate's positions. I've been equally critical of other GOP'ers too. I guess if you can't win on points, then all you got left is name calling on posts I'm nowhere near involved with.

Your slipping, bro.

Anonymous said...

"Your slipping, bro"?? Where did you go to school?

ConWatch said...

Everyone has their sacred cows. Even you Keith.

Keith Plunkett said...

Yeah. Because the use of slang is the point, right?

Anonymous said...

Your abuse of the English language is so glaring it's a wonder you're being so obtuse about it.

Anonymous said...

Keith Plunkett has a sacred Cow, it is money.



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