Mr. Szymanski's Glaring Hypocrisy

This week's Walpole Times featured an off-base and highly outrageous op-ed by Mr. Jeffrey Szymanski, the president of the Walpole Teachers Association, and a history and economics teacher at Walpole High School.  Mr. Szymanski is also a Republican and lives in Providence.  He openly criticized Walpole's business climate, declared that Walpole is waging an "assault" on education, and proposed a variety of new taxes and fees none of which he is willing to pay for himself.

To begin with, some intelligent individual over at the Times decided that the headline for his column should be "Working together is the only way."  Alas, if one actually reads what Szymanski has written, they would see immediately that he does not propose working together.  He proposes laying all the blame on the taxpayers for not doing enough to support the schools, and proposes increasing taxes and fees and not sharing any of the responsibility for enabling our schools to recruit and keep the best teachers.

He writes, "We'll need all town employees, the superintendent, School Committee, Board of Selectmen, town administrator, parents and all taxpayers to come together and creatively find a way to do their part."  Notice how he fails to mention "unions" or "teachers" like himself.  As someone who doesn't live remotely near Walpole, who represents a union made up substantially of people who also don't live even remotely near this town, he doesn't appear to actually have any desire to be part of the solution of lowering class sizes and increasing the quality of Walpole education.  He prefers instead to stir up the flames, which he has done on more than one occasion.

Mr. Szymanski then has the gall and the chutzpah to propose, even as an anti-tax Republican, that the town "enact the hotel and meals add-on tax with all deliberate speed."  He then openly criticizes the Walpole business climate by saying: "I know the "other side's" argument. It will make Walpole appear anti-business. Too late. That perception has been around for a decade or more."

Actually, Mr. Szymanski, this has perception has not been around for a decade or more and I take offense to that.  As someone who has never lived in Walpole, let alone this state, how would you know?  I agree that Walpole is anti-business, but at least I am a Walpole resident who has lived in this town all my life and have seen first hand how businesses can not survive here.

In 2004 and 2006, Szymanski himself ran for State Rep. in his hometown of Providence.  Needless to say, he lost, but not without dragging Walpole in.

In 2006, he ran on an anti-tax platform against an entrenched Democrat.  A website called DemocratsforSzymanski.com, set up in 2006, states: "Here's a question you might ask yourself:  Isn't it time we tried to lure entrepreneurs to Rhode Island, since they are the engines of economic development?  Maybe [Szymanski's opponent, Joanne Giannini] should spend a day in Jeff Szymanski's high school economics class!"  Perhaps Mr. Szymanski should spend some time in his own economics class.  He has just proposed higher taxes for businesses in the very town his high school economics class serves, and justifies it by asking, "Has anyone really ever chosen a restaurant based on what the sales tax on the bill would be?"

Further, the website states, "Jeff will advocate for senior citizens, working men & women, our children, our libraries, and taxpayers."  I don't think so.  Based on his op-ed in this week's Times, it would appear that he advocates for teachers and teachers only.  Forget about taxpayers.

The website goes on even more: "Jeff thinks it is time to get rid of Rhode Island's position as a top ten highest tax state.  High taxes hurt the poorest of our citizens, and Jeff understands this."  No, apparently he doesn't, because he has just proposed a multitude of new taxes and fees in the Times this week.  He further admitted that he "can't afford to live here," yet is still okay with proposing even higher taxes anyway.

What a hypocrite!  No wonder he lost!  He had better hope that if he ever runs for State Representative again, none of his opponents will dig up this nasty little column from the Times and use it against him.

He adds insult to injury by suggesting that the town "actually promote the extra 1 percent by encouraging Walpole citizens to patronize local eateries."  Does Szymanski have the mistaken belief that Walpole residents do not already support local eateries?  Forgive him - he does not live in Walpole, or even Massachusetts.  He has not visited Finnegan's Wake or Westbury Farms on a weekend.

He says, "I feel the need to at least remind all that the governor's $750,000 prison mitigation cut in late 2008 has left a permanent hole in Walpole's town budget. It rankles me to see leaders in Walpole failing to acknowledge this at every possible opportunity and instead pointing fingers at teachers, custodians, secretaries, food service workers, and others, as if they caused the problem because they're paid too much."  Actually, I have never seen anybody point any fingers at teachers, custodians, secretaries or anybody else.  WE ARE IN A RECESSION.  THERE IS NO MONEY.  We understand the prison mitigation money has been cut, no thanks to you.  We HAVE been acknowledging this at every opportunity.  We symbolically cut off EMT services to the prison.  Our resident state senator filed legislation to have the prison provide their own emergency services.  We have been forceful and angry about the funding cuts.  We have not been pointing fingers at you or your union.  We have been respectfully asking you to make valuable investments in education by securing the jobs of some of our teachers by taking a furlough day.  Teachers are not paid too much.  No one has ever said that or implied that.  However, we in Walpole recognize that the state has had to cut local aid and prison mitigation money because WE ARE IN A RECESSION.  THERE IS NO MONEY.

Mr. Szymanski also has the gall to mock Walpole's starting teacher's salary and connects it to the lack of interest in teaching from this year's graduating seniors.  "I hypothesize today's seniors, with the mountainous college debt many will wrack up, don't want to enter a profession that starts at $37,000. That's Walpole's starting pay this year," he writes.  Mr. Szymanski, if you are unhappy with your salary, please find another town to find a job in.  While it has long been known that Walpole pays its teachers less than other area towns, why don't you put your money where your mouth is and go to one of those towns that you seem to believe is a paradise.  And take your tax proposals with you, please.  I will repeat what I have said numerous times, WE ARE IN A RECESSION.  THERE IS NO MONEY.  I expect that other towns in the area would also be unable to pay teachers the starting salary you seem to have in your fantasy world.

Mr. Szymanski concludes his so-called "Commentary" with: "In sum, let's all roll up our sleeves and get to work to protect education from the current assault, lest our school system be irreparably harmed in 2010-11. Our kids deserve it. The schools took a big hit this year, and it's being felt with far fewer programs and much larger classes. The upcoming hit could be the knockout punch. I'm ready. The teachers I represent are ready. Who else is ready?"  I certainly am NOT ready for his new taxes and fees.

I would hope that the Walpole Teachers Association would have the common sense to remove Mr. Szymanski from any leadership position within their union.  He is destroying his own credibility, and in the process is destroying the credibility of his union.  I support unions, and I support education.  But I do not support higher taxes, and many other Walpole residents don't either.  The Mr. Szymanski of 2006 would have understood this.  Unfortunately, the Mr. Szymanski of today does not.  What a shame.