Kim Simons with Jeanine Lawson at the opening of the Nokesville School.Gil Trenum has announced that Kim Simons has withdrawn her application to serve as temporary Brentsville school board representative in response to political attacks aimed at her.
Kim Simons was one of three individuals whom Trenum recommended to take his place on the School Board while he is away serving as military Commander of the U.S. Navy in Africa.
The decision on how to fill the seat has become very contentious since Trenum announced his deployment at a school board meeting in June.
Trenum alerted Bristow Beat, Sunday, saying he was extremely disappointed to receive the news from Simons’.
Ms. Simons has given many hours of her personal time over the past several years working to make Prince William County Schools a better place for our students and our teachers. I am very appreciative of the time that we worked together and look forward to working with her again after I return.
According to a letter Simon’s sent to Trenum, Simons felt there has been a campaign by Prince William Democrats to besmear her name.
As such, she feels that withdrawing herself from consideration will ensure Trenum’s reputation and help to ensure one of Trenum’s other candidates is chosen as his replacement.
Simons' letter to Trenum explains her concerns:
On August 4, School Board At-Large Chairman Ryan Sawyers referenced that anonymous posting in an official press release from his office as Chairman of the Prince William County School Board in an effort to besmirch your judgment for choosing someone like me to serve as your temporary replacement while you are deployed. That same day, Harry Wiggins attempted to convince local new sources to run with the story.
The press release Simons referenced, written by Prince William School Board Chairman Ryan Sawyers, states that one of Supervisor Lawson’s some time employee, “boasted about having [a specious] industry as a client.”
There is also a blog post on the Prince William Muckraker, run by Harry Wiggins and Ernie Porta, which names Kim Simons as that staffer.
As with all blogs, Bristow Beat cannot speak to the legitimacy of such claims.
However, Sawyers’ press release made other claims as well. Such as that one Trenum’s nominees for his replacement took part in a smear campaign again Dr. George M. Hampton, the man for Godwin school has been renamed.
….In fact, it was one of Ms. Lawson’s staffers, and one of the possible replacements suggest by Mr. Trenum, who participated in the despicable campaign to challenge Dr. Hampton’s distinguished military service record.
Sawyers said members of the local Republican Party showed “overt racism” in assailing Hampton’s character, but when Trenum was called to active duty wrapped themselves in the flag, purporting to be supporters of the military and veterans.
Each one of these so-called “patriots” stood silently by while the military service record of an American war hero, George M. Hampton, was viciously attacked without any evidence whatsoever
Simons denies that the accusation against her.
“None of the accusations on Harry Wiggins and Ernie Porta’s blog are true,” said Simons. “Not a single one. I’d laugh about the accusations if they weren’t so defamatory.”
However, Sawyers claimed that Republicans were the ones who politicized the appointment in the first place, having demonstrated “vicious partisan behavior” while he has tried to clarify the law on how to replace a school board member called to active military duty.
He notes the law is vague and may not apply to school board members. He said members of Virginia General Assembly purposely wrote the law to be vague, but Republicans are assuming it makes assurances that it does not make.
Sawyers also reminds citizens of the letter leaked by the Sheriff of Nottingham for Prince William County blog, which he believes was a forgery aimed at smearing the Democrats.
That letter outlined ways in which the Democrats would try to attack and discredit Trenum’s nominees.
Simon said that being attacked on a political blog is bad enough, but she believes that disseminating the information in a press release made the situation for her much worse.
Ignoring a specious story written by an anonymous individual and published on a political smear blog is one thing. Ignoring the same story when it’s part of an official press release from Chairman Sawyers, and when Democratic Chairman Wiggins tries to sell it to local media, are different things altogether.
She said she believes she is the latest in a long line of Sawyer’s targets.
Chairman Sawyers, acting in his official capacity, has chosen to attack me and question my morality, causing unnecessary stress on my family. I believe that Sawyers’ unprofessional actions have created a hostile environment that undermines the school board’s ability to work effectively. The school children and citizens of Prince William County deserve better.
Simon said that when she worked on Trenum’s budget committee, her goal was always to work with the school systems for the betterment of the students.
She said it is with a heavy heart that she withdraws her application, but hopes that the school board will choose another of Trenum's nominees, who also care about the betterment of children.
“Shawn and Chris [Park ] are good men who care about our schools and the children enrolled in them. They both have my full and complete support,” Simons said.
Trenum said he would discuss this and other issues at his Town Hall meeting Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. at Marsteller Middle
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