Trails in the Sand by Peter Traciet, the Street Detective
Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.
Ol’ Peter has been dragging slow. Not that there isn’t a lot of dirt, but the dirt seems to be settling a little now that the Board has resolved itself to rid the district of Super Cartwright.
Peter ain’t sure if Cartwright is just the most positive person in the world or she is disillusioned enough to think she has a few lives left. Cartwright continues to attend events and post to her twitter account as if she will be in Broward for a few more years. The Detective is told she was seen shaking hands and kissing babies at an event at Blanche Ely High School just days after what she coined as “public humiliation”.
Speaking of public humiliation, rumors are swirling in the sand that Cartwright is threatening to sue several Board members, including Torey Alston for public humiliation. Traceit is unsure whether it is public humiliation to assign someone who works at the pleasure of their boss a series of failing grades. If so, Alston won’t be the only one sued. Traceit will be digging through the sands to determine the statute of limitations around the teachers who gave The young budding Detective failing grades back in high school.
But in all seriousness, Traceit was glad to finally meet the real Vickie Cartwright. She made her debut when she spit out her response to Torey Alston after he gave her a series of F ratings. Peter chuckled and said to self, “Now that is the real Cartwright. This is the one from Osh Kosh, Wisconsin who the people warned us about. And it will be the one that will now be seen at every job she applies for moving forward.” It was a public meeting and the video of her debut as her real self is being circulated through the sandy internet.
Traceit understands that Super Cartwright is still making the case for her return and Board members like Sara Leonardi are becoming irritated with her digging her heels in the sand. Her once supporters are reluctantly, but assuredly moving to the side of their fellow Board members who voted vehemently against Cartwright. The one lone Cartwright supporter left in the desert sand is Debra Hixon. Despite it all, Hixon can’t get the sand out of her eyes when it comes to Cartwright. Traceit is told that even Nora Rupert, who is responsible for Cartwright becoming permanent superintendent, is tiptoeing away and disconnecting from her.
Pete’s sources are whispering that Board chair Lori Alhadeff has her work cut out for her as she leads the Board in negotiating Cartwright’s exit. While Cartwright thinks she is smart and has the upper hand, Ol’ Peter has his money on Alhadeff. The Detective has noticed that Alhadeff has studied Robert Rules of Order and is navigating the Board meetings well. She is quite the no-nonsense chair, and she has a firm hand on her gavel. Peter is not sure if Cartwright has sleuthed that Alhadeff will ‘cut off her greedy little hands’ and hand them to her and then say, “oh, my bad!” The Detective loves when she says that.
Traceit will definitely trace it to the school board office or drag in front of a computer to witness the negotiations of Cartwright’s mutual departure on Thursday in hopes that all loose ends will be tied, and all dirt swept outside where it belongs. It could get ugly and dirty, but the Detective’s money is on Alhadeff. Let it be known that Ol’ Pete will continue dragging the sand in search for clues and news.
