Committee formed to oust school board member White

A group of Maricopa citizens announced May 25 their formation of a political action committee to remove a Maricopa Unified School District board member from office.

The Independent Maricopa Political Action Committee to recall Timothy P. White (IMPACT RTW) hopes to gain the 606 signatures needed to remove the official by Sept. 6 for what they refer to as “unprofessional behavior.”

“His behavior is unprofessional, and we believe his actions and lack of respect for school staff members, other board members and the public at large is detrimental to the smooth functioning of our schools,” reads an official statement released by IMPACT RTW.

IMPACT RTW spokesman Jake Romero said about 16 people, who felt the same as he does, turned out to the organizing meeting to help create the action committee.

He said the group filed their action with the Pinal County Board of Education and got petitions going. He said the group has already gained about 100 signatures for White’s removal.

Once the committee gets the signatures turned in and verified by the Pinal County Board of Education, White has 10 days to either resign or make a public statement before elections are held to replace him. If this happens, White will be allowed to run again to try and regain his seat.

White told inmaricopa.com Friday that he will not resign even if his removal is effected.

“I’m not a quitter,” White said, adding that he works for the public that elected him.

One of IMPACT RTW’s criticisms is that White is not qualified for the job.

“I’m sure he’s a good man,” said Romero, “but so am I.”

Romero said that being a good person is not enough. “Being a school board member isn’t something you are born into; it is something you prepare for.”

In addition to acting as IMPACT RTW’s spokesperson, Romero is personally invested in Maricopa as a local business owner, homeowner, parent and board member for the Chamber of Commerce, which is what he said motivates him to take action.

In turn, White said his motivations to be a board member were to see that his kids got a good education. He continued saying that being a successful businessman is what qualifies him to be on a school board.

“I dropped out of school at an early age, got a GED, but I have been a successful man,” said the towing business owner. “Schools are supposed to be run like a business.”

“You’re not making widgets,” countered White opponent Lezah Saunders. “We’re educating children for their future. There’s a lot more to consider when producing an educated child.”

She said that there are business aspects to running a school, like operating facilities, but educating a child requires more than business strategy.

Dr. John Flores, superintendent of Maricopa Unified School District, agreed with Saunders that running a business and running educational programs are not similar (see related story).

Saunders also said White needs to be removed because he creates a
counterproductive, hostile environment on the board.

“I think that White has served the board and the district well to this point,” said Saunders. “But there are new administrators, and White is not cultivating a proper relationship with the administrators for the district to move forward. It’s rather hostile.”

“He gives his personal opinions at meetings, not what’s good for the district,” she continued. “He doesn’t keep it in perspective to what’s appropriate at the time.”

IMPACT RTW also criticized White in their release for having “shown disregard for the well-being of children by allowing in the past a sexual offender to be harbored in his home, steps away from the school” (see related story).

Saunders said that this concern was raised after some action committee members read media reports, but she couldn’t comment any further on this topic.

If the campaign against White is successful, Maricopa resident and parent Saunders plans to run to replace him.

“I’d work to cultivate a team on the board, and with that a strong relationship with the administration,” Saunders said.

Information about the recall can be obtained by emailing [email protected]
or by calling (502) 568-8465, (502) 568-2004 or (520) 705-3081.