Alonso wants Steele apology for remarks about Douglass High
City schools chief Andrés Alonso publicly asked Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele last night to apologize for making disparaging remarks about Frederick Douglass High School on national television. A spokesman for Steele, Maryland's former lieutenant governor, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In February 2006, Steele visited Douglass in West Baltimore, holding it up as an example of the failures of urban education and making a personal commitment to turn the school around. Though he has not returned to Douglass since - a spokesman said shortly thereafter that school officials were not receptive to his help - he again said Douglass isn't doing its job during an interview this week on D.L. Hughley Breaks the News on CNN.
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"I don't think Michael Steele has been here since he came in an election year to demagogue, kick around our children," O'Malley said last night before his town hall meeting at Douglass on education and the economy.
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Steele's 2006 visit to Douglass was widely criticized as a tactic to embarrass O'Malley, a Democrat who was then mayor and running for governor against Steele's boss, Republican Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. Steele did not follow through on a list of specific promises.
"Whatever happened to the new computers?" Alonso asked. "Whatever happened to the carpet for the library? Whatever happened to the new textbooks? Whatever happened to the new cafeteria tables? Whatever happened to just showing up … before you go on national TV and cast aspersions on parents, teachers and students? Not acceptable."
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Much more at this link:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.townhall05mar05,0,71651.storyMike Steele was a punk yesterday, he's a punk now, and he'll be a punk tomorrow.