Commentary by Frank Schroth
Of all the places I might imagine I could have been last Monday morning, the Quincy District Court would not have been one of them. The court room is a large windowless box with wooden benches and a harsh light in which people’s faces are either a little too pink or a little too grey. The session, scheduled for 9:00, began around 9:30. The gum chewing bailiff told everyone to rise. They did. The judge took his seat, and the parade of defendants began.
Assault and battery, drinking in public, drug possession – case after case after case. A defendant would plead not guilty, a public defender would be assigned, and then they would either pay $150 or commit to 15 hours of community service. Only two defendants had attorneys present. One was a woman from Cohasset and the other was Dale Snyder, resident of Abington, and Milton High Chemistry teacher and track coach. Mr. Snyder’s arraignment on charges of indecent assault on a person over the age of 14 brought us to the court house. We learned two things: a) the judge and clerk of the court possess a reassuring sense of humanity; and b) it is extremely difficult to hear the DA, who faces away from the audience and toward the judge, which accounts for the variety of facts that appeared in the media reports. For example, Boston.com and the Milton Times report that the pre-trial hearing is on June 26th. The Patriot Ledger and MyTownMatters report that it is on August 26th. Some reports give the girl’s age as 16, but I did not hear or read any mention made of the girl’s age. What I know is that: a) the charges are assault and battery (kissing) and indecent assault (holding her hands) b) Mr. Snyder’s attorney Thomas Lawton said Mr. Snyder has Parkinson’s disease and medications for Parkinson’s can increase libido and diminish impulse control. He told the judge he could look it up on WebMD and c) the pre-trial hearing is on August 26th.
We took Mr.Lawton’s suggestion to the judge and looked up Parkinson’s. A symptom of the disease itself can be a lowered sex drive. However, the medications to treat it can have quite the opposite effect (see section on Hypersexuality here.) Why the attorney introduced this information at this time was a a head scratcher. One of the reporters outside the court room asked the question on everyone’s mind,”So . . . did he kiss her?” Mr. Lawton replied that his client was not guilty and was concerned more for the girl and her family. Mr. Snyder was released on $10,000 bail.
On Wednesday the School Committee voted to accept Superintendent Gormley’s recommendation of Glenn Pavlicek to be the Assistant Superintendent for Business. This ended a process that had begun in early February.
Thank heavens.
The vote was 3-1-2. Zullas and Padera wisely recused themselves. Both had received financial support from Mr. Pavlicek during their recent runs for school committee. To vote on whether to give a job to someone who recently made contributions to your campaign coffers would be publicly viewed as a conflict of interest. And it is a conflict of interest issue that resulted in the lone “No” vote from Mary Kelly.
Ms. Kelly’s challenges serve a valuable function on the school committee. That said, it would be refreshing to have her come out for something. With regard to Mr. Pavlicek’s appointment, a unanimous vote would have been in our opinion the right thing to do in terms of demonstrating support for both the superintendent and Mr. Pavlicek. Ms. Kelly saw fit to oppose. Why? That is not clear. Kelly did not give a specific reason other than she was uncomfortable.
Mr. Pavlicek is not the first elected official to leave office and then take a position related to that office. We think he was an inspired choice. We respect Ms. Kelly’s concern but do not agree with it. Mr. Pavlicek has unique and valuable knowledge and experience that stems from his time on the Warrant Committee, School Building Committee, and School Committee. That loss of knowledge and experience were a concern to us when he stepped off the school committee. His departure created a vacuum at least in the short term while other members immerse themselves in the budget. Second, he has an disarmingly even temperament that is perfectly suited to this function and the political and professional interactions and relationships that will need to be navigated.
The hire is contingent on written notice from the Ethics Commission and successful contract negotiations. It is very likely he will be back.This will be good for the school and the town.