What you should really focus on is the fact that the decision was made without the benefit of public comment. Apparently representatives of the NAACP and a Hispanic advocacy groups were rebuffed when they asked to make comments last night. Regardless of how you feel about whether Ms. Perry should have been renewed or let go, the failure of the majority of the board to allow public input is sad and ironic given that they all ran for the board saying that the previous board had been too secretive and failed to communicate well with the public.

""It's just the political crowd jumping on this. As for the kids, let me tell you, they all drink and drive.""

Marc, I really, really wish you had identified the former board member who said this. It's a great example of the kind of attitude that drives parents crazy. What's the argument here - that we shouldn't care about the example being set by a superintendent who drives while drunk, because the kids are already doing it? (And, at least by implicatation, it's no big deal?)

In the case of this particular former board member, it goes beyond hypocracy - they simply don't get it. Under age drinking is a serious matter. Drunken driving is a serious matter. These things destroy lives. Some teens may not understand this, but we have a right to demand that our school systems be run by adults who do.

good riddance. I love how "they all drink and drive" (hmm... maybe that's something we should address?) and it's Marc's fault that she was drunk driving. sorry, "tipsy driving." when I tell the judge I was only tipsy driving, and therefore should be given leniency by the court, what do you think would happen to me?

Your fixation on Ms. Perry is getting tedious. Oh my, an adult women had three drinks!!!

Read your own paper. The next time there is some horrific crash involving a drunk driver, pay attention to the details. I will guarantee you that the story will not read, "Ms. Perry had three glasses of wine at dinner." It will read something like, "Mr. Gonzalez was drinking for six hours in which time he had at least twenty drinks."

For you to describe this woman simply as "drunken" borders on defamatory. You have devolved from a journalist who has a blog to just another blogger.

Bigger question: why is a Board of Education president at a shopping mall convention?!?!?

In Vegas.

I'm petite and wouldn't dream of driving after three drinks! I'm questionable after one glass of wine, for sure. She was legally drivign while intoxicated, and considering you get mandatory jail time in VA at .15, she was a lot intoxicated. This wasn't the case of someone with a .09. I mean, come on, she was drunk! It's an accurate word! The rest of the debate comes down to the electorate you serve, and she didn't live up to their standards, so they use the political process to get her out, that's what the political process is freakin' for. You might not agree with Marc all the time, but his opinions are without exception based on rational thought, with a reasoning easily followed by those who disagree with him. The hypoerbole used to attack him above pales in credibility by comparison.

Paul, do you even see the dichotomy in your post? "Ms. Perry" has three drinks and therefore would never wreck but "MR. GONZALES" would have twenty? Are you kidding me?

After reading all about the kids who died in various accidents last year in Maryland, thank God Alexandria stepped up and did the right thing. (And Paul, if .12 were not a potential problem, then the law would not be .08.)

Actually, the next time you read about a horrific car accident it will involve a drunk teenager.

Instead of winking at the problem as a ritual of growing up, society should be much MUCH harder on all drinking and driving.

Markie - Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back. You are just a dweeb with a little, mostly ignored column. Don't give yourself credit - obviously it was the school board who failed to renew the contract. IMO the time to replace her was the first contract after the incident. At this point it just looks mean-spirted.

Now that Marc has set up as the moral arbiter for the Washington area, I hope that he will keep us all up to date on the misdemeanor, felony, and DUI arrests of any and all Washington Post employees, naming them prominently and repeatedly for at least three years in every context remotely relating to their offense. After all, to do anything else would be hypocritical, and we have zero tolerance for that!

BFD, there's lots of things that adults can do, because they're, well, adults, that kids can't and/or shouldn't do. So setting her up as a "role model", then knocking her down because she didn't meet your standards is disingenuous. Basically, this should have been handled in the legal system, wasn't worth her losing her job and was just the latest example of sanctimonious, overmoneyed, activist parents powertripping an issue under the guise of "our kids". Because, after all, the children they're our future.

"Tipsy Driving" ??? Are you kidding me?
Comments and thought patterns like that could be why Mollie Danforth is the "former" board chairman.

True story: In 1973 I was pulled over while "tipsy?". Yeah, right. I was blitzed. I was also only 19. In California that was a 23102a offense - drunk driving (NOT tipsy). Being my first offense (read: 1st time caught) the judge was lenient with me too. He reduced the charge to misdemeanor reckless driving; I paid the fine and went on my merry way. What did I learn by that? Not much.

In 1977 I was caught again. Different judge too. He wouldn't even give me bail since I was still on probation for the first time. I pled guilty the next day and spend 10 days in the San Diego county jail. Anybody who thinks that place is some kind of country club is too busy practicing cranial/rectum insertion (their head is up their ***). The lesson was learned that time. I have never had a drink and got behind the wheel of a car since then.

My point? Simple:

If the first judge had given me the 10 days there would never have been a second time.

I know that sounds harsh and I know I will receive a few criticisms, especially since the criticizer is safe behind their PC monitor, but there it is.

Maybe if Rebecca Perry had spent 10 days in jail for her crime I would have a little more compassion for her now, but she didn't. She played the system, won for a while, and now she loses. Justice is served.

My "dichotomy" was intentional. I was using "Gonzalez" to suggest a Hispanic immigrant. Again, go ahead and thumb through the Post for stories on drunk-driving incidents resulting in fatalities and keep track of the ethnicity of the driver. Are they all going to be Hispanic? Of course not. An overwhelming majority? Probably.

When Ms. Perry publicly apologized to the students of T.C. Williams following her DUI arrest, she said that she had a glass of wine and drove. This misrepresentation, when her BAC of 0.12 was so well publicized, was troubling at the very least. I think it was a teaching moment, but not a positive one.

The DUI is not the only reason that many in the community feel that fresh leadership is needed in Alexandria when Ms. Perry's contract expires. There are budget and personnel issues as well.

To all the Fisher-bashers (and, I, on occasio, have been one):

You're wrong here. the "moralizing" you're complaining about wasn't Marc getting on a high horse about drunk driving (although I think we can all agree that's a bad thing). It's about the hypocrisy of a school system that will suspend an 18 yr old student (an adult) for having a couple of over-the-counter pills in his/her pocket under a zero-tolerance policy, but will look the other way when its leader breaks an actual law and endangers lives. The issue, rightfully, then, becomes one of "what message are we sending our kids", which I beleive is EXACTLY how Marc framed this entire debate. The rest of you can leave your agendas in someone else's blog.

The last thing on the school board members minds are the welfare of the students or role models. The Superintendent's appointment is always a political decision.Many school board members of all localities see their position as a stepping
stones to higher office.

Yes, she is such a terrible role model that test scores are up in the district and several troubled schools were turned around under her tenure.

Of course, a person of Mr. Fisher's stature probably sends his children -- assuming he has one or more -- to private school. So he feels free to preach about the moral failings he detects in others.

Good riddance to "Tipsy" Perry and "Ditzy"
Danforth.

"Alexandria's new school board, arguably elected for the purpose of doing the right thing and finally getting rid of the superintendent who was caught driving drunk, did the deed last night."

Good!

And Thanks to The Washington Post for their coverage of this story.

"Alexandria's new school board, arguably elected for the purpose of doing the right thing and finally getting rid of the superintendent who was caught driving drunk, did the deed last night."

Good!

And Thanks to The Washington Post for their coverage of this story.

It is refreshing to see accountability and personal responsibility FINALLY applied to the adults in the school system and not just towards the kids. Schools are more than willing to throw a 10 year old out of school for bringing a toy squirt gun to school but someone exercise forgiveness and a "look the other way mentality" toward the employees. If we are going to embrace a mindless Zero Tolerance policy- then it applies to EVERYONE.

Good job Mark-schools circle the wagons and parents and kids rarely have a say in how things are run. Score one for the silenced partners in education!

Mr. Fisher, your tiresome crusade against Rebecca Perry and a public school system mean nothing when you send your kids to private school. If you want to be such a moralizer, then get in the trenches, and work for improving schools of the majority of students, not the privileged few like your kids. Otherwise, you just come off as a holier-than-thou upper class snob who sits on the hill throwing trash on the hoi-polloi.

Will Ms. Perry's minions and apologists please return to their day jobs?

It is unfortunate that it took this long to resolve this with the correct resolution. I guess the following quote sums up what the board is all about:

"It's just the political crowd jumping on this. As for the kids, let me tell you, they all drink and drive."

All the kids are driking and driving? How would this board member know?

I have to agree with the former board member who said that this wouldn't even be news if it weren't for this silly assed column. Drunken? .12 is hardly, drunken. Was she staggering? Slurring her speech? Falling down drunk? And for well double dot I don't see a lot of reason in many of fisher's arguements. As most who favor gun control do, he abandons all logic, reason and all facts when it comes to those evil guns that constantly wreak havoc all by themselves. Fisher acts like he's somehow been vindicated here. I don't think so.

An overwhelming majority of drunk drivers are hispani immigrants? The overwhelming majority of people named paul must be smoking something besides tobacco.

The real issue is that these zero tolerance policies have often resulted in absurd punishments that really don't fit the "crime" and are unfair because they leave no room to consider the circumstances surrounding the crime. For all we know, Perry at .12 could probably still be less of a risk than some sober teenagers! But rightfully, whatever the policy is should apply equally to both children and adults.

Paul -- when you're done burning a cross on someone's front yard, can you provide some concrete statistics? Thanks.

All you Perry supporters are ignoring one simple fact: SHE BROKE THE LAW AND WAS CAUGHT. Stop trying to defend her because she wasn't puking all over herself like some dumb sorority girl. Driving with a .012 is against the law.

What if she had caused a fatal accident? Would you still be playing down her BAC? Morons.

I view drunk drivers in the same light as shoplifters-by the time they get caught you have to wonder how many times they did it without getting caught. Does anyone honestly think that she never got behind the wheel of a car before while under the influence? Those who run our schools and influence our kids should be held to the absolute highest standard. This should be a wake up call to all the local superintendents. You all have in place "one strike you're out" policies for the kids thru Zero Tolerance. Now we, the parents, are holding you to the same standard.

Actually, .012 is no problem, Ben. Maybe quit calling people morons...

I really have a hard time believing that the board member made that comment about all the kids that drive drunk, especially with a reporter right there. Could that have been a misunderstanding?

A school superindendent gets caught driving under the influence, loses her job, and people are upset about that?! What a society we live in.

The lesson here is don't get behind the wheel if you've had anything to drink - the consequences from losing your job to killing someone are very real and aren't worth it, regardless of whether you're "tipsy" or "drunk".

I seriously don't get the idea that .12 is no big deal. If it were no big deal, why is it against the law? And in fairness to Marc, this has nothing to do with whether he sends his kids to private or public school. This has nothing to do with the morals behind drinking. It is simply that the woman broke a law--one that is significantly associated with goals of school officials to teach kids about the dangers of drinking and driving. She was over the limit, whether that limit was rightly or wrongly set. And you do NOT get to .12 on one glass of wine. Period.

Stan, thank you. Paul, your argument is absurd.

Marc addressed the reason why it's a bigger deal that she had a DUI as a school superintendent than your average person. Read more carefully next time.

I don't think that Ms. Perry should get fired over a first DUI --

I don't think that Ms. Perry should get fired over a first DUI --

.12 is a BIG DEAL. As stated above, .15 gets you 5 days in jail mandatory. You are definitely drunk at that point!

"BFD, there's lots of things that adults can do, because they're, well, adults, that kids can't and/or shouldn't do."

That's absolutely correct, and drinking is one of them - but driving with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit is not.

"So setting her up as a "role model", then knocking her down because she didn't meet your standards is disingenuous."

I'd have a lot more sympathy for this argument if it weren't for the fact that the standard involved is a criminal statute, and involves behavior that is generally understood to be a threat to public safety. We're not talking about headscarves, Vegan diets, or refraining playing poker on Sunday here - impaired drivers kill people.

For the record a description of having a BAC of .11-.12 is: Coordination and balance becoming difficult; distinct impairment of mental faculties and judgment. Not someone you want behind the wheel.

.08,.10,.12, who cares??? Perry made a very serious mistake-driving while impaired. Kids who make mistakes in schools suffer severe consequences-loss of educational services, removal from their sports team, alienation from their friends and teachers. Zero Tolerance is swift and ruthless and often involves non-violent offenses. I have zero pity for someone who applauds "get tough" policies for kids but expects compassion and a second chance for herself. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Marc,
If you worked for a lesser publication than The Post I would have thought you made up the 2 big quotes in your blog.

"It's just the political crowd jumping on this. As for the kids, let me tell you, they all drink and drive."

and

"But you all kept calling what she did 'drunken driving.' We know that this was tipsy driving."

Are you kidding me? These people were ELECTED to the school board and these are the comments they are making to a Washington Post reporter?!?!

I don't agree with you on a LOT of things you write about, but I whole heartedly agree with you on this one. If she would have accepted what she did and apologized profusely I am sure most people would have seen what she did as a mistake. By making it out to be a an issue of "all teenagers drink and drive" and "tipsy driving" she was not taking this seriously; not taking it seriously is the real reason she should have been fired immediately.

Marc,

Anon "May 22, 2007 11:43 AM" refers to your coverage of the issue as a "tiresome crusade against Rebecca Perry".

Personally, I don't always agree with your opinions. But one thing I do like about your posts is they generate thought. And that can (but not always) lead to positive change.

So writin' and well keep readin' and chiming in with our two cents worth.

Someday real change will come about that benefits everybody, and your posts combined with our ideas could play a small part in that.

Thank you much.

Sorry about that - the anon post on "May 22, 2007 03:00 PM" was mine.

Got in a hurry a clicked before I looked.

I remember when the current mania against drunk driving picked up steam in early 1982, when MADD and the other preachy, channel-your-grief-and-anger-into-something-positive types finally got rolling. The head of the MD State Police was on TV saying that they weren't going after the people who'd had a couple of drinks after work or after dinner (read .08 to .12), that most of the problem drivers were much more impaired and that they were focussing on them. Well ffwd a few years, now that they've dumbed down the impairment level to .08, the legal level has changed but the science has not, and we have such stupid comments as "don't get behind the wheel if you've had anything to drink - the consequences from losing your job to killing someone are very real ", uh, no they're not, unless you're an incompetent driver to start.

I would just like to point out to SS and others here that there are no quotes in the column from Perry herself, not a one. Marc quotes Wilson and Danforth and an unnamed former board member, and it is this last unnamed source who supposedly made the most egregious comments-`"I didn't hear a word from the kids about hypocrisy," one former board member told me. "It's just the political crowd jumping on this. As for the kids, let me tell you, they all drink and drive."` Perry did in fact apologize, to the School Board and to the high school students. She did not contest the case and accepted the judgement of the court. She complied with the conditions of the verdict. She has not been charged either before or since.

Wow - this is the first I have heard of this story and I must say - it reads as if the reporter is statisfying a grudge of his/her own. Please get off the high horse whoever you are....

drunk drivers hate soccer

America the land of tight A$$eS. Let's all loosen up a little or everyone will be in jail. What we need is to discipline the child in school and that is all. Kids get away with so much today.

This is exactly why I stopped drinking altogether- it became impossible to have one drink and get behind the wheel. I stopped drinking when I was outside my house and therefore stopped drinking entirely, since there's little reason to drink at home unless you're having a party. So I'm now a teetotaler. I would suggest all people reading this chat also stop drinking completely- you miss out on nothing but grief.

However, I know that when I was in high school the legal limit was 0.15% and now the legal limit is 0.08%, almost half of what it was 30 years ago. I don't have a major issue with criminalizing this, but I have a major issue with moralizing this, if you catch the difference. I definitely drove after three beers when it was legal to do so. In 2007, I doubt it would be.

nanny state?

Please, those of you who think that .12 BAC is no big deal, tell us where you live so we can avoid your drunken a$$es on the road next Friday night. Apparently she did something to attract the attention of the arresting officer, so her driving skills and judgement were impared. Think about it: the next drunken idiot on the road could hit your kids, your spouse, or YOU. Most people who are sloppy drunk and get behind the wheel think they're just fine;,do you think the millions of drunk drivers who kill people knew that was going to happen and were okay with it.

"However, I know that when I was in high school the legal limit was 0.15% and now the legal limit is 0.08%, almost half of what it was 30 years ago. I don't have a major issue with criminalizing this, but I have a major issue with moralizing this, if you catch the difference. I definitely drove after three beers when it was legal to do so. In 2007, I doubt it would be."

And that's the point - it was legal for an adult then, but it isn't now. What's disturbing is not that a school official had a BAC of point this rather than point that, but that she broke the law in an area that affects public safety. It's not hypocracy for an adult to tell kids "you can't drink because you're under age, and I can't drive when I've had more than two drinks, because it's against the law" - what doesn't work is to say "you can't drink because you're under age and it's against the law" when they themselves drive when their BAC is over the legal limit.

I second crc's comments. Marc, we want to hear of any prominent WashPost employees or contributors who get charged with misdemeanors or felonies, with a three-year follow-up.

And to those of you who want to keep 0.08 drivers off the road...fine. I second that. Let's also jail everyone...and I mean everyone...who talks on their cell phone while driving. In the 1100 miles I drove on the East Coast Corridor this past weekend, I did not once encounter a driver who exhibited behhavior indicative of inebriation. I encountered driver cell-phone idiocy on the average of once every 15 minutes. The biggest @$$holes were the drivers who tailgated me in the left lane, wanting me to move over -- even though there was a solid line of traffic directly in front of me -- while yakking on their cell phones.

A AAA study has shown that dirvers talking on cell phones -- regardless of wether the devices are hands free -- are at least as dangerous as people who blow .08.

So...do you people drive cell-phone-free?? Or are you hypocrites???? Should we do as you say...or as you do????????

I second crc's comments. Marc, we want to hear of any prominent WashPost employees or contributors who get charged with misdemeanors or felonies, with a three-year follow-up.

And to those of you who want to keep 0.08 drivers off the road...fine. I second that. Let's also jail everyone...and I mean everyone...who talks on their cell phone while driving. In the 1100 miles I drove on the East Coast Corridor this past weekend, I did not once encounter a driver who exhibited behhavior indicative of inebriation. I encountered driver cell-phone idiocy on the average of once every 15 minutes. The biggest @$$holes were the drivers who tailgated me in the left lane, wanting me to move over -- even though there was a solid line of traffic directly in front of me -- while yakking on their cell phones.

A AAA study has shown that drivers talking on cell phones -- regardless of wether the devices are hands free -- are at least as dangerous as people who blow .08.

So...do you people drive cell-phone-free?? Or are you hypocrites???? Should we do as you say...or as you do????????

The vote not to renew Perry's contract had nothing to do with the DUI and everyone in Alexandria who is close to the school system knows it. It was simple revenge by two School Board members: one who applied for 4 different jobs with the school system and never got on any short list; and the other who openly attributed her loss of a previous election to Perry. The facts to back this up are in publicly available documents. The other three who voted against Perry are conservative hangers-on of one of the two vengistas. BTW, I thought Fisher was supposed to be a progressive; yet his vendetta against Perry is knocking the only leader in Alexandria history who has made real progress in closing the minority achievement gap. Black and Hispanic Alexandrians are furious about this vote. And by the way, Alexandria's schools DO NOT HAVE a zero-tolerance policy. Proof? Go read their policy manuel..it's on the school system website. Fisher is the kind of journalist who never lets the truth get in the way of a good story. The Post can do better.

Gee, I'm confused. Fisher writes a column one day saying that the decision not to renew Perry's contract was because she's a "drunken superintendent." Today the WAPO has an article saying that the DUI conviction was NOT MENTIONED by any member of the board as to why they chose not to renew the contract. Today's article gives the impression that the DUI conviction had nothing to do with the decision. If Fisher got paid for yesterday's column, he should give the money back.

I used to work with Becky before she went to Alexandria. Some other school district is going to get one hell of a superintendent. While Alexandria flounders around and goes through three in five years.

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

I find it amazing that any article about Ms. Perry mentions her arrest...but none of them mention that one of the current school board members used to be a principal in Alexandria City Public Schools and is married to a current Alexandria City Public School Employee. Might this person have an axe to grind with Ms. Perry? Shouldn't she recuse herself from issues that directly impact her husband and/or the Superintendent for whom she used to work?

ann from alex-

You state that ACPS does not have a ZT policy. There were 1749 suspensions in the 2005-06 school year. That represents 17 percent of the student population. You may not call it ZT- but those statistics don't lie.

If you check out the stats on the VA BOE website, you will see that while there have been some modest gains in narrowing the minority achievement gap in English over the past 3 years, the gap has actually widened in Math. It has also slightly widened in "Other Academic Areas".

Folks-

This is not a large school district-it is 6 percent of the size of Fairfax County. When we talk about the great strides Perry has made and how other school districts would be blessed to have her-it is ridiculous. Not that FCPS has a competent leader, but I am afraid Perry would be a bit overwhelmed by the challenges in a large school district. Really, the bottom line is that she exercised extremely bad judgement by choosing to drive drunk. A decision that had no regard for the safety of others. Should a school system really be run by such an individual? I think not.

1. Don't defend a school superintendent who got fired for getting popped for drunk driving. It makes you look really, really stupid.

2. Every parent went to school at one time, so most think that makes them experts about how schools should be run. Nope! Wrong.

3. You do not blow a 0.12 on one glass of wine. Unless you are the size of a baby. And babies should not drink and drive!

4. She must've done something dumb to attract the attention of the cops, "tipsy," drunk or whatever. I drive drunk all the time, and I've never been pulled over. I'm GREAT at it. I am, in fact, typing this on my Blackberry while driving drunk right now! If you can't handle your liquor and multitask, i.e., drive, hit on people, blog, etc., get a taxi or something, jeez!

Mr. Fisher,

For the past three years, I have read your repeated criticism of Rebecca Perry and the Alexandria School Board. Please permit me to share with you my perspective.

During my tenure on the Board, I probably worked closer with Ms. Perry than anyone else except for her immediate senior staff. This was especially true while I was Chairman (2003-2005). Ms. Perry's passion for education is unmatched by anyone else I have seen in 53 years of being around educators. She truly believes every child can learn and seeks to empower that learning.

Not only is Ms. Perry passionate, but she is also compassionate. I have watched Ms. Perry forgive students, faculty and staff numerous times over the last six years for mistakes they have made in their lives. She repeatedly gave people second and even third and fourth chances. I will never forget the story a parent told me shortly after Ms. Perry's DUI incident. The parent, near tears, stopped me on a street corner and told me how Ms. Perry had given his son a second chance and how much that meant to his whole family. The notion that Ms. Perry applied a no tolerance policy toward others is simply incorrect.

I believe in forgiveness and the power of forgiveness. As Chairman of the Board in 2004, I chose to lead the Board in forgiving Ms. Perry and giving her a second chance. I am very proud of that leadership decision. It is a decision that allows me to look at myself in the mirror every morning. It is a decision that generated many hateful and abusive telephone calls and email messages. But, I would make the same decision again.

It is wrong to drink alcohol and drive. In my view, it is even worse to live a life so filled with hate and revenge that one seeks to destroy the lives of other people. As you have repeatedly pointed out in your column, we teach our children many things by our actions. In the case of Ms. Perry, I chose to teach a lesson of compassion and forgiveness that I had seen her teach others. I hope and pray that as the young people of Alexandria mature they will remember this lesson of compassion and forgiveness. The world is already filled with too much hate. I also hope that as you prepare to crucify and destroy another person through your writings, that you will pause and consider the lesson you are teaching the children who may read your column.

Mark Wilkoff-

While everyone appreciates your personal insight on this topic and your tireless defense of Rebecca Perry, I am afraid you are misguided in many ways.

Over 1700 kids were suspended from your school system last year. Those students and parents apparently did not receive the benefit of ACPS's compassion and forgiveness that you speak about. Since study after study show that minorities are most likely to be punished, we can assume who the few beneficiaries were-the rich white kids whose parents are connected to the administrators most likely.

When Perry was pulled over for DUI, in the car, was a member of the school board, Melissa Luby. One has to wonder about the culture of the administrators in the school system, don't you think?

Parents and kids are sick and tired of the double standard that exists in our public schools. One set of rules for the employees and one for the students.

ACPS spends more per pupil than any other school district in the DC area-over $18000, yet they have one of the highest drop out rates 4.5 percent.

I believe organizations and individuals are measured by what they do with the resources they are given. In that case, I am afraid Perry is just an average performer.

The kids of Alexandria deserve better.

Notwithstanding Mr. Fisher's inflated opinion of the role his column played in Monday's decision, the chair of the Board said explicitly that the decision had nothing to do with a three-year-old DUI. Nothing.

Mr. Fisher is simply a poor man's Matt Drudge. The critical difference is Matt Drudge is younger, is getting *paid* MUCH more, and is influencing journalists all over the country (regrettably). Mr. Fisher is merely spewing vitriol and drawing the salary of back-bencher W. Post columnist. Could this be the source of his bitterness?

The bottom line is... the process that led up to Monday's vote was not in keeping with Alexandria's cherished civic tradition. The Board members should rescind the vote and put in place a transparent process that is based on objective metrics. Perhaps after this process, the result will be that her contract will not be renewed. But Alexandrians deserve better than the bush league process that led up to Monday.

The fact that Fisher's column generates so much excitement and vitriol makes him a good columnist. I disagree with him sometimes too, but he's never boring.