Tri-City Herald letter writers upset with Richland School Board candidate Audra Byrd

Editor’s Note: Here are the latest Tri-City Herald Letters to the Editor with opinions from readers in our area. To submit your letter for publication online and in print send to letters@tricityherald.com.

Audra Byrd lacks maturity for board

On her Facebook campaign page, Audra Byrd misrepresented my wife’s comments at a recent Richland School Board meeting concerning our immunocompromised son’s safety.

She made my wife sound hysterical and ignorant, then used that to downplay our concerns. Understandably upset at this characterization, my wife publicly posted her real statements and context.

Audra promptly deleted my wife’s post, evidently because she didn’t share my wife’s opinion. She then banned my wife from the page, along with anyone supporting her, claiming they were being rude and discourteous (screenshots of these posts found elsewhere on Facebook show otherwise). Audra finally mocked these people by posting, “I banned them all ... what a joke.”

As a parent, I expect better: A basic acknowledgment of our concerns and admitting her misrepresentation. If she truly cared, she could’ve tried to connect us with Richland’s Virtual School. She could’ve even said, “I respectfully disagree with you,” because that’s known as “civil discourse.”

Only a hypocrite silences parents’ concerns when their campaign promise is to “give families a voice.”

Audra Byrd lacks the maturity and compassion to constructively respond to parent concerns because of a political agenda and does not deserve to be on the Richland School Board.

David Watson, Richland

Review candidates very carefully

Be wary of tag lines; they are only words. Actions speaks volumes.

Please research candidates at all levels of government for their true intent. The person with the largest signs may not be the best. A candidate who claims transparency should be transparent.

Use of social media is a medium to communicate both ways. Candidates who choose to use one-way Facebook Pages; use (a) page to mock constituents; pose one-sided half truths/agendas are concerning.

Do you have to get permission to post on the page? This is not open and transparent. If you ask a legitimate question, is it answered or deleted? Deleting questions is not open and transparent either. Such tactics only illustrate the individual is not interested in serving the families and students of our community but rather running for personal agendas.

I have found Rick Jansons, Danica Garcia and Elizabeth Vann-Clark to all show sincerity when listening to Richland families. They are methodical in decisions and look for best solution. Please consider your vote for all three a vote well earned.

Elizabeth Lugo, Richland

Is it really so hard to wear a mask?

I’m one of a group of people who get together on Sundays to chat, discuss, argue over coffee. For the past month or so, after more than a year of Zooming, we’ve been gathering at a local restaurant.

Email to group yesterday, Sunday: “... Today, however, I must write something different...the restaurant staff is NOT vaccinated. They don’t wear masks. The 25+ other patrons there today didn’t even bring masks to take off. There was no social distancing. The pandemic is not receding in our area ....”

There is nothing political about this virus. It is spread by breathed-out viral particles floating around and being inhaled through the noses of other people. The vaccines work very well. Masks of the proper thickness or density covering the nose work.

I do not think the people of our restaurant were intentionally trying to kill us. They figured it was a pain to wear masks, they didn’t want to get vaccinated, and things were okay now that businesses were opening up.

It seems at least half our population thinks it’s okay to kill a bunch of people because it’s too much bother to get a shot and wear a mask.

Really?

Daniel Stowens, Richland

Byrd distorted parent’s concern

Audra Byrd, who is running for the Richland School Board, acted in a way that contradicts a uniquely American standard and compassion for the people they (elected officials) represent, while minimizing their personal opinions.

School board members have a difficult job of taking input from a wide range of people and making decisions that are best for students, teachers and the community represented. Once elected, they must represent the entire community to the best of their ability.

The Facebook incident exemplifies a person not prepared to serve as an elected official. The FB platform was used to publicly misconstrue the comments from a concerned mother to the school board about COVID-19 and her immunocompromised son only to further a personal agenda.

Audra ended up deleting and blocking clarifying replies and statements to her original post, then banned others who were trying to show clarification and support.

While that is her right on (a) personal Facebook page, it is not acceptable behavior by someone running for a nonpartisan school board position and shows that, if elected, parents’ concerns will only be addressed if those parents’ agenda match up with her own.

Is that the representation we want?

Daniel E. Schoepflin, Richland

Recall clears way for prosecution

The recall of Sheriff Jerry Hatcher clears the way for his criminal prosecution. Recall is his political penalty. Now he must face our justice system. His few lingering supporters can no longer argue it would be a political act to prosecute. Why is sheriff a political position anyway?

The paper rightly calls for actions that boost the public’s confidence in the Sheriff’s Office and to reduce the likelihood of theft occurring again.

The most evident and useful step is Hatcher’s criminal prosecution. The many calls for a better accounting speak to the significance of such thefts. That controls were absent is no excuse for criminal behavior. Walking into a house is trespass, even if the door was unlocked.

Defense should make their argument about nuanced policy with a jury, the public, not our prosecuting attorney.

Failure to charge or bring this case to a jury, grand or otherwise, would deepen the mistrust both the public and fellow officers have in our justice system.

Hatcher’s rank and office doubles the severity of the crime. He used the trust voters put in him to fill his garage with ammunition. Materials of war, in those quantities.

Let a jury decide Hatcher’s criminal responsibility.

E. Ivar Hulsa, Richland

Byrd’s actions show intolerance

I’m concerned about Richland School Board candidate Audra Byrd’s recent actions and what they might mean for the district if she is elected.

She took a statement made by a parent at Tuesday’s school board meeting out of context, omitted vital information from the statement, and used it in a position she posted on her campaign’s Facebook page.

When confronted by the parent and dozens of others, Ms. Byrd deleted comments and blocked commenters who disagreed with her position.

The deleted comments were polite, valid and were primarily questions, clarifications or information that challenged her stated position. Instead of engaging, discussing or even acknowledging a valid concern or comment, she chose to silence the voices of those she seeks to represent.

Ms. Byrd has the right to control the content on her campaign’s page. But by deleting legitimate comments from potential constituents, she sends a message that other opinions are not welcome and will not be considered or tolerated.

Ms. Byrd missed an opportunity to showcase two points in her plan to heal the district: 1) Advocate for families to have their educational preferences heard and honored; and 2) Build parent/ teacher/student relationships. Instead, she chose censorship and intolerance.

Leona Germain, West Richland