Friday, December 31, 2010

Lack of Full Disclosure - Modus Operandi for MSD Decatur Township

After Gary Pellico supposedly left the employ of MSD Decatur Township this fall, his duties as public information officer/media contact person for the District were divided between Superintendent Don Stinson and a Robin Gregory. Gregory, her husband Todd, and their children, live in Decatur Township.

Gregory has a growing reputation as someone who ignores open records requests, as she has mine and other individuals that I know. So, giving out information is not her strong suit.

But, you do have to wonder why a person whose job it is to interact with the media and foster good will among reporters, would hold back important information from those same people. But, apparently, that is what Gregory has done.

A front page story in today's IndyStar, by Bill McCleery, quotes Gregory, but identifies her as just another parent of a Decatur student. I am sure McCleery could not have been informed of her day job as Stinson's mouthpiece. If he had known, he would have either tagged her with her job title, or found another parent to interview. McCleery's article was a well rounded piece looking at the effect of the "don't drink and drive" message given to teens, and how that message is damaged when role models get caught doing it. While MSD Decatur Township's Don Stinson's recent arrest for drunk driving was the main example, he was not the only one. McCleery didn't just phone this story in. He interviewed experts in the field, found this 'parent' to interview during the Christmas break, and pulled together a multi-faceted report on the issue.

He quotes Gregory thusly:

Furthermore, Dean-Mooney [national President of Mothers Against Drunk Driving] said, when such incidents occur, that's when parents have to be especially vigilant.

Robin Gregory, a parent in Decatur Township, agrees.

"The kids are watching to see what happens," said Gregory, 45. "Parents have to reinforce that you need to behave responsibly. It's dinner-table conversation."

The issue came to the fore again earlier this month when Decatur Township Superintendent Donald Stinson was arrested in Hendricks County.

Gregory and her husband, Todd, respect the job Stinson has done as superintendent. They have told their children that even good people sometimes make mistakes.

"None of us is perfect," she said. "But as a parent, certainly the burden is on us to set an example. If we're going to drink in front of our children, we can't drink and drive."

Telling part of the truth is the hallmark of the Stinson regime. Gregory crossed a real line when she failed to identify her position within the District. A line with real consequences to her future credibility.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Crossing the line is getting to be a habit with the buffoons who hold down the fat-cat jobs at the central admin office. For our Christmas "gift" we got DWI Don going across the (center) line in front of a Plainfield cop. Now for the New Year we have Robin Gregory masquerading as a Valley Girl type soccer mom who teaches her kids that getting locked up for taking everyone's life in your hands is just "bad things happening to good people". Coach Phil must have loaned her his bong. I never thought I'd miss Pellico, but he had better sense than the $100,000 a year secretaries Stinson has been putting in charge.

Anonymous said...

The Indianapolis Star should now contact at least 10 parents who are not employees of the school district and report their responses. Gregory will clear every statement with Stinson before making a statement. Has Gregory been told by Stinson not to provide HEI with the information - would bet he told her not to give the information. It is very interesting that Stinson now wants this to be the result of a "problem" when it is another example of his extraordinary irresponsible actions - maybe there should be further examination of his poor financial decisions with taxpayer dollars. The board should do a full investigation of his behaviors.

Anonymous said...

Is anyone surprised by this? Surely not!

Finding out how Gregory ended up being interviewed for this article may have been coincedental, but we probably doubt that. A recent Indy Star editorial applauded Stinson's honesty and willingness to admit his mistake and work to right this wrong. Where is the honesty in initially saying he was coming from Wal-Mart, he only had four drinks while blowing a .12 and now having the PR voice of the school district interviewed for this piece?? Wake up Decatur Township and do something...quit talking about it!

Had Enough Indy? said...

Anon 7:45 - I missed that editorial and can't find it. Would you please get me a link?

Anonymous said...

Link to second editorial on Stinson's troubles.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20101227/OPINION01/12270305/-1/7daysarchives/Give-students-lesson-forgiveness-second-chances

Anonymous said...

So Robin is now pretending to be a random homemaker here in the township so she can help to elicit public sympathy for her boss. You know, Daddy DWI Don who made a place for her on the Central Office Gravy Train? C'mon Random Robin, did you really think that the rest of us wouldn't notice your little PR scam? Still, I suppose congratulations are in order since you're now on the C.O. Gravy Train. Poor old Coach Webster has been publicly trying to get sympathy for drunken Don for months now, and despite his best efforts hasn't been invited aboard the Stinson Special sweet life choo-choo. I guess he just doesn't have what it takes.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Link to second editorial on Stinson's troubles.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20101227/OPINION01/12270305/-1/7daysarchives/Give-students-lesson-forgiveness-second-chances

January 1, 2011 2:21 AM
****************

I read the above linked article and can only hope that its author has never been blessed with children. I can't think of a more out of touch person to be raising children in this day and age. The seedy decay of today's society can be traced directly to the new age belief that no outrageous act is beyond compassion and forgiveness. The message this sends to our children is that there are no practical limitations to sordid behavior. That you can do whatever you like to whomever you like until you're caught. Then you can get off the hook by showing the appropriate amount of "remorse", by loudly, publicly repenting of your sins and fervently foreswearing all future misconduct. All it takes is an Academy Award performance with a quivering lower lip as you fight back the tears. Don Stinson should get an Oscar for his public wailing. He KNOWS his fellow party-hearty pals on the school board aren't going to punish him. But he also knows that, for public consumption at least, he must execute a carefully crafted PR campaign to "re-invent" himself complete with copious amounts breast-beating and lower-lip quivering. Like any sleazy public figure in today's world, he simply is looking to beat the rap by playing the game. God forbid that he be allowed to set, and reinforce, this shameful example before our children. God forbid they see it work successfully right before their young eyes.

Anonymous said...

Interesting that the school principals who were arrested for DUI resigned and that the two superintendents cited (Furnis and Stinson) get to keep their jobs. If Stinson is such an outstanding superintendent he should have no trouble finding another job - won't pay almost $300,000 per year but would keep him off the soup line. He "treated" the board and others with his bonus pay for outstanding achievements.

Anonymous said...

"Random Robin", ha. I like that.

Anonymous said...

Fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on me

Anonymous said...

Shakedown Don has been fooling everyone for years. It makes me want to vomit to watch him whining and blubbering to be given another chance to fleece more of our kids money from the system.

Anonymous said...

Well you can say he has a jury of his peers with our school board. Board members tailgate at school football games on school property getting drunk while other board members look on and say nothing. It will probably be pushed under the carpets and hidden like evry thing else. My new motto for MSD Decatur is Blame it on the Alcohol

Anonymous said...

I don't see how he could blame this on his divorce when he was attending school sports events with other women on his arm.

Anonymous said...

Students get more punishment for drinking than the superintendent especially student athletes.