It's not accidental that Ascue's Paint and Body Shop sits near Charlotte Jenkins's Gullah Cuisine restaurant on Highway 17. That excellent caterer and chef happens to be Craig Ascue's aunt.Ascue is one of three choices voters have in November for the two East Cooper seats on the Charleston County School Board of Trustees. Ascue's small business was begun by his father and passed to Craig as manager in 1996. Craig himself has a B.A. in Marketing from South Carolina State University.
Now, 14 years later Ascue aspires to move from the East Cooper constituent board to the "big time."
It's worth taking a closer look at Ascue's responses to the P&C's softball questions in its September 22th article on the school board candidates.
First of all, Ascue, unlike one of his opponents, Everett Wilcox, chooses not to grade Superintendent McGinley before being elected to the Board. Instead Ascue states, "At this time, I am not in a position to rate the superintendent." Politically saavy, perhaps, but a bit weasely.
Not surprisingly, Ascue hones in on "literacy" as the biggest problem facing the district, but his suggesting that having 43,000 students as its "biggest asset" doesn't make a whole lot of sense. How about its tax base, its buildings, its administration, its teachers?
For his goal if elected, Ascue echoes other candidates who all say, one way or another, that they will "work to ensure that all children have an opportunity to obtain a quality education." How about some specifics?
Let's face it. Not much in this article tells the reader whether or not to vote for Ascue. Does he approve of public charter schools? Is he, for example, in favor of the six-year one-percent increase in the sales tax to fund the building program? Would he vote for a property tax increase if it fails?
How about, would he support a full-scale audit of CCSD's books?
Now, these answers would be of real interest to the voters. Too bad the P&C is too chicken (0r too corrupt) to ask them.
Remember, everyone votes on the East Cooper seats, not just those living in that area.
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4 comments:
I hear he is aware of charter school issues and is open to supporting them, but that is second hand information. I'm inclinded to support him. I would like to have more information.
Babbie...
With your wealth of inside knowledge, and your copiuos opining, why do YOU not run for the board...?
From what I know so far about the East Cooper school board candidates I can vote for Moffly. She will do the research. I can't vote for Wilcox because he accepts things he is told without doing the research. That leaves me with Ascue since 2 East Cooper seats are on the ballot. I haven't heard him speak other than what little the paper quoted a while back so he is still a blank page in my book.
BTW, I don't think most voters in Charleston County know that they can vote for any of the candidates for any of the 4 open school board seats. In other words a North Charleston voter can vote for the 2East Cooper seats and the 1 open West Ashley seat. I don't have to vote only for the 1 open North Charleston seat where there is only 1 candidate anyway. Downtown voters can vote for all 4 open seats even if the 1 seat they have isn't on the ballot this time.
Don't let these people get elected by default or with a big turnout from just their close friends. In addition to how well our kids are able to get a decent education, these people will control most of what we pay in property and sales taxes for the next 4 years.
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