This self-serving letter demands Francisco’s resignation from the race and asserts that if he doesn’t, “our City will fail,” and it will inexplicably be Francisco’s fault. This kind of political manipulation is reminiscent of his appearance at a school board meeting last December—the first time anyone can remember him addressing that body. His reason for showing up was to protect and defend the beleaguered school superintendent Brian Sarvis.
The superintendent was rightly under fire from all directions for the abject failure of the district’s special education department—and stunning revelations that led to the resignation of the unqualified director of special education who Sarvis had supported until the very end. Parents, teachers, and even a member of the school board expressed their outrage, and called for Sarvis’s resignation as well.
Cushman’s response was to stride into the school board meeting—along with a group of powerful community members—and change the subject. Revealing a stunning lack of knowledge about the complex issues leading up to the crisis, or the community’s multiple concerns about the superintendent’s ability to lead a fractured district through the massive repair work needed, Cushman declared, “I think Brian is a dedicated administrator. I think he does everything he can for the children in this community.”
Then he demanded the resignation of the school board member who had dared to speak out in a well-reasoned editorial in a local newspaper. Cushman stated, “I’ve sat on one hundred nonprofit boards and commissions in Santa Barbara—a hundred. I have never seen a board member attack a director of that board in public. I find it offensive.”
Serving on a nonprofit—or even a hundred of them—is far more genteel than the rough-and-tumble world of politics in a democracy, where everyone has a right, as well as a responsibility, to speak their peace without fear of retaliation.
Apparently, sometime during Cushman’s decades-long tenure running the Chamber of Commerce, the right for a member of the community to hold—and particularly to express—a point of view opposing his own became intolerable to him.
A few years ago, a friend of mine responded to an email sent by Marcia Reed, a Chamber employee, requesting his participation in the Book Festival sponsored by the Chamber. He responded with constructive criticism of the previous year’s abysmally run and poorly attended event, and wanted some assurance the next one would be worth his considerable investment of time and money.
This thoughtful local educator-small businessman received the following in response from Steve Cushman: “Dear John, (what an appropriate beginning) I read your email, and as President of the Chamber of Commerce, I am pleased to inform you that any suggestions you have, will be completely ignored. You are a petty, jealous and destructive man. I will make it my case to insure that you are never part of the Book Festival. Take the money and buy some Happy pills, Johnny. Steve Cushman.”
My friend, shocked by the tone and tenor of this reply, forwarded the correspondence to me—along with a note saying, “Notice I never framed a personal attack in my critique, but received one in response….I really don’t want this guy to invisibly get away with this abuse of power. Any thoughts? Please feel free to forward.”
Shortly thereafter, I forwarded the letter to members of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce and City Council, expressing concern about how my friend had been treated, and expecting some sort of explanation. Suffice to say, the entire board supported Cushman’s comments to this local citizen and businessman; not a single one risked offending him by admitting otherwise. That’s apparently how they do business.
But a few Council Members expressed their thoughts on the subject. None more elegantly—or more presciently—than Mayor Marty Blum who noted: “Thank you for letting me read Steve Cushman's remarks. The Executive Director [actually President] of the Chamber of Commerce does not speak for the City government nor for the City in general. I would not expect that….Unfortunately, the average person may think Steve is speaking for Santa Barbara, I understand. That is why it is important to select good spokespersons for community agencies such as the Chamber of Commerce and to conduct business with civility and respect in this community.”
The utter impossibility of speaking the for Chamber but not the City, or the City and not the Chamber, as a part-time Mayor/part-time Chamber president is complicated even more by this candidate’s expectation of blind loyalty and silent support. His propensity to attack those who disagree with him would make him a double threat in politics and business in this community and beyond.
Santa Barbara has its problems, but this candidacy is no solution—and not in the best interests of the city or its citizens.