opinion

Montini: Please, Arizona, do NOT recall Diane Douglas

It is my genuine hope that parents, teachers and school administrators, along with every other citizen who wants to improve the state of education in Arizona, will take it to heart when I say with all sincerity:

Forget about the children…

…think about ME.

Please, please, under no circumstance, recall Diane Douglas.

The woman is a gold mine.

Maybe not for our school kids. Maybe not for education. Maybe not for the state. But certainly for me and for all of my brothers and sisters in the media.

During her relatively brief time as Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Douglas has become, through her words and actions, the default front page story subject for every slow news day.

Nothing going on? Fine, get me a Douglas quote.

This is no surprise. We saw this coming. Or should have seen it.

Still, when Douglas got elected it seemed like a post-election prank when two local men, Anthony Espinoza and Max Goshert, announced a campaign to recall Douglas just after the votes were tallied.

They established a website (recalldouglas.com) that drew a lot of early visitors and support, with Goshert telling me at the time, "We were really surprised by the momentum that it (the recall campaign) gained and how quickly that occurred. It really told us a lot about the community's feeling toward Douglas' win. She clenched this powerful position with a kind of shadow campaign. One note. No Common Core. No other ideas. What we found out was people who paid attention to this election were really dismayed by this result. More so than any other race, I think.'"

Since then Douglas has provided one bizarre comment or action after another, transforming what seemed like a snarky election protest into an actual recall campaign.

This is not good.

For me.

The Coalition to Recall Diane Douglas on Tuesday submitted paperwork with the Arizona Secretary of State's office to collect and gather signatures to recall Douglas.

According to a spokesman for Douglas, it doesn't bother her. "This is not on Superintendent Douglas’ radar at all," said Charles Tack. "She remains focused on supporting Arizona students, parents and educators, something that has not changed since she took office in January."

Really? Her focus hasn't changed since January? If that's true she's really going to need a new pair of binoculars.

The recall group now will have to collect roughly 366,000 signatures in 120 days.

It’s a tall order. It will take money, volunteers and momentum. Of course, the energy and enthusiasm necessary for a successful recall effort would best be provided by Douglas herself. As recall co-founder Espinoza told me a while back, “The more she talks the more support we get.”

To that extent, those who care most about Arizona's education system and the success of future generations would encourage Douglas to keep yapping. Expounding. Complaining.

I, on the other hand, would ask the superintendent, simply, to zip it. I would encourage her, for the next 120 days, to … Keep. Her. Mouth. Shut.

Not for the good of the kids.

Not for the good of the state.

Not even for her own good.

For me.