Letter: Bradley and board of education ‘afraid to survey’ Nelson County families

Dear Editor,

Abraham Lincoln once said in a debate with Stephen A. Douglas, “Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.” That was on Aug. 21, 1858. Lincoln lost the Senate race to Douglas but it was the debates with Douglas that thrust him into the national spotlight and gave him the momentum he needed to win the presidency in 1860.

There is no doubt Lincoln was a great leader. He chose people who had differing opinions on his cabinet because he knew he would have weaknesses and those such as Edwin Stanton would make up for Lincoln’s blind spots.

But with Superintendent Wes Bradley it appears he likes to surround himself with people who echo exactly what he wants. He sees no blind spots in any of his proposals he presented to the Local Planning Committee. Or perhaps he does. “Public sentiment is everything…” Perhaps that is why he and the Board of Education are afraid to survey Nelson County families to see what they want. Perhaps they are afraid of what the public sentiment really is. They certainly seem afraid of what Bloomfield has to say and refuse to hold a public hearing at the only school slated to completely close, Bloomfield Elementary.

Public sentiment matters and I believe Bradley and every representative on the Board knows this. I believe the LPC knows this and that is exactly why they refuse and even scoff at the idea of a survey and public hearing at Bloomfield Middle School.

Sincerely,

Debra Bohachevsky

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