Perhaps those people should sue; let some lawyer take their money

To the editor,

At the Tuesday, June 21 Gilford School Board meeting, several Gilford residents, taking issue with Gordon Graham’s (the board’s attorney) interpretation of state law and regulation, threatened litigation over whether the board has the power to hire a superintendent. This was in spite of Mr. Graham’s attempt to calmly, politely, and rationally explain the case and statutory law, as well as state regulations involved. In one way it is sad that we have become such a litigious society.

On the other hand, perhaps these residents should go ahead and sue. I have no doubt that some lawyer will take their case and their money. I am not an attorney but from what I do know about the law regarding this issue, my bet is that the plaintiffs will lose, both initially and on appeal. Of course, if they lose, Gilford taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for the School Board to defend its actions.

More and more, judges (and the American people) are getting tired of “frivolous” lawsuits. My hope is that if these people do sue the board, the court will not only find in favor of the board but will also rule the lawsuit frivolous and order the plaintiffs to not only pay their own attorneys’ fees but also the court costs and the legal bills of the school district.

On another, related subject: Joe Hoffman, a Gilford resident who also wants to “go to court” over this matter, angrily and publicly accused the School Board of “embezzlement,” “larceny,” and other crimes. That was completely out of line. Mr. Cameron, the moderator, was acting properly when he asked a police officer to gently escort Mr. Hoffman away from the microphone and back to his seat.

Do you have proof to back up those charges, Mr. Hoffman? These are very serious accusations. Why haven’t we heard of these crimes before? Or, were you just making up the charges?

I don’t know many board members personally but I do know the chair, Lt. Col. Kurt Webber (U.S. Army, Retired). While I don’t always agree with Col. Webber on a number of issues, I do find him to be a man of impeccable honor and integrity who has always done his best to serve his country and his local community. I find it hard to believe he would be a party to such a criminal conspiracy. I suspect the other school board members are men and women of similar integrity with a similar dedication to what must be an increasingly thankless (and unpaid) job.

E. Scott Cracraft

Gilford