Kasich: Profile in Courage? #fail

The Kelley Williams-Bolar case has dominated news coverage, commentary and published opinion for nearly a year now, leading up to Governor John Kasich's decision Wednesday to bump her felony convictions down to misdemeanors. "When I first heard of this situation, it seemed to me the penalty was excessive for the offense," the Governor told reporters after his decision was released.

Apparently, the Governor hadn't done much thinking beyond the "first heard" and the message he's sending ought to alarm anyone looking for a message that the state's Chief Executive is as much a protector of the taxpayers as he is a final arbiter of justice.

There was outcry when Williams-Bolar -- convicted by a jury of tampering with government records for her lies to get her daughters enrolled in Copley-Fairlawn Schools and receiving school lunch benefits -- was found guilty, then sentenced. The law is pretty clear on government records tampering being treated as a felony, but the facts of the case didn't seem to stand in the way of a good story fitting an editorial slant here in Akron and around the country.

It was a slam-dunk in the word of editorial and commentary writing: hard-working, African-American, single mother, student working on her degree singled out by an uncaring system that wouldn't give her a break. What's not to love about jumping on the bandwagon of Akron's version of Les Mis? Plenty of people did, especially the national media relying on a slim outline of facts to base it's opinion.

As opposed to the jury of Williams-Bolar's that actually sat through the entire trial. Or the Copley-Fairlawn school board, lawyers, and administrators who took more than a year to try and get the case resolved, as it did with every other family with residency issues.

Or the abused prosecutors who quickly came to realize Williams-Bolar and her father had no intention of taking responsibility for their actions but, instead, opted to play craps with the justice system and see if they could get a better deal. Or the abused judge who gave Williams-Bolar one of the most lenient of sentences on her convictions when the Williams-Bolar's defense crapped out.

Or most of you who've commented on this story the past nine months, especially after the facts ignored or discarded in the first round of editorial outrage started to come out.

Or the Ohio Parole Board, which spent months compiling evidence and conducted a hearing that showcased the following:

• Williams-Bolar's depiction of her education status revealed a career student of more than two decades, with assistance in the tens of thousands of dollars. How many other students are able to tap the system for so long and for so much?
• Williams-Bolar's inability to tell the truth on where she lives, even to the point of using her father's Copley Township address to renew her driver's license less than two weeks prior to going before the Parole Board;
• Williams-Bolar's inability to communicate with credibility to the Parole Board, or a jury of her peers, that she truly accepted responsibility for her own actions;
• Williams-Bolar's unconscionable and despicable claim she'd been "deployed" to avoid confronting her situation with the Copley-Fairlawn School Board. She's not in the military, and from my perspective this was the worst of her strategies used to avoid responsibility;
• That Williams-Bolar was afforded every opportunity -- from the start, middle, and finish -- to do the right thing.

The facts do matter in this case, but they've been glossed over by a narrative that has more to do with a social agenda and vision than they do with the State v Kelley Williams-Bolar. It's apparent from Governor Kasich's comments, reported in the Columbus Dispatch, that his decision was not based on the rule of law. It's apparent from Governor Kasich's comments, reported by the Dispatch, that his decision wasn't based on the facts. It is apparent, from Governor Kasich's comments, that his decision was based more on an editorial viewpoint slanted by ignoring the facts.

What is even more disturbing is the insinuation that the Governor acted in a political manner based on racial politics.

After a speech yesterday in Cleveland, Kasich said he is “very sensitive to the notion that we want our African-American community to have as much opportunity as we can. Now, what she did was wrong, but in my opinion, it did not rise to the level of a felony."  - Columbus Dispatch September 8, 2011


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Does this mean Valerie Ziemba of North Canton, who was also convicted by a Summit County jury of felony charges relating to scamming food stamps and welfare benefits at about the same time as Kelley Williams-Bolar, isn't entitled to the same "opportunity" because there's no sensitivity to her race? Ziemba was sentenced to 10 days in jail, four months house arrested, two years probation and ordered to repay $14,427 to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. Williams-Bolar got a trip to Dr. Phil.

We frequently hear the phrase that America is a nation of laws, not men. Apparently the laws making tampering with government records a felony don't apply when your friends include Congressman Jesse Jackson, who urged his friend John Kasich to look on this case "...from his heart and saw a child of God, not an offender." Apparently the taxpayers of Copley-Fairlawn, who follow the rules, aren't a consideration when enforcing the law. Apparently even Ohio's own BMV, which administers drivers licenses, isn't a consideration when a motorist convicted of using a false address to obtain benefits she is not deserving of employs the exact same strategy just days before appearing before the Parole Board to show why she is deserving of consideration for clemency.

There are some who will note the Governor's decision shows moral courage. I offer it provides the opposite, with a view of political expediency. This was a decision where race, friendships and opinion formed before the facts were even known mattered more than the rule of law. Where compassion depended on sending a message that the "we want the African-American community to have as much opportunity as we can" instead of the opportunity to reinforce the seemingly outdated notion that we are responsible for our own actions, and the justice system is more than a roll of the dice to catch a better deal.

Where some see Kelley Williams-Bolar as a symbol of oppression, I see a symbol of a grifter mentality that hurts rather than strengthens the system of a safety net designed to help those in need. Those who seek help lift themselves and their families out of their present circumstances rather than using it as a way of life. Where getting is part of going forward and improving to the point where individuals do more than take.

Governor Kasich, acting as a judge in the case of the State v Kelley Williams-Bolar, had an opportunity to show courage by showing us he would consider all that came following the initial narrative defined by national pundits with ill-informed opinions. His rapid decision reflects his mind was made up long before this nation of laws -- and not men -- even started.

Akron School Moms: Does It Swing Both Ways?

Get set for another wave of Kelley Williams-Bolar stories. We're going beyond "The Talk" and "The View" so the big gun can weigh in. It's Dr. Phil time -- just as another Akron mother heads to a stretch in the county lockup for faking her way to benefits undeserved.

The Dr. Phil Show lists Friday as showtime for it's program highlighting "How Far Would You Go For Your Kids?" It will include some of the faces, voices and names you are very familiar with at this point. From the Dr. Phil website - the highlights are strictly mine as noted below:

Friday - March 4, 2011

How Far Would You Go for Your
Kids?

Would you risk breaking the law for your children’s education? What about for their safety? Kelley, a single mom, was prosecuted, convicted and sent to jail for listing her father’s address as her daughters’ residence, so they could attend a better school in a safer neighborhood. Kelley says she was working during the day and going to school at night, and after her house was burglarized, she wanted her children in a safer neighborhood for afterschool care. Kelley was convicted of two felony counts for tampering with government documents and spent nine days in jail. Did her punishment fit the crime? And, what other lies did she get caught in? Joining the discussion are Reverend Al Sharpton, columnist Bob Dyer, Kelley’s attorney David Singleton and a fellow single mom in the same school district. And, meet a mother who made her 15-year-old son stand on a street corner wearing a sign that declared his 1.22 grade point average and read “Honk if you think I need an education.” Is embarrassment a good parenting technique for motivating kids?

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Once again, the "better school" argument. Time and time again the point is raised -- even by Williams-Bolar -- this wasn't about "better schools." Time and time again, the selling point used by newspapers, columnists and commentators uses "better schools" to hang their arguments on. At least Dr. Phil's producers added some balance with the Beacon Journal's Bob Dyer. Advance plug: followers of this case will want to shell out for Dyer's column Friday and a likely addition Sunday. AkronNewsNow also provided producers with audio from some of our coverage, and in our conversations the Los Angeles-based staff seemed honest in their approach to focusing on facts. It's a shame the New York-based staff at CBS, ABC and CNN (among others) couldn't expend the same energy.

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While the Williams-Bolar story draws the most attention, a somewhat similar case unfolded in a Summit County courtroom today that saw a mother sent to jail for falsifying records to collect benefits connected to her children. This case, I predict, will not garner the same attention from the thoughtful out-of-town media minds or the National Action Network. It doesn't quite fit the narrative they need for their own agenda.

From the Prosecutor's Office:

Valerie Ziemba, 41, of North Canton, was found guilty by a jury of Illegal Use of Food Stamps or WIC Benefits and Tampering with Evidence, both felonies of the third degree, and Theft, a felony of the fifth degree.

Valerie Ziemba falsified government documents to claim that her children resided with her in order to illegally obtain approximately $14,427 in food stamp and cash assistance benefits. The children do not live with her, but with their father.

Judge Thomas Parker sentenced her to pay restitution in the amount of $14,427 to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, four months of house arrest, two years community control, and to serve 10 days in the Summit County Jail.

Sound familiar?

Valerie Ziemba reportedly collapsed in the courtroom when the verdict and sentence were delivered. There likely won't be cries of racism here; Ziemba is Caucasian. It's unlikely we'll hear an outcry of support to free Ziemba, complete with calls to overhaul the food stamp program. Rev. Sharpton and the host of the truly-concerned probably won't be making a bee-line for Akron. Don't expect Governor Kasich to weigh in with a plea to the Parole Board to decide if she should get a pass.

Ziemba will be portrayed as a welfare cheat who lied to steal benefits we all pay for. Williams-Bolar was a residency cheat who lied to take benefits the taxpayers of Copley-Fairlawn paid for.

Ziemba needs an agent.

Failed Lessons In The Williams-Bolar Case

Ever notice how the phrase "personal responsibility" has been sorely missing from those who would support giving Akron school mom Kelley Williams-Bolar a walk?

The list of supporters is pretty extensive, albeit not so much here at home where Akron and Copley-Fairlawn parents and citizens are no doubt suffering from reader's fatigue at this point.

But it is the story that won't go away, partly because these issues large and small run so deep and personal.

My friend Steve Hoffman of the Akron Beacon Journal -- and yes, I still consider him a friend even while I call out their editorials -- did the best job yet of laying out the big picture case. It's the second paragraph from Thursday's column I'm having a bit of trouble digesting:

"The first, learned the hard way by Williams-Bolar, the Copley-Fairlawn schools, Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh and Judge Patricia Cosgrove, is that the punishment (felony convictions) far outweighed the crime (tampering with documents)." - Akron Beacon Journal February 3, 2011

Steve's point is the lessons learned from this whole fiasco. Unfortunately, it highlights just how much further Williams-Bolar apologists need to go in learning their lessons.

Just to review -- again:

• supporters think it wasn't "proportional" to charge Williams-Bolar with felony counts, apparently ignoring Ohio law that defines records tampering as a felony. There's no doubt she lied on records again and again. That's records tampering;
• supporters think Prosecutor Bevan Walsh and Judge Cosgrove should have stepped in and ignored the state law and bumped the charges down to misdemeanors, apparently ignoring the willful, continued and tenacious refusal of Williams-Bolar to show even the slightest contrition for breaking the law;
• even if a plea bargain deal had been arrived at -- and it didn't come up, sources tell me, until the week before the three-year old case went to trial -- let's remember it takes more than one to tango. Williams-Bolar still doesn't admit to wrongdoing, shows no remorse, and when pressed says she should be exonerated.

Copley-Fairlawn schools investigated, held hearings, presented Williams-Bolar with their evidence, sent multiple invoices for tuition, offered a payment plan most parents would have killed (as opposed to lying) for and spent the better part of three years trying to work out the issue as adults. Put an ear to the speaker and listen to the residency hearing for a taste of just what tenacity sounds like. It's not the schools; it is those who broke the law and wouldn't take individual responsibility for their actions.

Attorneys working for Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh didn't make up the felony records tampering charges; they were doing their job, following the law and the evidence you can see with your own eyes. It included an absolute decision from Juvenile Court Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio rejecting a petition for power of attorney request from Edward Williams. Note in the paperwork you can read for yourself: Williams used the petition as evidence in his exchanges with Copley-Fairlawn schools, even though it was never true.

Judge Cosgrove, who along with Prosecutor Bevan Walsh has suffered the worst injustice to their reputations through this entire sordid affair, certainly showed far more compassion and respect for the defendant than Kelley Williams-Bolar showed for the justice system.

Critics say the sentence and felony charges weren't "proportional" to the crime.

Cosgrove could have sentenced Williams-Bolar to five years in prison; she didn't choose five, four, three, two or even one year. Cosgrove didn't sentence Williams-Bolar to six months, 90 days or even 30 days in prison. She sent an unrepentant and in-denial Williams-Bolar to the Summit County Jail for 10 days -- and even worked to let her out after nine days. She expressed the opinion she wished there had been a deal for a misdemeanor. The Judge might want to reconsider in light of continued revelations on the depth of the lies of this case.

There could have been an order requiring Williams-Bolar to pay at least some of the tuition benefits taken by fraudulent means from Copley-Fairlawn schools, yet not one dime of restitution was ordered. Probation of two years will cost the State of Ohio far more to administer than the inconvenience to Williams-Bolar.

The Williams family should thank God they had Cosgrove hearing the case.

Much has been made of the felony convictions now part of Williams-Bolar's record. She earned them. A jury found her guilty, and voted 11-1 to convict her of theft. Could these have been dealt down to misdemeanors? We won't know because one of the first steps of a plea deal -- admitting guilt to something, anything, was not part of the strategy Williams-Bolar has followed since Day One. Admission and apology are part of a plea deal.

Much has been made of the felonies prohibiting her from working as a teacher, yet the law doesn't prohibit her from working. It's Akron's policy regarding teachers with a felony, and in point of fact the Akron Public Schools will welcome Williams-Bolar back to the fold without even a hearing.

I'm not one of those who think she shouldn't be hired back. To the contrary, I don't believe this crime -- even as a felony -- warrants dismissal. That would be too severe, but not even a personnel hearing? It is disturbing the Akron school administration ignores its own policies regarding employees with felony convictions. Talk about lessons learned; will that outlook still hold true for the next APS worker in a jam? Is the lesson to teachers, students and workers to deny everything? Is cherry picking discipline really the lesson you want to send the children?

We hear much about personal accountability, but in a case where it would have avoided so much heartbreak there has been none.

To the apologists, I'd appreciate your answer to these questions:

• do you really think this case would have gone this far had Williams-Bolar not dug in her heels and piled lie upon lie atop a foundation of lies?
• does it impact you in any way that Williams-Bolar still refuses to accept responsibility?
• if you had been in the same shoes as Williams-Bolar, would you have taken responsibility?

Note I'm not asking how you feel about school choice, open v closed enrollment, equality in education, or school funding. This case isn't about any of those issues. Williams-Bolar says it wasn't about quality of education, it was about finding a safer place for her kids when they weren't in school.

The lesson plan is: what would you do?

An Open Letter To Karen Kasich

I was struck by this week's announcement Ohio Governor John Kasich wanted a better understanding in the case of The State of Ohio v Kelley Williams-Bolar. He says his wife "alerted" him, along with a call from Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.

Mrs. Kasich, here's more information you should include in your next "alert."

Dear Karen -- can I call you Karen?

It is not surprising as a mother with daughters attending public schools that you would sympathize with the Akron school mother in the swirl of controversy over the lengths she went to bypass residency to get her children in a neighboring school district.

As a mother, your heart must go out to a woman portrayed in the national media as a victim of a system that would punish her for seeking a better education for her daughters -- regardless of the fact Williams-Bolar herself says Copley isn't a "better" education than Akron, the district where she's employed.

But as a mother, I ask you to look beyond the first heartbeat and examine the record. You will not find this a "Rosa Parks" moment in the debate over education; you will not find this a case of a parent making a mistake and seeking to correct a wrong. You will not find this an example of an adult taking responsibility for what is, in large measure, the residency Ponzi scheme this is quickly becoming.

Your family performs public service to our state and nation; you understand we are a country where laws govern all of us, and the means exist to address wrongs through debate, deliberation and action. That action does not include lying and cheating. That's not the message you would want your daughters to take from this case, despite the rhetoric from ill-informed commentators who have taken neither the time nor effort to examine the facts.

When talking to Governor John and alerting him of cases such as these, please take a moment to consider the following; I've included links if you would like to dig a little deeper:

• This column from the Akron Beacon Journal's Bob Dyer, showing the history of Edward Williams, Kelley's father, charging people with racism (among plenty of other charges) to the point where he's banned from filing in Cleveland's U.S. District Court;
• This blog from Jay Williams, a Washington, D.C. freelance writer who actually took the time to look into the case and weighs in on the message we send as opposed to the excuses some would make;
• This story compiling much of the information the actual jury, which convicted on the tampering with records charges, considered when handing down the verdict;
• This decision (it's a .pdf file; give it time to load) by Summit County Juvenile Court Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio turning aside a petition seeking to establish custody in Copley while Williams-Bolar continued to live with her daughters in Akron;
• This .pdf file on one of the many bills sent to Williams-Bolar, frankly begging her to resolve the issue. I'm sure you know Ohio families who have loved ones serving our nation overseas; it's worthwhile noting the "deployed overseas for 18 months" is one of the many lies established in this faulty deck of cards supporters of Williams-Bolar use to excuse her actions.

I'm sure you and Governor John will be taking time to wonder why this case went to trial as a felony, and why prosecutors didn't plea bargain the charges down to a misdemeanor. Karen, remember it takes two to tango when deciding to accept a plea deal.

Talk with prosecutors and ask them how often they "deal cases down" when the offending party -- and Kelley Williams-Bolar is clearly an offender in the eyes of the same laws your husband swore to uphold -- refuses to take responsibility for their actions.

Please alert the Governor's lawyers to talk with the attorneys on both sides, and gain a better understanding of why any talk of a misdemeanor came only with a week to go before trial, and even then without a clear representation it would be acceptable to Williams-Bolar and she was prepared to admit wrongdoing and accept the consequences. Make sure they get an answer from the defendant herself, who still maintains she and her family did nothing wrong when lying to the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Copley-Fairlawn Schools, or Summit County Juvenile Court.

Ask your daughters if they think adults who break the law should be exonerated, to use the description in a recent Akron Beacon Journal interview, even when they refuse to admit they did wrong. Ask yourself and your husband if that's the message you want the people of Ohio to hear, those who play by the rules and don't try to play the system.

Karen, I have no doubt you and your family have the best of intentions when debating and crafting public policy. Remember the dozens of families who stood up, took responsibility, and did the right thing when discovered by Copley-Fairlawn schools. Encourage the public debate on closed v open enrollment; urge your husband to truly address education reform in Ohio instead of the usual application of lipstick on a pig we've had to settle for. Craft public policy that respects the expectation society should be able to set a standard of truthfulness.

Media Lessons: Williams Bolar

Unfortunately, we've now reached the point where apologies are due for the behavior of the media in reporting the case of the State v Kelley Williams Bolar.

And apologies are sorely needed.

If you've been following the case of The State v Kelley Williams Bolar then you are aware of opinion, emotion and tears. Only some of the facts. Problem is, the opinion leaders are absolutely clueless when it comes to -- as Paul Harvey used to say -- the rest of the story. There's no putting that genie back in that bottle.

And that's on us.

Somehow missing from all the national reporting is the more complete version of the remarkable lengths the Copley-Fairlawn School District went to in trying to avoid bringing this to trial. After all, it was the taxpayers of Copley-Fairlawn paying the freight for her attempts to game the system. The district is charged with seeking out abuse and fraud. They did their job.

Months of working to get a resolution stretching into years, parent after parent after parent doing the right thing and working to appeal or resolve the issue instead of compounding lie after lie after lie after lie. After all, it's the prosecutor which must enforce the law. They did so with compassion and allowed the dozens of other families to do the right thing without the weight of the law about their shoulders. They did their job.

The opportunities presented to Kelley Williams Bolar to not only resolve the issue at little or no cost but to do the right thing by her employer, the Akron School Board, which suffered by losing the state funds they should have received from enrollment of the children. That Williams Bolar not only broke the law by lying time and time again should play a part in determining if she's fit to teach Akron's children. At the very least, it deserves a serious debate and not automatic calls for clemency before the full and unvarnished truth comes out. The Akron district should be outraged one of their own, a colleague, falsified statements time and time and time again and ultimately cost Akron the state support it would have had through rightful enrollment under the rules everyone else must follow. That's their job.

Missing somehow from the media record are the records where school lunches were approved by Copley-Fairlawn based on false income statements which didn't include the child support or even Williams Bolar's Akron public schools employment?

There should be outrage from those serving our country when learning that the response to one of many letters delivered to Williams Bolar was that she was not available because she was "deployed"; not only lying on court documents, sworn statements and multiple interviews but even invoking the image of military service to dodge the issue.

How about the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, told repeatedly in sworn statements that Williams Bolar and her children were qualified to live in public housing, a three-bedroom home and including utilities, for less than $130 a month? This at the same time Williams Bolar was switching her drivers license, registering to vote and attesting to her residence in documents to Copley-Fairlawn? Is Akron so flush with affordable housing that there were no other families deserving of the opportunity to share in the helping hand AMHA offers those in need?

What about the fact that dozens of parents, many of them minority parents (added here because supporters of Williams Bolar are themselves playing the race card now) were caught in a similar situation but did the right thing by appealing the residency ruling, paying tuition or withdrawing their children to the proper schools? Should they argue they settled too early, that stacking lies atop each other would have been rewarded in the end with national publicity and fundraising efforts on their behalf?

This case has become a referendum on the safety of Akron's neighborhoods and, unfortunately, the quality of an Akron education because Williams Bolar says she wanted a better environment for her daughters. In the process, her supporters have twisted this case into a battle cry that a mother was just looking for a better education for her children. In the process, a nation now thinks the Akron education is worth so little that even a mother who works for the school district would lie, cheat and steal to get her daughters to another district.

Wrong after wrong after wrong shouldn't make a right.

It has risen to this level of a national outcry because we in the media didn't do a good enough job of reporting the case. That's especially true in viewing the preponderance of reporting from television networks and programs and even the New York Times all based on the incomplete coverage provided by us locally, including the only media outlet to properly staff the trial -- the Akron Beacon Journal.

The opinions formed by ignorant talking heads now weighing in on this case -- from cable to network television and radio to national newspapers -- rely on a single source of information, one where apparently the facts didn't get in the way of a good story. That's just plain poor journalism.

That's on us in the media, and a sad reminder of what we do with the public trust depends on us doing our job to report honestly, faithfully and comprehensively on our communities. It's a reminder that extra sets of eyes and ears on a story help, not hinder, public understanding of the debate. Here's a case where more reporters in the room would have helped provide context and additional views.

Eyewitness testimony is often called the least reliable; one source reporting going viral is no different. The problem today is the far-away pundits have little interest in confirming facts; their interest is talking points, not truth.

When the case files are made fully available, we all owe it to you to post these documents, reports and testimony online and in a complete fashion for you to draw an educated conclusion.

Unfortunately, the folks at Fox, CNN, ABC, CBS, Rev. Sharpton, Change.org and the rest of the gang will have moved on by then to another story of a troubled homeless man with a golden voice, a publicity-desperate father willing to pretend his son was afloat in a balloon floating in the skies toward the Rockies, or a woman who fell into a fountain while using her cell phone crying foul only to be revealed as a criminal with a penchant for lawsuits. What used to provoke shame and embarrassment now provides ratings and entertainment.

They never learn as long as we continue to reward them to feed us wild opinion based on unreliable news. We are all hurt while our sources of information -- both traditional and new -- suffer from lower standards not because of rivals in the business but because of the lack of competition in the news marketplace.

Prior post on this subject: The Excess Isn't In Prosecuting Wrongdoing

The Kelley Williams Bolar Case

I usually don't use this forum to disagree with my friends at the Akron Beacon Journal, but their editorial slamming the prosecution of Kelley Williams-Bolar -- the "School Mom" case now attracting national attention -- is just about as wrong-headed as I've seen from the editorial brain trust on Exchange and Main.

The reporting from the national media has been far worse.

Sunday's editorial was over-the-top, calling to question the prosecution of Williams-Bolar for the crime of wanting better for her daughters. It paints her as a victim of an uncaring system. It tries to frame what is now a national debate on the mom who's being persecuted for simply wanting better for her children.

Problem is, that's not what Williams-Bolar was indicted for. It's not what she was prosecuted for. It's not what she was convicted of by a jury of her peers. It's not what she did time for. It's not what she will serve probation for.

It's time for her defenders to address the most basic of lessons parents instill in their children at an early age: two wrongs don't make a right.

In this case, it's way more than two wrongs.

• Williams-Bolar repeatedly ignored attempts, over a period of years, by the Copley-Fairlawn School District to resolve the residency issue. Other parents caught in the same net took responsibility and either proved residency, pulled their children from the District or acted like adults and paid the tab;
• Williams-Bolar compounded by her own sworn statements that her daughters lived in the district by claiming full residence for her daughters on free school lunch programs, even to the point of misrepresenting her own income on the entry forms in addition to residency;
• Williams-Bolar not only attested to the residency issue on Copley-Fairlawn enrollment forms and the school lunch program, she also attested to the residency of her daughters in Akron, not Copley Township, when she applied for and received a three-bedroom Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority subsidized home;
• Williams-Bolar may have misrepresented her residency when taking part in the most basic of democratic institutions: voting;
  
• Williams-Bolar was caught on video tape gaming the system by dropping off and picking up her children so a Copley-Fairlawn bus could pick them up each morning, just not from the AMHA home the family inhabited in Akron. Even with the claim of safety for her children, the fact remains her daughters still lived in the home Williams-Bolar now says was unsafe;
• Williams-Bolar admitted to investigators from Copley-Fairlawn and AMHA that she misrepresented herself verbally and in writing;
• Williams-Bolar and her family submitted documents the Summit County Juvenile Court system later found were not true;
• At one point, Williams-Bolar even sent one of the school district's letters back with a handwritten note insinuating that the addressee was serving overseas, a despicable misrepresentation that should outrage any member of the military and their family truly deployed in service to this nation.

Williams-Bolar stands accused of "misrepresenting" herself to a school district, the Juvenile Court, AMHA and the Summit County Board of Elections. The newspaper editorializes of the "great injustice" suffered by Williams-Bolar, as though she played no role in the willful misrepresentation of her personal financial situation, her residence, even her status as an Akron school employee as this case moved through the system.

The injustice is letting her get away with it.

Over a hundred parents in the similar circumstances acted like adults, made their appeals, argued their residency or took responsibility and resolved the situation with Copley-Fairlawn schools.

That Williams-Bolar is the only parent who refused to act responsibly is not an example of uneven justice as the Beacon Journal, her family, and supporters suggest. It truly shows the remarkable lengths the systems we have in place to protect the public went to help her avoid her fate. Time and time again the school district reached out to resolve the issues, even to the point of offering to work with her on the money she rightfully owed the district. Time and time again she had the opportunity to speak and attest truthfully, only to "misrepresent" her situation again and again.

When taxpayers rightfully want those gaming the system punished, it's easy to not see the face of those who take from all of us through fraud and abuse. It's easy to take the stand that a mother's love should be all that matters, and her heart was in the right place even though her wallet was clearly all over the place.

But if we are to be honest about protecting the public, that means calling out those who would take advantage of systems established to benefit all of us for their own personal use. "Misrepresent" is a nicer word than what the jury of her peers clearly felt Williams-Bolar was guilty of, after taking into account the entire breadth of this case and not just the headline treatment or the heart-tugging editorial stance that apparently ignores those lessons that should anchor this story: two wrongs, three wrongs, four wrongs -- many wrongs -- still do not make a right.

Williams-Bolar is fortunate she found in Judge Patricia Cosgrove someone who had compassion for her circumstances while recognizing the gravity of her crimes...and these are crimes. These actions cost two school districts:Â Copley-Fairlawn in providing services unfairly secured and Akron, which lost state funds that would have come to the district with enrollment. This is income the very school district which now employs Williams-Bolar, who awaits determination on whether the choices she made will cost her not only a week and a half in jail and years on probation but her job and employment future.

Judge Cosgrove correctly notes Williams-Bolar should not pay a career death penalty for these charges, and I think most reasonable people would agree. But this is a story of choices Williams-Bolar made, and her decision to try and continue standing on a house of cards built on misrepresentation after misrepresentation.

This case should give no one cause for celebration. Two children have had their education disrupted because of the decisions made by adults; a mother sat in jail and will be on probation for the next two years; the people who pay the taxes in two school districts lose because those decisions took money away from other children or programs; the prosecutor's office is slammed for "excess" when in point of fact the excess was on the part of Williams-Bolar from day one; a jury of citizens had to decide whether one of their neighbors would be branded as a criminal; a judge was forced to send a mother of two to jail.

It's not easy calling someone a crook, especially when what they did seems for such a good reason. But lying to government agency after government agency after government agency is what makes this a criminal case, not the desire to see better for the children.

If this was a case of insurance scammers ripping off Medicaid, taxpayers would be outraged if a penny of public money went to subsidize such behavior. Why is motherhood a positive defense in the People v Kelley Williams-Bolar?

All for the decisions Williams-Bolar made that the rules didn't apply to her. Is this the lesson you would want to teach your kids? Are you teaching them the end always justifies the means?