Disrespecting voters

Wake County commissioner chair Joe Bryan is wrong about his assessment of public support for his power-grabbing moves (“Sutton denounces power grab” Feb. 8).

Along 4-3 party-line votes, Republican commissioners propose to strip an elected school board of its construction authority; use taxpayer money to build and own risk-taking charter schools, some which are likely to fail; and force changes in the election process for another elected body. These all smack of bitter politics, not a voter call for change.

Bryan is ignoring facts: Democrats won all five open seats in the most recent school board elections (Fall 2011). Democrats won all three open seats in the most recent county commissioner elections (November 2012).

Bryan's fellow Republican commissioners Paul Coble and Tony Gurley both lost elections the last time they appeared on a Wake County ballot (May 2012 and July 2012, respectively).

Like their Washington extremist counterparts, these acrimonious officials are disrespecting our governing bodies and the will of their constituents. Next election, Bryan and his fellow partisans will be seeing blue. Unfortunately, it appears they intend to inflict as much damage as possible on one of the finest public school systems in the country on their way out the door.

Adrienne Kelly Lumpkin

Raleigh