Letter: Candidate seems unwilling to take a stand on racism

To the Editor-

There’s a good-news bad-news joke going around the community. The good news is Dennis Raabe is quitting the County Board. The bad news is he’s running for the School Board.

What exactly is the genesis of that witticism? I’m not sure, but I think it might be because of his position on the Portage County Diversity Affairs and Inclusiveness Committee (which, by the way, is neither, but that’s a story for another time). That’s the committee run by Meleesa Johnson who’s fond of telling those in attendance about “The white privilege that we all enjoy.” But that’s also another story for another time.

Back to the first joke, Dennis Raabe. While Mr. Raabe will no doubt tell us about his educational accomplishments, and he has them, but he seems to struggle in the area of American history. Not long ago, with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the horizon, some citizens thought, in the interest of inclusion, that it would be a good and noble idea that the County Board should clearly, through resolution, condemn discrimination against all people.

Initially, the resolution was brought before the Diversity Committee that Dennis sits on. It was brought there first, as I understand is the procedure, because resolutions must be forwarded to the whole county board for consideration by the relevant committee and that was the Diversity Affairs and Inclusiveness Committee.

Well, being a country bumpkin like myself and living here in flyover country Wisconsin, I thought (wrongly, it seems) that Diversity and Inclusivity meant well, diversity and inclusivity. It seems I was wrong.

You see, when the resolution was brought to a county supervisor by a group of citizens so that it could be submitted for debate and consideration by the Diversity Affairs and Inclusiveness Committee, only half of that happened. I was at that 19-minute July 22, 2021 committee meeting and watched in awe and disgust as these supposed champions of diversity, members—including Dennis Raabe— were even willing to make a motion to bring it to the floor.

That meant that not a single member sitting on that committee felt compelled to discuss the resolution that condemned racism. Wow, talk about privilege. Thus, it was never forwarded to the whole county board for further action. The inaction and silence on this issue by Mr. Raabe speak volumes. No action was taken on the resolution against racism, and it died at the hands of this group.

What was the hurry to adjourn with such an inclusive resolution on the agenda? A summer cookout? Cold beverages with some friends? Apparently, something more important than racism, at least to these committee members was on their minds for that evening.

Now the same Mr. Raabe, who couldn’t find it in himself to step forward and at least allow discussion of an MLK honoring resolution, wants the community to just trust his judgment on the School Board.

When Mr. Raabe is campaigning, I hope lots of people ask him to explain why he did not vote for the resolution to condemn racism. It’s almost impossible to imagine an answer that would sound reasonable.

If the voters of the Stevens Point Area Public School District elect this candidate and the three incumbents who, just like him, do not want to listen to the voters, then I fear, the joke is on us.

Keith Kedrowski
Stevens Point

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