Published in the January 20 – February 2, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
David Gerard did the wrong thing. Now he needs to do the right thing. He needs to immediately resign from the school board.
Common sense. At a minimum, it’s a quality of character the public should expect from an elected official. Through the democratic system, voters elect people to positions of trust and power. Voters expect their representatives to use sound judgment to make wise decisions on the often complex issues of governance. A democratic society needs to be served by men and women of intelligence and integrity.
Unfortunately, after a number of sordid emails came to light last month, the public learned that three members of the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Trustees demonstrated a considerable lack of common sense, intelligence and integrity in doing their job as public officials. Trustees Gerard, Gino Borgioli and Rick Badillo violated ethical rules and possibly the state law by corresponding with members of the parent activist group Parents for Positive Change as they secretly helped the group try to oust board president Bob Benevento in a recall campaign.
We asked to speak to Gerard to get his side of the story, but he declined.
From what we read in the released emails obtained through a Public Records Act request and from talking to various people who know the situation, we believe Gerard played the prominent role in this unnecessary scandal now rocking the community. We suspect he manipulated the parents and possibly fellow board members Borgioli and Badillo in creating the recall campaign against Benevento.
Gerard is an extremely intelligent man. He has a doctorate in psychology. He understands how the human mind works. And he certainly knows that sometimes people’s egos can get so big, especially if they are in a position of power, that they go through a kind of psychological reality distortion field. They develop a sense of overblown importance and begin to see threats that simply do not exist. And often when this happens, their judgment and critical thinking skills are severely impaired. A classic case is the Watergate scandal. After much resistance, Richard Nixon finally resigned from the office of the president. This action allowed the nation to begin the process of healing from the crisis he created.
We suspect from how he has dealt with the school board scandal that Gerard might be undergoing a similar psychological reality distortion field. There are many clues to this in his email correspondences. Reading them gave us a sense that we were seeing a modern day unfolding of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” the classic story of a good man with a sinister side lurking underneath the surface. Previous to his election to the school board, Gerard had a good reputation as a gentleman, a man who demonstrated fairness and kindness. He gained esteem among many citizens of the South Valley region during the eight years he served as the facilitator for students going through the well respected Leadership Morgan Hill group. Reading his disrespectful emails was a shock to many people who thought they knew him — including us.
After we repeatedly asked him for a comment on whether or not he would resign as a school district trustee, Gerard sent us a bizarre email telling us he had “received several extremely threatening communications from some prominent Morgan Hill citizens” and that he feared for the safety of his family and himself. He even referred to Criminal Code 2650 — Threats to a Public Official, which is a serious crime. We checked with the MHUSD district superintendent as well as the Morgan Hill Police Department who told us they had not heard of any such threats against Gerard. Playing the victim, he even said the media was creating a “mob mentality” and asked us not to run a story that ran in our Jan. 6 issue.
Gerard’s inappropriate behavior as a school board member has caused several local leaders to form a group called the Morgan Hill Committee for Positive Governance which is considering starting a recall campaign against him. We at Morgan Hill Life do not want to see another recall campaign. Such a political campaign will add even more divisiveness and discord to the district. It could also be extremely expensive for the taxpayers, costing as much as $500,000 depending on when a recall election date might be held.
Some citizens have even suggested that Borgioli and Badillo undergo similar recall campaigns for their collusion with the parent activists. The reasoning for this action is that not just Gerard but the other two trustees were involved in the conspiracy to oust Benevento. We advise against that kind of reaction because it would further divide the school board under a dark cloud of politics. What was done is a clear ethical violation. It’s also a possible violation of California state code and Fair Political Practices Commission rules. Committee for Positive Governance has sent the emails to the Fair Political Practices Commission, the Secretary of State and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office for them to review for any wrongdoing.
It’s been a little more than a year since newly elected trustee Gerard raised his hand and swore an oath that includes the sentence: “I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.” With his covert machinations with Borgioli and Badillo and his disrespect of the democratic system of governance, Gerard broke that promise. With the racist, sexist and mean-spirited language showing his contempt of four fellow board members and Superintendent Steve Betando, Gerard revealed the true color of his character. He now needs to look within himself for the courage to seek some degree of redemption and do the right thing. He needs to allow the Morgan Hill community to begin the process of healing from the crisis he created.
Gerard must resign now.
