In trying to piece together all the stories were getting it seems as though this is the timeline:
• Huntley School construction controversy.
• Huntley board unhappy with Mahon and Mahon unhappy in Huntley, starts looking for a new job.
• Parman resigns and search begins for a new super at HPS.
• HPS Search committee gets Mahon's app, exactly what we're looking for!
• Mahon is finalist at HPS.
• Mahon vetted by an attorney for the HPS instead of through the School Board Association Professionals which would have had knowledge of prior Huntley Project problems.
• HPS Search Committee and Board does not check contract status with Huntley and HPS offers position to Mahon and he accepts.
• Huntley finds out about Mahon moving to Havre. They do not try to stop it as they want him gone but are upset by the fact he keeps them in the dark and then he proceeds to request payment under the terms of his current contract until he moves to Havre. This pissed off the board which moves to find him in breach.
• Mahon moves to Havre
• Mahon doesn’t even look to purchase a house and become a permanent resident of Havre, instead opting to wait and see how things develop (are settlements and broken contracts a normality for Mahon?)
• Mahon recommends HPS move forward on Highland Park project and recommends they look at Construction Manager at Risk to ensure maximum funny money appeal. Introduces Nelson Architects who have the plan and with whom he coincidently had “prior” experience.
• Mahon recommends to board that they hire out of town contractor, Dick Anderson Construction and his designer Nelson Architects because he has had personal dealings with them. (any checks to Mahon involved?)
• Dick Anderson controversy, blog questions Huntley connection (not on contract basis but on relationship with Nelson Architects and Dick Anderson).
• Havre starts to find disagreements with him and starts referring to him as "in over his head."
• Board continues to be unhappy with Mahon and starts seeking ways to remedy situation.
• Board of Public Ed inquiry makes Mahon nervous and he starts looking for a way out of Havre contract so as not to be found in breach.
• Shad and Aileen take him up on the offer and “negotiate” to pay him off to leave as it is "in everybody's best interests." Happy to see him go.
• Public Meeting is planned where nothing will be discussed or questions taken. Announcement of termination effective immediately.
• HDN and the blog weigh in and comments begin to fly after HDN files FOIA on termination agreement and publishes its terms revealing a huge buy-off to Mahon as his resignation came mid-term and not many Super jobs available mid-year
• As of yesterday, School Board Association website lists 4 currently available Superintendent positions state wide proving jobs are indeed available
• Huntley weighs in and Board is caught by surprise when Mahon wasn't even technically under contract as Huntley never released him. (even though one of our bloggers "discovered this fact by searching for "Mahon-Huntley" on Google and knew in July before this blog was even begun that the Huntley School Board was taking Mahon to task for breach of contract" -apparently the acadamics on the board don't know how to use the internet)
• Now they hunker down to ride out the storm.
• Statewide News Coverage begins to take note of tax payer protest of board decision. In a mini-Massachusetts, Tea-party political environment, it's a feel good story of small town local stupidity being seen as big and stark as Goldman Sachs golden parachutes and Bank of America TARP paid bonuses.
Stay tuned Corrector readers. We have not uncovered even one iota of this deal turned sour that our “leaders” had hoped would never come to light.
One rumor around town was Mahon and some of his friends were chewing snoose and spitting in the NMC jym and got caught.
ReplyDeleteEvery-Body understands that the New World Order new-age word is "PROGRESSIVE"...right?....changed from the old word of "COMMUNISM"...look it up folks...rug is being pulled out right http://www.infowars.com/from under yer noses....
ReplyDeleteDave Mahon was questioned extensively during the vetting process as to his contract status at Huntley Project and in reponse to the question, the represenative hired by the district to conduct the search who sat in on every interview assured the HPS Board at that moment that these situations arise all the time, and that she saw no issues with Dave Mahon getting out of his current contract at Huntley. The current Chair's statement as reported in the media that he knew nothing of the potential problems with Mahon's current contract obligations at Huntley, is simply not True - he was in the room and at the table! Also, inquires that were made to the Huntley Trustess also revealed no apparent issues prior to Mahon being offered a contract with HPS. Concerned citizens may be barking up the wrong tree in looking for fault with the departing Superintendent, curious goings on are likely closer to home with the Board. Receipe for disaster - five (5) out of eight (8) HPS Board members with three (3) years or less experience and NO demeonstrated leadership skills, to that scenario add new a district superintendent who has never been an administrator in a school system larger than Class B and who took a uncomfortably longtime to actually accept the position once the offer was made. Not necessarily a confidence booster in the ready for the rigors of the job column.
ReplyDeleteI have heard the tobacco spitting story also gm but that is hardly an offense worthy of paying someone this kind of money. Maybe that was the last straw?
ReplyDeleteNorsman, what do you think transpired to bring the board to the point of paying over 150m to get Mahon to move on?
Norsman or Mr. Hanson presumably, who did you contact at Huntley? Because both the Havre Daily article last Friday and the Gazette article before that quoted the board chair from there saying no one from Havre contacted them at all. In fact if you read some of the writings the Gazette has written on the Huntley/Mahon issue and in the Huntley paper, they indicate they heard of Mahon's deal with HPS from the news media. Something doesn't make sense here. I agree with you about the lack of experience on the board now and some of your other points, but are you alleging that Huntley lied when they said no one from HPS questioned them about Mahon?
ReplyDeleteLet me correct a couple of things, just because I enjoy watching all you hillbillies get excited over a few bucks.
ReplyDeleteI will be coming back from the islands in a couple of weeks to start my new job as Supt. of the Hamilton school district. They aren't as cheap as you hoot bastards and have negotiated a decent 3 year contract. And, bonus, have athletes that are actually good.
Like Havre, we just took them to the pub for a few hours and they were BEGGING me to take the job. They also have a better tax base because unlike Havre, people there actually know how to do business, instead of just thinking they do.
So talk among yourselves, ask Shad about the mole on my butt, but never forget that you are little people in a great big world.
BTW...Flew down here first class, thanks Shad!
Thanks 'Fake Dave' for the tip. I went to the Hamilton School web site to see if there was anything true about your post and then I became distracted. They proudly educate 1600 students. I then went to the HHS website - we serve about 400 more kids.
ReplyDeleteI then went to the open school website the corrector found http://www.schoolsopenmt.org/TLR1_Main.aspx
and compared the two schools-
You will have to add both the elementary and HS together for Havre to compare but HAVRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS requires $500,000 more for administrative. Even better yet $3.5 million more dollars to educate 400 more students you do the math! Chump change!
I tired using the websites district comparative function but it locked up on me both times.
What would be some other similar sized districts we could compare?
How about the REAL newspaper doing some investigative reporting, or we will have to rely on the corrector and its readers.
Is there such a comparative site for county governments in the state?
I commend you for continuing to try to unearth the truth and expose deception, cover ups, and poor job performance.
ReplyDeleteRailroader 59501, In the previous post no allegation was made indicating that at least to this citizen's knowledge, any of the HPS Trustees directly contacted the members of the Huntley Board. What I did say was that I was aware of "inquires that were made" and that these "also revealed no apparent issues" with then Huntley Superintendent Mahon. I would venture to guess that similar inquires may have been made to all of the districts and communities of all the other candidates who applied for the HPS Sup. position? Once again, it is my understanding, that the informal "inquires" that were made in Huntley Project were only seeking information on his past performance in that district, and not related to his contract obligations at that time to Huntley School District. I cannot and would not take issue with the Huntley Board Chair's statements to the media, nor would I speculate as to what he may or may not have known of Mr. Mahon's alternative employment plans in the Spring 0f 2009. I allege nothing in this respect. My point was simply that those then advising the HPS Board on the candidate pool indicated that for any of the candidates, it was a non-issue for the HPS Board to consider and that the ramifications for any of these candidates in their current contractual obligations was beyond the scope of the process, as this sort of thing happened regularly. A Note of Caution: Speculation as to any poster's identity can result in unintended circumstances and should be avoided to keep the free flow of ideas from being censured.
ReplyDeleteNorsman, it was not my intention to "out" you so to speak as it is my opinion that it does not matter who the messenger is as much as it lends credibility to your point if you are who I think you are, you would have first hand knowledge of this matter, at least the hiring part.
ReplyDeleteSecondly I was not insinuating that you indeed alleged any wrongdoing or culpability, I was merely asking if you think so "allegedly," because somewhere along the way some explanation is owed the community in this instance, right?
To me it seems as though either the old board who "hired" Mahon or the new board who "fired" Mahon must say something. I am no labor law expert but in my experience with unions the determination of whether or not a matter is kept sealed for privacy purposes is left up to the employee not the employer. In this case it seems it is more to the point that the HPS Board wants it shut up as they are the "buying" party, which is very similar to a confidential settlement at the railroad.
Something is rotten in Denmark and we deserve answers. Experience or no experience the Board exercised zero local control and virtually no common sense here. If not, HPS, tell me where I am wrong?
Railroader 59501
ReplyDeleteI accept your explanation and commend you on a point well taken. I agree entirely with your accountability assesment and support your conclusion that the "buying party" you refer to in this instance - the HPS Board of Trustees - is the entity who stands to loose the most if the full details of this matter were to be divulged to the taxpayers(VOTERS)! I can assure you that the leadership of the former Board would have found a way to communicate the specifics of the situation to the public without violating any agreements or directives from legal counsel. Unfortunately, as the table has now been set by the current EGO-MENIACAL Board Chair, the only mechanism of accountability left to the public is for the electorate to speak LOUDLY at the polls in May. Demand transparency in decision making, serve notice on all potential candidates that the expectation is one of open government! Do Not accept anything less than this from the three incumbents.
YOU GOT THE SPIRIT BROTHER...NOW LETS WAKE UP THIS TOWN/COUNTRY...CHANGE IS COING AND THEY AIN'T GONNA LIKE IT!!!!
ReplyDeletePROGRESSIVES/IMPERIALISTS/
MONARCHISTS/DICTORIAL....ALL GOING DOWN...IF YOU "SHEEP" ONLY KNEW WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND YOU....?????
If this is the same Mahon that taught in Corvallis, Mt. and Hamilton, Mt. He should never be allowed to teach in schools, his attitude and skill set for teaching is not appropriate for learning in any grade or style. I grew to hate this man for what he did to me emotionally, but I did forgive him... Sad to see he didn't change.
ReplyDelete