THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 11, 1994 TAG: 9411090119
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Sometimes we do things without thinking of the consequences.
That apparently is what happened at the Norcom-Norview football game last weekend, when the announcer told the audience to vote for Democratic candidates this week.
In addition, the announcer twice addressed the issue of elected school boards. First he instructed the listeners to vote in favor of electing school board members and then came back and ``corrected'' himself, urging listeners to vote ``no'' on the issue.
Well, that set off a cacophony at City Hall and in this office on Monday morning.
The mayor's office got 45 or more messages. People called the Norcom office. They called the school offices. They called School Board chairman Tommy Benn.
People who weren't even at the game turned up the heat. I got some of those calls here.
Obviously, the most upset callers were Republicans and those who favor elected school boards. And they certainly were justified in their anger.
I don't know who the announcer was, but I doubt he viewed his comments as insulting to his audience. According to those who have attended other Norcom games, the announcer has instructed citizens to attend City Council meetings because of items on the council agenda that affect Norcom or related issues.
The public address system at a football game is no place to promote anybody's agenda. Even those who might have agreed with the ball game announcer would agree that partisan issues should not be pushed under such circumstances.
Unfortunately, the schools had no formal policy governing the announcements made on public address systems during ball games.
``This should not have happened,'' Landis Faulcon, spokesperson for the schools, said Monday.
Faulcon said the announcers at ball games often are volunteers. She said she did not know who was announcing the Norcom-Norview game and officials of Norcom did not return my telephone calls.
By Monday afternoon, the schools had issued ``an apology for political announcements.''
``The announcer's comments did not represent the official opinions or view of the Portsmouth Public School System,'' the announcement read. ``Principals will be asked to alert their staff members and volunteers that official school activities should not be a forum for partisan politics.''
The announcement may be the school administration's way of getting out of a bad situation.
However, there is a larger issue here.
The use of the public address system at any football game to push any point of view brings into question the judgment of those who have tolerated this practice in the past.
The announcer may have felt perfectly justified in urging the support of Democratic candidates and in opposing the election of school board members if he or anyone else has used the microphone for political announcements without being reprimanded.
I can't believe that Norcom administrators have not heard similar announcements in the past. They should have stopped the practice a long time ago.
Any school administrators who permit the use of the public address systems for political purposes are responsible, not the announcers. Any who have permitted such misuse should be reprimanded and the practice stopped.
In the case of Norcom, specifically, the use of public address systems to push a point of view generated by one faction of Norcom supporters should come under close scrutiny.
There is no difference between pushing the Democratic slate and promoting the agenda of one faction of Norcom alumni or the graduates of any other school. Superintendent Richard Trumble should make perfectly clear to the principals that ``partisan politics'' is more than a November election. by CNB