By Teague Peterson | City of Hoard, Carpenter County
A grievously unfair miscarriage of justice occurred at Tuesday’s Nationalist Party Convention.
Ethan Brussad, the Hoard City Fire Chief and the Nationalist Nominee for County Executive for Carpenter County, was suddenly told he would be unable to run for State Superintendent of Public Education. Not only is it unjust Ethan was denied the right to run for a state position, it’s ridiculous that he wasn’t informed until the last minute.
Ethan was denied the right to run because he arrived at the program a day late; he was volunteering as a counselor at another leadership camp, WiLS, which I think we can all agree is an honorable reason to miss the beginning of BBS.
The rule that prevented Ethan from running was created after a former BBS Governor left the program early, preventing him from fulfilling his duties. However, Ethan is not leaving early, he arrived late.
He attended his candidate school of instruction and collected stickers; he met every single requirement to be a nominee, and he would be able to carry out the full and complete duties of his position.
Not only is it upsetting that Ethan was denied the right to run, this situation is worsened by the fact that he wasn’t made aware of the rule until the convention. He should have been told before he began campaigning, before he wrote his speech and before he was walking to the stage.
The rule itself is also unfair. BBS is supposed to be about including everyone and giving everyone an equal opportunity, but Ethan wasn’t given this opportunity, though he met all the requirements the other candidates did.
“I’m just sad that I’m unable to represent all the people that gave me stickers,” Ethan said. “At the end of the day, I worked really hard to get their support and write my speech, and it’s unfair I wasn’t able to speak. Even if I’m not able to be your Superintendent, I still hope the legislation I’m proposing will pass.”
The legislation he referred to would have abolished the track system for schools of instruction, allowing anyone to enroll in any two schools of instruction regardless of track and increased passing time between classes. For example, someone in the law school of instruction would be able to enroll in leadership school of instruction as well, expanding education options for citizens.
When you’re voting for Superintendent of Public Education on Thursday, I urge you to consider writing in Ethan Brussard’s name if you’re looking for a qualified candidate with a clear plan and if you believe in equal opportunities for every citizen of BBS, regardless of when they showed up.
Even if Ethan isn’t elected, let’s hope the legislation he proposed can be implemented and a law can be created to ensure no one is put in his position next year.
