|
This documentary is about the fluke election of an eccentric, unemployed recluse to a school board; the problems he caused, and
the unsuccessful effort to oust him. The video is a cautionary tale about the need for informed
participation. It examines the barriers voters face in order to make informed chocies
about candidates for local office. Among the questons it raises is, "how can we make our political
system more user friendly?" You can also watch portions of the video by going to
YouTube.com and searching "Steve Rocco Trustee." For more information, contact Fred Smoller
at fsmoller@socal.rr.com.
The Orange Unified School District, located in the City of Orange, California, has 31,000 students and a $250 million dollar budget. In November of 2004, Steve Rocco, then 53, was elected to its 7 member Board of Trustees, despite the fact that he never attended a school board meeting, raised money, actively campaigned, or attended any candidate forums. He was unknown to the district and only barely known to his neighbors, a recluse who lived with his elderly parents. On August 2, 2004 Mr. Rocco rode his bicycle down to the Registrar of Voters, where he filled out a single page form, the only requirement to become a school board candidate. He listed his occupation as teacher, although he was unemployed and had not taught for more than 20 years. His opponent, Phil Martinez, had three kids in the district and was a PTA president. His ballot designation was "park ranger." When most voters got down to the end of the lengthy ballot, they chose Rocco the "teacher" over Martinez the "park ranger." Rocco won with 54% of the vote. Rocco's surprise election victory drew the attention of national media outlets such as National Public Radio, USA Today, and NBC News. As a trustee, Rocco disrupts meetings, antagonizes his colleagues and parents, and rants about a secret organization he calls the "Partnership." He says the Partnership is made up of corporate heads and Orange County elected officials. Rocco alleges that the The Partnership is responsible for widespread corruption and murder in Orange County, and that it was responsible for his 1980 arrest for stealing a package of Smokecraft sausages and four roles of Kodak film from a local Albertsons supermarket, and that it murdured his father and has tried to kill him. He wore combat fatigues to the last school board meeting of 2007. The district censured Rocco for disclosing confidential personnel information in public sesssion. He sued, claiming that the district was censoring him. The lawsuit was dismissed for lack of merit, and the judge ordered Rocco to reimburse the district more than $37,000 for legal fees and costs. Rocco is appealing the decision, and the district is still waiting to be paid, as its legal fees continue to climb. Recalling Rocco is a cautionary tale about the need for informed participation. The video includes public access video of Rocco acting out in school board meetings and other public forums, and interviews with local elected officials, reporters, and parents who organized an effort to have him recalled. Students are encouraged to assess the state of democracy here in the United States, and consider ways in which it can be improved. One aim of the video is to help high school teachers fulfill the State of California History-Social Sciences Content Standard, Principles of American Democracy for the 12th grade (12.2.4). "Understand the obligations of civic-mindedness, including voting, being informed on civic issues, volunteering and performing public service..." The video is short enough (22 minutes) to allow for some class discussion in a typical 50 minute high school class period. See Teachers Guide for discussion questions. Contact fsmoller@socal.rr.com. You will need quicktime viewer to watch the video. See www.quicktime.com |
