Mr. Presberg, I agree with your assertion that values and beliefs do not qualify or disqualify you from administrative aspects or political actions of your appointed position.
I also admit your religious or non-religious interpretations are of little relevance when deciding minimum qualifications of the BOE position.
However, there lies a duty of inquiry among the citizenry and its media representation when it comes to public leadership and representation.
Since you have been entrusted with our most valuable asset, our children, I know of no reason precluding a representative from willingly disclosing information to assist the public in building trust and confidence in your vision and goals.
No matter how obvious these reasons appear to you, as a leader-servant it is not the belief which is judged to be wrong, but the action resulting from it.
In public office or through public representation, a person’s beliefs and values aren’t considered private.
As an extension of this public platform, your words and thought processes should be viewed as common property of the public for which you’re held accountable.
Beliefs are embodied in our attitudes as outward expressions of our inner core. Beliefs are chosen and choices and decisions we make are influenced by those beliefs.
It is this influence on your decision-making that is being called into question.
Your message could have stated you are a self-proclaimed atheist who embraces the value of Christian behaviors in that you aspire to conduct yourself in similar moral and ethical fashion, and want to be judged for your values as a human being.
The public cannot ignore the substance of what is being said, especially in the form of silence. You cannot represent the public in silence, so in the wake of your expression of leadership, don’t expect the public to sit in silence accepting the image you have cast.
The late William Clifford stated that “He who truly believes that which prompts him to an action has looked upon the action to lust after it, he has committed it already in his heart.”
Jeff Fisher
Senoia, Ga.
