Look at numbers 8 & 9...we just got back from both. Who would have guessed? Uh, we did.
This week was the first of two Meet the Candidates programs at school. The school community is invited to meet the 6 candidates (for 3 spots) and the program consists of 3 minute introduction speeches by each of us, an hour of questions from the audience, and then 1 minute closing statements.
I've taught a fair amount of classes in my day, have given speeches on work related topics several times and was a pre-race MC for the Beat the Bridge 10k for several years. I don't search it out but am not typically afraid of a microphone or vamping in front of a crowd. That was until the topic was the one I dread the most, which is boasting about me. Have been running thoughts about what I was going to say in my head for a couple weeks now, wrote it down on Monday and then committed it to memory. It was in the style you see here...obviously a bit more formal, but still had my "touch".
Then Betty sends me an email the night before to wish me luck. She starts with "I know you are going to do great". Thanks for remembering honey...but then adds,"....just keep your humor in check until AFTER the election." Shit. I'm now officially bumped, but decide to ignore her and go with my gut. Until 2:33AM on show day. That's when I sit up straight in bed and look at the clock and decide I am going to tear the whole thing apart and start anew. Took about an hour or two to sterilize and think it is OK. Did get back in the sack for a few more winks but had to wake up at 4:30 to get Paul ready for his NYC trip. Damn you Betty. What I finally said in my three minute opener is at the bottom of the entry for posterity.
The opener seemed to go fine. The other candidates are all very qualified...CEO's of this, Chairman of the Board of that. Honestly, I cannot imagine why they would want to give up what has to be a limited amount of free time to do another thing. Are they power freaks, hate being with their family, or just better than me? One of the audience questions was how they thought they could devote the time it would take to be a good board member, so I smoked them on that one. Most of that Q&A is a blur. I remember one discussion about refunding the endowment and the other candidates used all the corporate financial terms while I said the same thing by saying that my goal was to stuff (the superintendent) Sharon's pockets full of cash. I also recall some question where the discussion of work load levels for students in school, Western v Asian styles of education and part of my explanation included how "the school kicked Paul's publicly educated butt the first semester." There were others like that I think, so you get the gist...Populist Me. I definitely received the most laughs, so got that goin' for me. The whole thing is on the web somewhere. I'll never look for it but you can if you want and tell me what you think. On second thought, would rather not know what you think cause I know you'd be lying if you said I did great.
One thing that distracted me during the proceedings in a bad way was that we had a time limit in our replies, and with 30 seconds to go, one of the election committee members in the back would hold up a yellow card signifying that time was almost up. A couple of times when they did that during my ramblings, my mind went totally blank. Not only couldn't remember what I was saying, but what the damn question was. Think I rallied a bit. Maybe. Anyway, will be better prepared for that the second round next Wednesday.
Another distraction was one of the audience members. I've been to a few informal gatherings in the lead-up to this thing to press the flesh, and at one of the lunches I met this lady dressed in purple. It happened to be her birthday and they gave her this lovely purple candle. The gift giver says, "you know her...it's all about the purple". In the last two weeks, I now seem to see her everywhere and she is dressed head to toe in purple every time. And you can guess who is sitting dead center right in front of me during the program. Why do some people do that? Einstein used to wear the same type of shirt and pants every day so as to not have to devote any mental energy thinking about his clothes, but this ain't that. Way too much thought goes into this life's work. There has to be some psychological term for it and will have to remember to ask my sister. I think how much I'd like to get a glimpse of her closet and for a brief moment during one of the other candidates monologues, I wondered if all of her underwear is purple too.
Oh man...Barney doesn't wear underwear! Now I'm grossed out. I wonder if any of the other candidates had this thought?
In the audience were the parents of Paul's girlfriend. I hadn't met them previously, but talked to the dad once when Paul invited her over and he called to give me the verbal stink eye. I realized they were there when he asked a question as they have to introduce themselves. After the program, I make a bee-line to introduce myself and he is rather cool and the wife has her arms folded and a look on her face like I just took a steaming dump on her shoe. That chit-chat ended quickly enough, but that evening when I pick Carolyn up from school, she asks me if Paul broke up with the girl. Having no idea, I ask her why she asked and she said the girl told her friend, who told her sister, who is friends with Carolyn and told her. Meow. Paul is still on the road so I don't know if it's true, but suspect the gossip pipeline at school is fairly reliable, and it would explain my sour reception by the parents. Oh well, just lost two votes there...damn you Paul.
My closing was pretty strong and I end that with a blurb about how this election and how that "being a candidate has forced me to go outside of my usual circle and talk to people that I would not otherwise have had a chance to meet and in doing so, have made a lot of wonderful connections. Regardless of the outcome on April 21st, I am already a winner."
That is absolutely true. I walk around the halls these days and many people smile and come up to talk to me. They like our Sultan picture, something I said or just to thank me for running. While I am certainly not a shy guy, I am very guarded around new people. Think it has to do with the fact that I know my uncontrollable crassness just comes roaring out like projectile vomit, so I've trained myself to wade in slow. Betty on the other hand can walk into a room of strangers and have 10 new best friends in 10 minutes, which drives me crazy with envy. The quantity of all these new interactions coupled with the rote replies of a candidate and the need for me to put myself out there is helping me be a better mingler.
After the program was some chit chat with the audience and I was talking with the head of the PTA with whom I am friendly. This schools PTA is pretty damn impressive. Have had to study up a lot on the school to be ready to speak about it for this election and in my opinion, the PTA does more for the school than the Board does by miles. In my heart, I think I would be better serving them than the Board as I consider myself a grunt. Roll up the sleeves and get dirty, thank you sir, may I have another, and tell me how high boss. Board is wine and cheese and the PTA is cheap beer and peanuts...this school is sorta fancy, so maybe some imported beer and a nice healthy wrap. I'm telling the PTA lady this (more diplomatically of course) and say that if this school board thing doesn't work out that I would be coming to her to see what I could do to help them. She says they already have me on their radar in just such an event and already have a few ideas...that they would love to have more male parent involvement. So win lose or draw, looks like I'll be getting some work to do.
Here is the speech from Wednesday. I have to write a new speech for next week...think I'm gonna let it all hang out.
Good morning, my name is John Imbrogulio and I am candidate
# 3. I have two children at TAS…a 9th
grader named Paul, and a 5th grader named Carolyn
I was born and raised in Southern California, but have much
experience in international education. I
majored in International Relations at American University in Washington DC and
spent two years at university overseas, first in Australia and then in
Argentina.
Since school, I have worked non-stop for 28 years and have
had 3 careers in fields that are not only
international in focus but instilled in me skills that will serve the TAS
school board well.
My first career was in Customs Compliance. While at a Nordstrom, a major retailer in the
US, being the Customs Compliance manager forced me to be detail driven to
master the minutia of International laws and Federal regulations, while at the
same time having to sell the importance of Compliance to the entire
company. It is one of those jobs that if
it went wrong, you ended up on the news and then on the street. I will always be proud of the fact that I led
Nordstrom to the first 100% compliant audit in the history of the US Customs
service.
My second career was in International Transportation where I
was tasked with planning shipping schedules across the globe to meet our
internal and external customer needs.
This included sourcing partners and negotiating contracts that provided
the company both service and value.
The third stage in my career started unexpectedly two years
ago when a job opportunity arose for my wife of 20 years, Betty, to move to
Taipei with Costco. For lack of a
better term, I am now what they call a “Trailing Spouse”. This new career has no job description, but I
think we all try to define it in our own way.
With my kids getting older and more independent, I have been searching
for meaningful ways to keep active and this has led me to spend a lot of time
at TAS.
Time prevents me from detailing all of the love I have for
TAS, but I will share one thing. I woke
up far before the crack of dawn this morning to get my son to school for his
trip with his after school debate team to travel to NY to compete in the finals
of a world-wide forensics competition.
It’s a huge deal. I know that
sounds braggadocious, but I take no credit. I give it all to the school for motivating and inspiring the kids to try out
for this, and then providing the mentors to shape them into finalists.
I can say without hyperbole that the two years my kids have
spent here has changed their lives in profound ways that are not only evident
today, but know will make them adults that I will look up to.
Not only has TAS had a positive impact on them, but it has
made me a better parent and better person.
I find myself more and more eager to volunteer at the school and with
the incredible gift of time I have been given, I can think of no better job
than to be working for, learning from and serving TAS.
I hope you will remember me when you cast your ballot.
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