Lawmaker says 'odd' note gave him pause, Child Protective Servicesboard worker e-mails Paton list of traffic tickets....

Lawmaker says 'odd' note gave him pause
CPS board worker e-mails Paton list of traffic tickets
By Josh Brodesky
arizona daily star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.30.2007

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/185337

A state Foster Care Review Board employee e-mailed state Rep. Jonathan
Paton a list of his traffic offenses Sunday after she read his newspaper
commentary calling for more open disclosure of the actions of Child
Protective Services workers.
Cheri Holgerson said she sent Paton the e-mail about his traffic
violations because "If you are going to be critical about the subject,
that you better not live in a glass house," she said.
"I saw his, and I've also looked up yours," she told a reporter during a
brief interview.
Paton's commentary, which appeared in the Sunday's Arizona Daily Star,
said CPS confidentiality regulations should not be used to protect
workers who behave inappropriately.
Holgerson sent the e-mail from her personal account and never mentioned
her job with the Foster Care Review Board, an independent state body
that examines CPS cases when children are placed in foster care.
The board is made up of volunteers, but it has a paid support staff.
Paton, a Tucson Republican, is on a legislative committee looking into
CPS. He has been calling for more openness for months.
He said he found the e-mail exchange to be a bit strange. When he
realized Holgerson was on the support staff for Tucson's Foster Care
Review Board, he said he felt "queasy."
"If it were from anyone else it would be one thing," Paton said. "But
the fact that she directly connected it to a story about CPS on Sunday
and the fact that she works for an agency that deals with CPS, that's
what I thought was kind of odd about it."
In her first e-mail, Holgerson writes in the subject line "Are You The
One Listed In The Following Court Information?"
It then lists four minor traffic violations such as driving less than 65
mph in a 55 mph zone. Another citation, failing to yield for a stop sign
in 2000, was waived because Paton took a defensive driving course.
Paton wrote back to Holgerson asking why she was "trying to find this out."
She replied, "It's public information, I saw your article in Sunday's
paper and was wondering if the records are your infractions. Is there a
reason you are hesitant to give a yes or no answer?"
Christopher Corman, regional manager for the Foster Care review Board in
Tucson, said Holgerson was "absolutely not" directed to contact Paton.
Support staff are, however, allowed to contact elected officials during
their private time, he said.
Asked if he thought the e-mail was appropriate considering the
connection between the board and CPS, Corman said he couldn't answer
that question because it was a private e-mail sent from a personal address.
Holgerson defended her e-mails.
"My position has nothing to do with this situation," she said. "I think
your questions are inappropriate. I think it's inappropriate that you
called my employer, and I'm just wondering why this is causing an
alarming reaction."

Contact reporter Josh Brodesky at 807-7789 or .








CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.

BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...

Article said
A state Foster Care Review Board employee e-mailed state Rep. Jonathan
Paton a list of his traffic offenses Sunday after she read his newspaper
commentary calling for more open disclosure of the actions of Child
Protective Services workers.
Cheri Holgerson said she sent Paton the e-mail about his traffic
violations because "If you are going to be critical about the subject,
that you better not live in a glass house," she said.
"I saw his, and I've also looked up yours," she told a reporter during a
brief interview.
Paton's commentary, which appeared in the Sunday's Arizona Daily Star,
said CPS confidentiality regulations should not be used to protect
workers who behave inappropriately.

Kane, Do you think Cheri wanted to protect
the caseworkers who would be exposed?

Do you see any problems with Cheri's actions?

Being an insider to the issue, isn't this sort of
action indicative that the caseworkers she thinks
she is protecting are DIRTY?

Her action compare exposing their dirty laundry
to exposing the legislator's dirty laundry didn't she?

How do you think Cheri's actions may backfire?

Cheri Holgerson, Arizona Foster Care Review Board employee
"I saw his, and I've also looked up yours," she
told a reporter during a brief interview.

She looked up the reporter's traffic tickets??
Was she trying to intimidate the reporter?
Why would she tell the reporter that?

Does this lady think she is some sort of INQUISITIONER?

Is she a Mental Case?




On May 30, 8:48 pm, Greegor wrote:
Article said

A state Foster Care Review Board employee e-mailed state Rep. Jonathan
Paton a list of histrafficoffenses Sunday after she read his newspaper
commentary calling for more open disclosure of the actions of Child
Protective Services workers.
Cheri Holgerson said she sent Paton the e-mail about histraffic
violations because "If you are going to be critical about the subject,
that you better not live in a glass house," she said.
"I saw his, and I've also looked up yours," she told a reporter during a
brief interview.
Paton's commentary, which appeared in the Sunday's Arizona Daily Star,
said CPS confidentiality regulations should not be used to protect
workers who behave inappropriately.

Kane, Do you think Cheri wanted to protect
the caseworkers who would be exposed?

Do you see any problems with Cheri's actions?

Being an insider to the issue, isn't this sort of
action indicative that the caseworkers she thinks
she is protecting are DIRTY?

Her action compare exposing their dirty laundry
to exposing the legislator's dirty laundry didn't she?

How do you think Cheri's actions may backfire?

Christopher Corman, regional manager for the Foster Care review Board in
Tucson, said Holgerson was "absolutely not" directed to contact Paton.
Support staff are, however, allowed to contact elected officials during
their private time, he said.
Asked if he thought the e-mail was appropriate considering the
connection between the board and CPS, Corman said he couldn't answer
that question because it was a private e-mail sent from a personal address.

An attempt to intimidate a state legislator because
he wants to open up abuses by CPS caseworkers?

Holgerson defended her e-mails.
"My position has nothing to do with this situation," she said. "I think
your questions are inappropriate. I think it's inappropriate that you
called my employer, and I'm just wondering why this is causing an
alarming reaction."

Mental case?

http://coaching.typepad.com/espresso_pundit/
Lifting the Veil
Being a Legislator is a tough job. In addition to the low pay, long
hours and demands of constituents, there are the threats. All
Legislators get threats. Some of them are subtle and legitimate "I'm
a Precinct Committeeman in your district, and I want to know why you
haven't secured the border."

Some of them are way over the line "Hay iddiot, better have someonelse
start your'e car." Those are usually written in crayon and pressed
really hard into the paper.

Then there are the veiled threats.

Jonathan Paton has been has been working to stop abuses at Child
Protective Services and is making some headway. Here's an example
from the Tucson Citizen.

State Rep. Jonathan Paton, R-Tucson, said last week he is troubled by
what he read in a May 15 Citizen story about a Child Protective
Services' case manager who had a romantic relationship with a man
whose children's welfare she once had been responsible for.

Paton also wrote an Op Ed piece for Sunday's Star in which he called
for more openness at CPS.

That's when Paton received this email:

From:
Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2007 1:23 PM
To: Jonathan Paton
Subject: Are You The One Listed In The Following Court Information?

The email then listed four minor traffic citations that Paton had
received over the last 10 years and was signed "Cheri Holgerson."

Here's Paton's response.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jonathan Paton
To:
Sent: Tue, 29 May 2007 8:45 am
Subject: Are You The One Listed In The Following Court
Information?

Is there some reason you're trying to find this out?

And here's her reply.

From: ]
Sent: Tue 5/29/2007 11:34 AM
To: Jonathan Paton
Subject: Are You The One Listed In The Following Court
Information?

It's public information, I saw your article in Sunday's paper and was
wondering if the records are your infractions. Is there a reason you
are
hesitant to give a yes or no answer?

Isn't that strange? Paton wrote an article to say that there should
be more disclosure in CPS and this woman responds to the article by
looking up Paton in the court records and confronting him with his
traffic tickets.

Of course, it makes sense if you Google Cheri Holgerson. Then you
will find out that she's not just a constituent who opposes additional
disclosure at CPS, Ms. Holgerson is on the staff of the Foster Care
Review Board.

Click the link and notice the seal at the left. Yep, that's the seal
of the State Supreme Court. It seems that the Foster Care Review
Board is housed under the Courts and interfaces with Child Protective
Services.

Now we know why Ms. Holgerson is so good at looking up court records.
We also have a pretty good idea why she may not be interested in
having a State Representative examining the problems at Child
Protective Services.

That's right. A Legislator's job is hard. If you are going to delve
into the problems of state government, you should have thick
skin...and you had better be an excellent driver.

Update: The Star has the story here.

Here's an incredible post script. The Star Reporter called Holgerson
to ask about her looking up Paton's court records and here was her
response:

"I saw his, and I've also looked up yours," she told a reporter during
a brief interview.

May 29, 2007 in Espresso Pundit