Eagle Sale Supporters Speak at Tuesday Board Meeting

While the June 14 Farmington school board meeting ran into the wee hours with comments on the proposed sale of Eagle Elementary, Tuesday night's comments were more subdued.

But the few residents who spoke had strong words for some who went to the podium last week. , which officials approved, was often heated. Board president Howard Wallach had to use his gavel several times, and Farmington police were called when residents did not clear the packed board room as he requested, for safety reasons.

Resident Tammy Betel, a docent at the , spoke last week, but wanted to address the board again, because she wasn't called on until after midnight. She spoke in support of the diversity the center would bring and shared a flyer that was distributed in her neighborhood, which she said was designed to instill fear about the sale.

Newly retired teacher Dean Cobb, who coordinated the TV-10 meeting broadcast said he taught his students "reason, respect and responsibility".

"All of the board and 95 percent of the TV-10 viewers emulate that behavior," he said. "You are doing it right. You are helping teach our students the way it's supposed to happen."

Wallach's wife, Stacy, said she was so ashamed while watching the meeting that she cried. Some of the speakers who opposed the sale last week were Jewish and .

"I watched at home in disbelief as I viewed the hatred spewed," she said.

Stacy Wallach said Robert Cohen, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit, was "brave enough" to call the comments he heard "bigotry."

"Did I really hear a woman say that bells would ring five times a day or 'whatever those people do'?," she asked. "What happened here last week gave Jews a bad name. I ask the community please to not judge us by what you witnessed last week."

She also cast doubt on comments from a few of last week's commenters that a developer was interested in purchasing the property, but didn't know it was available.

"This building has been vacant ... if anybody wanted to buy the building, they could have called FPS as the Islamic Center did," Stacy Wallach said. "Shoulda, woulda coulda – didn't."