[nfbmi-talk] cancer moved to wisconsin

Terry Eagle terrydeagle at yahoo.com
Fri Oct 12 12:40:45 UTC 2012


How is that firing any different than the firing of BEP's David Robinson's
advocacy for the business needs of blind vendors, while Patrick Duthie and
Josh Hoskins are allowed to slide on exactly the same things for which David
was fired, and these are documented facts in my possession.

Those who do their job in support of persons with disabilities get the
shaft, while those who fail to support persons with disabilities get the
elevator car to move up through promotion. 
As an example of this, just compare the cases of Christine Boone and David
Robinson to the cases of Constance Zanger and James Hull.  A comparison
proves this point.  Of course, your chances significantly increase to get
the elevator car to the top, if you despise the National Federation of the
Blind. 

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of joe
harcz Comcast
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 5:19 PM
To: Larry Posont MCB Comm.
Cc: Joe Sontag; nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] cancer moved to wisconsin

This lawyer probably got fired for doing his job. Masseau was the Chair of
the SILC and responsable while at MPAS for them not doing there job....

Joe


Abrupt firing of Disability Rights Wisconsin attorney has parents and
advocates worried

Judith Davidoff

on Wednesday 10/10/2012 2:28 pm

#articleComments

Spitzer-Resnick: '[Masseau] has put the agency and its clients at risk.'

Spitzer-Resnick: '[Masseau] has put the agency and its clients at risk.'

Credit:Carolyn Fath

 

The evening of Sept. 21, Tom Masseau emailed the board of

Disability Rights Wisconsin

to inform members that attorney Jeff Spitzer-Resnick was no longer employed
with the agency. Masseau gave no reason for the departure, saying only that

the agency wished Spitzer-Resnick -- a 17-year veteran of the agency who
worked on high-profile special education cases -- the best and thanked him
"for

his years many [sic] of service with DRW."

 

Earlier that day Masseau, who has been executive director of Disability
Rights Wisconsin since January, met with Spitzer-Resnick and fired him on
the spot.

When asked why he was being immediately terminated, Spitzer-Resnick says
Masseau gave him two reasons: "We don't get along" and the "tone of your
emails."

 

Masseau said he could not comment on personnel matters. Ditto for Jeff Timm,
president of the Disability Rights Wisconsin board.

 

Disability Rights Wisconsin is a federally mandated advocacy organization
and public-interest law firm. Its

mission

is to "advocate vigorously on behalf of the human and legal rights of people
with disabilities." The Wisconsin agency has offices in Madison, Milwaukee

and Rice Lake and employs just under 60 people.

 

Based in Madison, Spitzer-Resnick was the managing attorney for the schools
and civil rights team. He was co-counsel on a long-running class action suit

against the Milwaukee Public Schools over its treatment of students with
special needs and led a long battle to help pass a state law that restricts
the

inappropriate use of seclusion and restraint of children with disabilities.
He was also representing families in Appleton, where special education
teacher

Mary Berglund is accused of physically abusing six disabled students at the
school.

 

Spitzer-Resnick says that his abrupt dismissal has left colleagues
scrambling and that scheduled depositions on the Appleton case had to be
canceled.

 

"DRW is mandated by federal law to help these families and others, and now
people are wondering how it can do that," says Chris Thomas-Cramer, a policy

analyst for the Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, which
advocates for systemic changes that help people with disabilities.

 

"I've been an advocate for people with disabilities for over 20 years, and I
find Jeff's firing to be incomprehensible on so many levels," adds
Thomas-Cramer,

who notes she is not speaking on behalf of her agency. "Jeff was an
extremely effective advocate for individuals and families, and he
collaborated with

other advocates to effect change."

 

"[Masseau] has put the agency and its clients at risk," says
Spitzer-Resnick.

 

Masseau says that is not true: "There is no disruption in the cases. They're
ongoing."

 

And he says his agency will continue to provide legal representation and
education and fight for the civil rights of people with disabilities.

 

Board president Timm agrees there is no cause for alarm: "I don't think any
client needs to worry, is my bottom line."

 

Spitzer-Resnick's firing has provoked a storm on social media. His Facebook
post announcing his dismissal brought more than 100 comments from
supporters.

One fan, Linda Rowley -- who was on Spitzer-Resnick's hiring committee --
made her own Facebook appeal, asking people concerned about his firing to
contact

Masseau and the board of directors. His former colleagues are also planning
a

recognition and roast

on Oct. 22 at the Goodman Center.

 

Becky Kostopolus of Appleton is concerned about the fate of the complaint
Spitzer-Resnick filed with the Department of Public Instruction on behalf of
her

14-year-old son, who has autism. She says Spitzer-Resnick worked hard for
years to get the school district to provide appropriate programming for her
son.

 

"[His] knowledge and experience in special education law cannot easily be
replaced," she says.

 

Spitzer-Resnick acknowledges that he did not get along well with Masseau,
who

before coming to Wisconsin

was director of government and media relations for Michigan Protection and
Advocacy Service. And he knows that his complaints about Masseau could look
like

sour grapes since he, too, applied for the agency's top spot when longtime
executive director Lynn Breedlove stepped down after 31 years at the helm.

 

But Spitzer-Resnick says he offered to resign effective Dec. 24 when he met
with Masseau so that there could be an orderly transition of his duties to
others.

Masseau, he says, turned him down.

 

Spitzer-Resnick says that he had "17 years of excellent evaluations" and
that his firing violates the agency's own personnel policies, "which require
a

warning and corrective action plan, prior to termination, other than in
dangerous or criminal behavior."

 

He says he is talking to an attorney about possible legal action. He might
also make a run for a Madison school board seat in April.

 

C 2012 Isthmus Publishing Company, Inc.

 
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