Columnist Jeff German: Williams no role model for children

Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2003 | 11:15 a.m.

There were concerns three years ago that Assemblyman Wendell Williams wasn't the best role model for children and didn't deserve to have an elementary school named after him.

The North Las Vegas Democrat had filed for bankruptcy and was ordered to pay $52,000 in back child support.

"We don't want our children to emulate his bad habits," a former principal who lived a few blocks from the school said at the time. Others voiced similar concerns.

The Clark County School Board, however, voted to name the rebuilt Madison Elementary School in West Las Vegas after Williams.

Board members might have been motivated to overlook his character flaws because he chaired the Assembly's Education Committee, which plays a role in determining how much money the Legislature sets aside for the school district.

Since that vote three years ago, Williams has done nothing to allay concerns about his character.

On the contrary, his bad habits have escalated. His personal life, frankly, is a mess.

Take a look:

It is true that Williams has done much for education over the years as a state lawmaker. And it is true that he hasn't been convicted, or even charged, with a crime.

Yet, with his recent lapses in judgment and his pattern of not following the rules, he has demonstrated that he is not worthy of having a school named after him. He has not conducted his life as a role model for our children.

So the School Board has a real dilemma on its hands.

President Sheila Moulton says the board has never had to consider stripping a school of its name because of misconduct by the namesake. That is evident by the fact that the board doesn't even have a regulation in place to accomplish that feat, she says.

But maybe the board needs to write such a regulation -- and examine the pitfalls of routinely naming schools after the living.

The advantage of naming a school after someone who has died is that you know the life history of that person and don't have to worry about being embarrassed down the line.

The School Board has to know that Wendell Williams has become an embarrassment to the board and to the children of Clark County.

And it has to know that it needs to correct the mistake it made three years ago.