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Did Mamaroneck School Board Candidate Plagiarize Letter?

Michael Rosenbaum, center, seen at recent unveiling of sculpture he donated to Mamatroneck Village
Michael Rosenbaum, center, seen at recent unveiling of sculpture he donated to Mamaroneck Village

A candidate for the upcoming Mamaroneck School District Board of Education appears to have plagiarized his open letter to the community announcing his interest in running, from an Alabama woman in a similar position.

Michael Rosenbaum of Mamaroneck sent the letter, below, to thousands of email addresses in Larchmont and Mamaroneck.

But a letter found on Facebook by a group of local parents, appears to use identical language.

This is Rosenbaum’s letter, dated May 11, 2016:

I read about the Board of Education opening, and am submitting a letter of interest to you with a little bit of background on myself.

My involvement for Mamaroneck Schools began the moment my four children entered the system, and my goal has long been to be supportive and work to enhance it from the bottom up. My desire to serve has grown over the years and contributing as a member of the school board has been a personal goal of mine for some time.

Taking on one of the most important responsibilities–helping to plan the education of our city’s youth–is not something I take lightly. These are critical times for public education fraught with challenges. I find satisfaction in energetically confronting tough challenges and working collegially to overcome them. In addition to meeting the minimum requirements to hold this seat, I feel I can bring many valuable attributes to this position.

A little background on me. My formal education includes a degree in Bachelor of Arts from Yale in Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor of Law degree and a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University. I served as Executive Vice President and director of Vector Group. As such, I have extensive experience with writing strategic plans and overseeing budgets of all sizes. My ability to understand, manage and balance complex budgets is an asset in these fiscally-challenging times.

I also fully appreciate that the children are our ultimate focus. I will work with other board members to create a shared vision for work and learning; build strategic partnerships; sustain the city’s progress through continuous improvement; adopt and maintain current policies in; maintain strong ethical standards; and objectively seek answers to questions and challenges as they arise.

In closing, I hope these will convey my passion and ability serve in a variety of capacities to not only enhance my children’s experience, but other students’ as well.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your decision about this exciting opportunity.

Sincerely,

Michael Rosenbaum
1000 Boston Post Rd
Mamaroneck NY 10543

 

This is a letter found on Facebook apparently written by a Florence, Alabama woman in 2012.

To The Board of Education,

I read about the Board of Education, District 6’s opening in the Times Daily and am submitting a letter of interest as per the statement released by President, Bill Jordan.

My involvement for Florence City Schools began the moment my children entered the system, and my goal has long been to be supportive and work to enhance it from the bottom up. My desire to serve has grown over the years and contributing as a member of the school board has been a personal goal of mine for some time.

Taking on one of the most important responsibilities–helping to plan the education of our city’s youth–is not something I take lightly. These are critical times for public education fraught with challenges. I find satisfaction in energetically confronting tough challenges and working collegially to overcome them. In addition to meeting the minimum requirements to hold this seat, I feel I can bring many other valuable attributes to this position, such as: (lists qualifications)

I also fully appreciate that the children are our ultimate focus. I will work with other board members to create a shared vision for work and learning; build strategic partnerships; sustain the city’s progress through continuous improvement; adopt and maintain current policies in written format; maintain strong ethical standards; and objectively seek answers to questions and challenges as they arise.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in communications and have been working full-time for nearly 25 years as a strategic consultant to businesses, the last 13 as a business owner of a small regional marketing firm. As such, I have extensive experience with writing strategic plans and overseeing budgets of all sizes, which includes negotiating with hundreds of third-party suppliers and vendors.  As the operational partner of Blue Olive, I have not only managed my own business, but have been entrusted by dozens of clients to supervise and spend their budgets. My ability to understand, manage and balance complex budgets is an asset in these fiscally-challenging times.

In closing, I have include five letters of recommendation from various residents and business owners in Florence as well as a brief snapshot of my involvement with various schools to aid you in your deliberation. I hope these will convey my passion and ability serve in a variety of capacities to not only enhance my children’s experience, but other students’ as well.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your decision about this exciting opportunity.

Sincerely,

Britton Pressnell Watson

During an email exchange about his candidacy, we asked Rosenbaum about this apparent coincidence, but he declined to respond.

The election will be held May 17. Rosenbaum is not endorsed by the Selection Committee.

He writes, “i  (sic) was unaware of the selection committee which was probably my fault. obviously i then did not seek an endorsement.”

 

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ExSelection Member
ExSelection Member
May 16, 2016 8:38 PM

The assertions are correct, in 2013 Mr. Rosenbaum was briefly a member of the selection committee, he resigned with his intention to run for the school board. In 2014 he put in his application to the selection committee for consideration as a candidate for the board and was not endorsed. That he would claim he does not know about the selection committee shows that he is either is either lying or senile.

Very Concerned Parent
Very Concerned Parent
May 15, 2016 11:40 PM

It is true that Michael Rosenbaum ran for and was elected to the Selection Committee for the 2013-2014 school year. He attended one meeting and resigned. His quoted comment is disingenuous. There is no place on a school board for a candidate who plagiarizes. What would we tell our kids?

Resident
Resident
May 13, 2016 11:37 PM

This would explain the use of the word city in the letter when the school district serves residents of the Town of Mamaroneck and the villages of Larchmont and Mamaroneck.

JR
JR
May 13, 2016 10:13 PM

Wow! I hope this psycho doesn’t get elected.

Former Selection Committee Member
Former Selection Committee Member
May 13, 2016 12:25 PM

Funny that Mike claims he “was unaware of the Selection Committee” since Mike and I served on that exact committee together briefly before he quit in the fall of 2013. This information should be a part of the public record since Selection Committee members are elected each May on the same date as the School Board election and budget vote. Maybe an enterprising hyper-local journalist could dig that information up (it would have been May of 2013 if my memory serves me correctly) and expose yet another political candidate who seems more than comfortable flat out lying to the people he hopes will elect him to office?

jobe
jobe
May 13, 2016 10:25 AM

Gee, Another Fake !

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