Do Mary Claypool and her daughter have anything against Mary White?

To my great relief, most of the speakers at Monday night's meeting of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District board sounded conciliatory. The majority thanked the board for listening to community concerns, and gave ideas about how to move forward.

Get to know your employees, they said. Listen to us. Read more about it here.

Many also reiterated what's become a familiar theme. Find someone local. There are great candidates in our midst, most of the speakers said.

My ears hear "Hire Mary White. Hire Dan Albert."

Except for two speakers. Mary Claypool, a local luminarie in the African American community, executive director of the Monterey County Business Council, trustee at the Monterey County Board of Education, etc, etc., urged the board to look further. Not just hire somebody local because they're already here, she said.

Her daughter, Natividad Medical Center top administrator  Janine Bouyea rang the same note. She expressed her dismay about the conditions at the district and said her son could have done better. She also urged the trustees to open the recruitment process again.

I was puzzled. I got curious, so I started to do some digging. Bouyea's son, Claypool's grandson;  a star athlete, is graduating from Seaside High this year. Mmmm. Is that where the discontent comes from?

I wonder, what could Dr. Mary White could have done to spark the displeasure of these two fine ladies? At at time when their star athlete is about to graduate and move on to a better and brighter future?

Scuttlebutt, I need answers! Get to work!!!!!