NEWS BLOG (WSAU) One upon a time, I had a boss that I deeply disliked. He was loud, brash, and unreasonable. And, in my opinion, he was incompetent. We had fundamental differences about how to run the radio station. I was a mid-level manager. He was an absentee owner. I only saw him once a week. I hated Fridays. That was his day to visit the office.

After six months, I quietly began interviewing for other jobs. Once I had a good offer, I gave notice and left two weeks later.

I guess you could say I gave my boss a vote of 'no confidence'.

That's my thought about the Wausau Education Association's no confidence vote in Superintendent Steve Murley. You choose your boss only when you decide to work somewhere, or if you decide to leave. There's no other way. A school superintendent is accountable to his or her board of education. The school board is accountable to its voters and taxpayer.

Teachers and staff are employees. And employees have no inherent right to work for the Wausau School District. Just like me, if you find working for the Wausau School District objectionable, you can quietly look for other jobs and give notice when you find one.

I have no opinion about the kind of job Steve Murley is doing. He is navigating difficult financial times. If I was truly disgruntled, as a taxpayer its hard for me to do anything about it. If I were a disgruntled employee, leaving should be easy.

The Wausau Education Association's no confidence vote gives the illusion that they have some control over who their boss is. They don't.

Chris Conley
Operations Manager, Midwest Communications-Wausau
12.11.09