Wednesday, Mar. 17, 2010

Margiotta walks it back

Ron Margiotta is finding out the hard way that every word he says in public will be closely scrutinized now that he's chairman of Wake County's school board.

Margiotta scrambled to downplay remarks he made Thursday to the Northern Wake Republican Club about his call to divide the school district.

"There's a big difference between thinking in what goes on in Zebulon and what goes on at the southwestern part of Cary - big difference," Margiotta said at the Thursday meeting, which WRAL videorecorded. "They should have their own school districts, or at least the assignment zones, and have a certain amount of autonomy."

His remarks led some to wonder if he might try to dissolve the countywide district.

But Marigotta said Friday he was only giving his personal opinion in favor of breaking up the district, which he doubts the General Assembly would do. "It's something that's never going to happen," he said. "It would never be approved by the state of North Carolina."