Attorney Sends Cease and Desist Letter to School Board Candidate

One local candidate has received a cease and desist letter from a local attorney demanding she stop accusing her opponent of racism.

Attorney Dale Gronemeier wrote the letter on behalf of school board candidate Pat Amsbry.

Previously, a mailer issued by Amsbry was alleged by incumbent Michelle Richardson Bailey to have contained racial undertones.

In that instance, Bailey took umbrage with an image that Amsbry used that she said came across as a mugshot.

Bailey never outright called Amsbry a racist or accused him of racism.

But after that dust-up a Bailey surrogate seemed to accuse Amsbry of racism in a robocall. 

“I’m calling to express my deep concerns about Amsbry’s attacks against her,” says a woman in the recorded message. “He sends his kids to private school and has no experience in public education. I am outraged about Pat Amsbry’s dirty tactics against a woman of color, against a proven leader for our schools. Shame on Pat Amsbry for the mudslinging. This is Pasadena we must unite. We are better than this. Implicit racism has no room in our city.”

The robocalls end with the disclosure that it was ‘Paid for by Richardson Bailey for School Board 2022.’

The woman in the call identifies herself as Lisa Phelps, wife of retiring School Board Member Scott Phelps.

Gronemeier addressed his letter to Phelps and Bailey.

Gronemeier previously lived in Pasadena, but moved to Texas several years ago. 

“By this letter, Mr. Amsbry makes the following demands,” Gronomeier wrote. 

“1. Ms. Phelps cease and desist from her slanderous robocalls to residents in which she accuses Mr. Amsbry of racism, and from any other oral or written accusations against Mr. Amsbry of racism.

“2. Ms. Richardson Bailey and the other persons in her campaign who have participated in her false accusations cease and desist from her/their libelous and slanderous accusations against Mr. Amsbry of racism, including without limitation Ms. Richardson Bailey’s campaign and other persons in it who have produced and paid for robocalls by Ms. Phelps accusing Mr. Amsbry of racism.”

According to Gronemeier, after his guest opinion in Pasadena Now examining claims of Bailey’s claims of racial undertones in Amsbry’s mailer, any continued publication of statements that Mr. Amsbry is racist or engaging in racism are “indisputably knowingly false statements that injure Mr. Amsbry’s reputation and are unjustifiably painful to him.”

When contacted by Pasadena Now on Sunday, Bailey said she has an election to win and did not have time for Amsbry’s accusations. 

This should be about our vision for the students,” she said. “I am focused on my vision for PUSD’s students.” 

Bailey is the current Vice-President of the PUSD School Board and has worked in public education for over 20 years. Bailey, her three children and a grand child are products of PUSD schools.

She is the only African-American on the board. 

Amsbry is a newcomer to School Board politics.

He is a product of public schools from kindergarten through college. He is an entrepreneur and a Board member of several Pasadena-based organizations.