On a playground, a scuffle ends when one of the kids is forced to “say uncle.”
But when it comes to the two-year tenure of Dr. Philip Hickman as superintendent of the Columbus Municipal School District, we’ve been crying uncle since the very start.
The uncle we refer to is Leslie Smith, who is the uncle of Hickman’s wife, Adilah Zalzala.
Almost from the day he took over as superintendent — July 28, 2014 — Hickman targeted Smith for a newly-created position in the school district. In fact, evidence exists that Hickman previously offered Smith a position at Hickman’s former school district in Houston.
During his very first school board meeting on Aug. 11, 2014, Hickman recommended Smith for the new position, a recommendation that was approved by the school board.
Through reporting by this newspaper, it was uncovered that virtually none of the board members knew of the family connection between the two men.
Back-peddling from the resulting outcry, Hickman sent a letter to The Dispatch saying Smith had declined the offer.
Then, at a Rotary Club appearance the week after the board meeting, Hickman claimed the Smith offer had been a ruse, designed to uncover leaks within his administration. “I was never going to hire my uncle,” he said of the issue.
Immediately after that Rotary meeting, Hickman reversed course and said he did, in fact, intend to hire Smith.
One year later, Smith sued Hickman and CMSD for breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation and gross negligence. The lawsuit alleges CMSD reneged on an employment offer to Smith.
Information recently revealed through court documents related to that lawsuit paints a portrait of a contrived, contorted and duplicitous exercise in nepotism.
According to an exchange of text messages between Hickman and Smith on Aug. 5, 2014 — prior to Hickman’s first board meeting as superintendent — Hickman encouraged Smith to apply for the newly-created director of schools position. When Smith sought clarification of the job duties, Hickman sent a text telling Smith the online job description was “fake” and that the two would sort out his duties once he arrived.
In addition to the text exchange between Hickman and Smith, court documents also detail an effort by Hickman to secure a letter from Smith saying Smith had declined the job offer.
The men were to meet at a relative’s home in Kansas City, Missouri. When Hickman arrived at that residence, Smith wasn’t there. He did pick up the letter, which he said was signed by Smith.
In court documents, Smith claims the signature on the letter is not his signature.
Uncle Leslie is seeking $280,000 in damages.
That figure doesn’t include the damage done to Hickman’s reputation or that of the Columbus Municipal School District.
We are, even now, at a loss to understand the whole Hickman-Smith soap opera.
Like a kid on the playground, we give up.
“Uncle.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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