*all information in this report is public and accessible to everyone.*
Rich Lieberman, failed Spotsylvania school board candidate, has been accused of corruption and harassment.
Just last week, Lieberman was caught on video, harrasing a reporter who was recording him at a school board meeting. It is perfectly legal to do so, and he was subsequently told off by a security guard, and multiple critics online.
This is a short exchange between Lieberman, and the reporter:
Lieberman: “If you want to video me, I will get closer to you”
Young lady off camera: “You are making me feel uncomfortable”.
Lieberman: “He is making me feel uncomfortable”
Young lady off camera: “I am feeling very uncomfortable right now and he is harassing me”
Cop – “Is this the hill you want to die on”
Lieberman has not issued any public or private apologies regarding the incident.
This is not the first time Lieberman has been caught on video harrasing people. At a previous meeting, he was caught recording a young female student who was sitting in her seat; the very action he criticized others for. The young female student told him off, calling him a 'pervert'.
These actions by Lieberman have been criticized by many online, including students and parents. Questions have also been raised about his past run for school board.
Lieberman ran on an entirely independent platform:
"as a true independent with previous board experience, I will listen to both sides of every issue and make the decision I believe is best for the students of Spotsylvania county."
Lieberman said. He subsequently lost the election however, to conservative candidate, Lisa Phelps.
Recently, Lieberman has been dedicating his time to activism. He has held multiple protests advocating for the removal of school board members', Kirk Twigg and Rabih Abuismail.
This came after the two conservative members made comments about removing sexually explicit books from school libraries, a controversial statement.
However, Lieberman is not without his own controversial remarks. According to multiple screenshots and reports, Lieberman made multiple inappropriate, misogynistic comments on Facebook.
“I told every woman I got serious with if they don’t hit me, I won’t hit them. If they hit me, I hit back”
“All women should be buck neeked, barefoot in the kitchen with a beer in arm’s reach at all times for her mans”
“If she snorts drugs, I wonder how her s*ck swall** skills are???? Asking for a friend”
Following harsh blowback, Lieberman apologized, claiming they were just 'jokes'. Many still felt these comments were a valid disqualifier for his candidacy.
In addition to these remarks, Lieberman has been accused of using his small business to take advantage of young women for over a decade.
Lieberman is the owner of a sports memorabilia company 'Leader in Sports" . He has hired dozens of female models to advertise his products, and many parents have criticized his methods for doing so. One parent even calling it "objectification"
Here are some of his advertisements:
*The following images may be sensitive to some viewers*
Lieberman Advertisement
Lieberman also had taken pictures with the half-dressed models
These images were revealed during his campaign by multiple parents who claimed this was not a positive role model for their Spotsylvania students.
He was also criticized for his requirements for the models. On a model agency website, Liberman wrote the following:
These posts and images were an immediate disqualifier for him from the school board, but it did not stop others from being complicit with his run.
The Freelance Star wrote multiple articles concerning his run, and none of them mentioned his controversial past. People have accused the newspaper of being partisan and divisive, concerning their disparate coverage of certain candidates.
It seems regardless of these controversies, Lieberman has continued to be a prominent figure in Spotsylvania County, having showed up to every board meeting since November.
He is the founder of a Facebook Group, Spotsy Parents for Public Education, where he has over 1,000 followers. This group has showed up to meetings wearing red, and giving consistent prepared speeches, often attacking the current boards' conservative majority.
Recently, he has been a vocal critic of the school budget. Lieberman and others have pushed for a one-time, $1k raise for all Spotsylvania staff. He argues that it will encourage a growth in staff positions, aiding the current staffing crisis facing school districts across the nation.
Lieberman has been critical of Board of Supervisors members, claiming that they are a corrupt "tea party" that only have conversations about the budget "within their own little circle". Others have pointed out that Lieberman is maybe the last person to call out people for being partisan.
SCSU reporters have reached out to Lieberman, asking him why he continues to attack conservative members of the board, and he declined to respond, claiming that he 'has a strict policy of not speaking to minors''.
However, multiple images and witness accounts say he is very active with minors, students in the community. He talks exclusively with students from a group called "Spotsy Students for Education", and declines to speak with any conservative students.
The concerns being raised over his involvement with students have been mostly critical of his controversial past. Some see him a bad role model for these kids, and a hypocrite for being openly partisan around them. A criticism that is valid.
Additionally, if Lieberman really cared about students in Spotsylvania, he would address ALL of their concerns. Conservative students have been overlooked, ignored, and even made fun of by Lieberman, along with teachers and parents that are a part of his activist group.
One student even broke down into tears, after she was laughed at by Lieberman and others when she was voicing her concerns about bullying and racism.
In the opinion of SCSU parents and students, Lieberman needs to take accountability for his past, and stop his divisive, political redirect. He constantly points the finger, and blames conservatives and what he calls the "tea party" for budgeting issues and bad press, when he is the one organizing divisive protests and rallies.
This all stems from Lieberman's deep hatred for conservatives, and bitterness after he lost the election for the school board. Let's put an end to Lieberman's reign over the hearts and minds of the people of Spotsylvania county.