Detroit school board members were willing to give former board president Otis Mathis another chance when they discovered he could not write coherently.

"Do DPS control the Foundation or outside group? If an outside group control the foundation, then what is DPS board row with selection of is director? Our we mixing DPS and None DPS row's, and who is the watch dog?" read an e-mail from Mathis.

Mathis, 55, said he had a learning disability and others said his math skills were off the charts.

"I told him everything should be looked over," board member LaMar Lemmons said. "He is extremely intelligent and can figure out things and is almost a savant in mathematics."

However, if the new charges Mathis is facing are true, he's not too bright when it comes to other aspects of his life.

Mathis is now being accused of fondling himself in front of the district's former superintendent. He was released on $50,000 bond after appearing in court on Tuesday. Mathis is facing charges of misconduct in an office and obscene conduct. He's also looking at anywhere from 90 days to five years in prison if convicted.

A judge ordered him to stay away from his alleged victim and not to have contact with children at any school.

Mathis' attorney said the judge's orders made it look as if he was accused of inappropriate behavior with children, which he was not.

"I don't want that broadcast across the country that this man is messing with children," attorney Odie Uddyback III said. "It's unfair. He's already getting ambushed. A political ambush today."

Uddyback has a point. Unfortunately, these appear to be charges that Mathis brought upon himself.



Mathis admitted that he "made inappropriate actions toward a professional employee" and regretted it. He resigned after former superintendent Teresa Gueyser filed a complaint with the district's public safety office. Mathis tried to get his job back but was rebuffed after the obscenity allegations were lodged against him.

Mathis has proven that he doesn't need to be around children or in a decision-making capacity involving children.

First of all, Mathis' failure to get help for his learning disability was a poor judgment call in a setting that is dedicated to creating the best possible learning environment. There's nothing wrong with having a learning disability, and I don't doubt that Mathis is gifted in other areas; however, he should have gotten help or gotten someone to review his public writings.

In addition, fondling oneself in public shows an extreme lack of self-control and a measure of perversity. Did Mathis think a woman who had reached the highest levels of her profession would be excited by such a gesture?

Through his e-mails and actions, Mathis has become an embarrassment to a city that has struggled with its image for long enough. Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has single-handedly embarrassed the city enough for the next two generations. Mathis is not the type of role model that the children of an already struggling Detroit need.