Lowery’s Stand Garners Both Brickbats, BouquetsWhen Sharon...

Lowery’s Stand Garners Both Brickbats, Bouquets

When Sharon Rogers’ van exploded March 10, the city’s major politicians reacted quickly to the horrifying possibility that terrorism had hit the streets of San Diego.

Mayor Maureen O’Connor, Supervisor Susan Golding, U.S. Sen. Pete Wilson and Rep. Bill Lowery all talked about the need to remain calm and let law enforcement do its job.

In the weeks that followed, however, only one politician stayed publicly involved in the case: Lowery, who blasted La Jolla Country Day School for removing Rogers from her teaching job and then encouraged her to seek legal counsel to negotiate a better deal.

At the Friday press conference to announce a $135,000 settlement from the school, Rogers was direct: “Bill Lowery is my hero.”

Not all the parents at the exclusive school agree, and Lowery may yet reap a political backlash. As a group that includes many lawyers, doctors, professors and business executives, the Country Day parents have the ability to make their political displeasure evident.

Some parents have talked of working against the five-term Republican in his next election, possibly finding a candidate to oppose him.

“Once Lowery got involved in the process, all chance at a calm compromise was impossible because he was grabbing headlines bashing the school,” said one parent.

“I lost a ton of respect for Lowery,” said another. “I think it was a grandstand play on his part. I’m a staunch Republican but that SOB will never get my vote again.”

Said a third parent: “I’m sick of Lowery using my school and my kids to get his name in the newspaper. He was playing to the crowd by portraying us as a bunch of rich cowards.”

Still, Lowery is not without supporters among Country Day parents. In fact, some say he should be congratulated for “shaming” the school into an equitable settlement.

“Yes, there are some parents mad at Lowery, but there are far more who are mad at the way the headmaster bungled the issue from the start,” said a parent.

Lowery’s chief aide, Karl Higgins, accompanied Rogers’ attorney, Pat Shea, to the Friday press conference and released a statement from Lowery.

Higgins said Lowery’s only desire has been to urge the community not to be intimidated.

“I know absolutely in my heart that this was not political grandstanding,” Higgins said. “This was strictly an attempt by Bill Lowery to raise the public consciousness to a higher level and educate the community that we cannot respond to terrorists in a way that invites additional acts of terrorism.”

Despite the settlement, Lowery is not finished.

He has a public meeting planned Saturday morning at Wangenheim Junior High School in Mira Mesa to hear what the voters think about the Rogers incident and terrorism in general.

Lowery sent notices recently to all 225,000 households in his district advertising the session, and restating his view that “when we give in, they win.”

Boot Camp Loses Punch

The Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego has quietly dropped any plan to resume holding “smokers”--boxing matches between recruits.

MCRD is the only Marine base in the country to dump smokers. The move is in response to the death of a recruit during a boxing match in August, 1987.

From Moscow With Fun

Moscow Circus clown Alexander Frish, known to his fans simply as Sasha, has signed on as a roving ambassador for this fall’s Soviet arts festival in San Diego.

Sasha’s goal will be to involve schoolchildren in the festival’s free activities by escorting performers to the schools. Among other things, he will be part of the festival kickoff: an outdoor gala at Balboa Park on Oct. 22, to be called Superpower Sunday.

A festival organizer will leave soon for Moscow in hopes of signing up more mimes, jugglers and acrobats from Soyuzgoscirk, the talent agency for circus performers.