The Connecticut Working Families Party on Saturday announced its slate of candidates for Board of Education in the November general election including City Councilman Andre Baker who’s also part of a Democratic primary challenge slate for school board September 10. So even if Baker is unsuccessful in his primary challenge he will appear on the November ballot for school board. Maria Pereira, who won election to the school board running on the WFP line in 2009, is not seeking reelection.
News release from the WFP:
The Connecticut Working Families Party has nominated a strong slate of candidates in the race for Bridgeport Board of Education. In addition to incumbent Sauda Baraka, the Working Families Party has nominated Eric Stewart-Alicea and Andre Baker.
Sauda Baraka has been on the Bridgeport Board of Education since 2005, and has been a tireless advocate for improving Bridgeport’s schools by engaging parents, and keeping the Board elected and accountable to the voters of the city.
Eric Stewart-Alicea is a parent of Bridgeport Public School children and the elected Vice President of the District Parent Advisory Council. He also serves as the President of the Parent Advisory Council for Classical Studies Academy.
Andre Baker is a current Bridgeport City Councilor, who frequently votes based on what he hears his constituents want, not what the political machine demands of him. He is running for the Bridgeport Board of Education in the Democratic primary on September 10th, and as a Working Families Party candidate. He will appear on the Working Families Party ballot line, row C, and will also appear on the Democratic Party line after he wins the primary.
Congratulations to Andre Baker. The Bridgeport Democratic Machine leaders–Finch and Stafstrom–must be feeling like deers frozen in the headlights of a truck coming at them. Good strategy with good candidates by WFP. Maria Pereira’s political career isn’t over. She has a lot to offer and has demonstrated she can stand up to the big bullies in town–it’s an ability every future leader must possess.
Now get ready for the “race card” the dealer will hand out to the players on the challenging side.
Double down on Baker!!!
So Lennie,
For the BOE, the ballot will say vote for any three. So you cannot be locked out of voting for Baker the Democrat and Baker the WFP candidate. Does it count as two votes for Baker and one for someone else or will the machine reject it or will the machine accept both but only count one?
It is not like governor or state rep where it will vote for any one.
If the scanner will only record one vote per ballot for the same candidate and you try Bob’s example, is it obligated to reject the ballot and let you redo your vote? Or does it simply record one vote and wastes your other choice?
Anyone else find it odd after all Pereira went through to get back to the BOE she is now not running? Health reasons? Hope not.
Interesting that Pereira is not running. Did she not get the endorsement or is it her choice?
She’s not sick. It was her choice.
*** Maybe she needs a break from all the BOE drama and thankless critics along with the lack of real major progress in the Bpt school system! Lord knows the board has gotten much more political in nature than ever before. Those running who do not have a clue as to the nature of the educational beast are in for a rude awakening, no? ***
Maria was at the Working Families Party Convention this weekend and was a speaker. If she had wanted to run for re-election to the Board of Ed she would not have had any problem getting the endorsement.
Interesting article from the Washington Post on Paul Vallas–the supposed savior of the Bridgeport School System:
www .washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/08/04/the-problem-with-the-paul-vallas-brand-of-school-reform/
The Connecticut State Department of Education thrives for transparency and decimation of information to the public. Don’t believe me? Click here and see the dropout data:
sdeportal.ct.gov/Cedar/WEB/ct_report/DropoutDT.aspx