All dressed in power red, Board of Education incumbent Maria Pereira, who’s also a Democratic nominee for City Council in the Upper East Side 138th District, is joined in video above by JoAnn Kennedy and Helen Olga Losak, her running mates on the For the People Party line for school board.
On Tuesday city electors can vote for any 3 of 12 school board candidates appearing on the ballot, 3 Democrats, 3 Republicans, 3 Working Families and 3 For the People. School board seats are regulated by minority-party representation that up to 10 years ago generally featured 6 Democrats and 3 Republicans, prior to the Working Families candidates displacing some GOP seats at the polls starting with Pereira and Sauda Baraka in 2009. Pereira returned to the school board running on the Democratic line in 2015.
The 3 Democrats are prohibitive favorites to win. That leaves 9 other candidates to fill the one remaining minor party slot because incumbents John Weldon and Chris Taylor, not up for reelection this cycle, are registered Republicans.
Sample ballot below from the West Side 132nd District.
Pereira shares a commentary pitch about her slate:
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people” is exactly what Bridgeport needs. And, that is exactly what the “For the People” party in Bridgeport will stand for.
For far too long those who are elected to office in Bridgeport believe that they can and should use their office to line their pockets or those of their family, friends and campaign donors. Quite often, elected officials do not serve the interest of the very people that elected them, but instead serve their own interests or those of their party or party bosses.
As Bridgeporters, we MUST reject that philosophy.
It is for these reasons I created the “For the People” party. No individual(s) with a history of criminal corruption, unethical and dishonest behavior, or failing to meet their most basic responsibilities as a representative of the people would ever be allowed to run on the “For the People” line.
I have NEVER supported or worked on behalf of an endorsed Democrat in Bridgeport, and it is highly likely I never will. If Democratic Town Committee (DTC) Chair Mario Testa and the 90 members of the DTC choose to endorse a citywide candidate, it is highly probable that they are highly unqualified, unethical, and controlled. The sad reality is if DTC Chair Mario Testa wants someone elected they cannot possibly be good for “We the People.”
I have NEVER sought the DTC endorsement and I never will. This is why I decided to create my own political party and asked JoAnn Kennedy and Helen Olga Losak to run for the Board of Education with me.
I believe through our actions, not rhetoric, that we have demonstrated that we truly care about the well-being of our 20,400 students. In fact, JoAnn Kennedy has a better attendance record at school board meetings than seven of the nine current school board members. She is the former Parent Teacher Student Organization President at Bassick High School, former member of the School Governance Council at Bassick High School, launched a Book Club at both Bassick High School and Curiale School, and she currently volunteers her time as the Dunbar School Cheerleading Coach. Helen Olga Losak is an Early Childhood Educator who has also served as a substitute teacher in both the Bridgeport & Stratford public schools. She has a long record of community activism in the 138th District.
We absolutely promise that our ONLY loyalty will be to our 20,400 students, NOT a political party, party bosses, or campaign donors.
We hope you agree that the only focus of every school board member should be what is in the best interest of our school children, not adults. In addition, innocent school children should not pay the price for the actions or inaction of adults.
It is for these reasons that we are asking for your vote, regardless of your political affiliation, on Tuesday, November 5th.
How long before Maria tells JoAnn Kennedy and Helen Olga Losak to go to hell like she has done everyone else she’s ever run with? Two months, six months, TIME WILL TELL BECAUSE HISTORY HAS SHOWN THAT IT WILL HAPPEN!
Exactly Ron, the same time she tells Ricci to go to hell. BAM! 🙂
But that didn’t stop you and Day from telling us how Maria took $1000 from him.
Which goes to my point. Maria can create a new party so she can be on the Ballot because she knew she would most likely lose in the Democrat Primary, like Moore. Not to mention TWF party has five on this ballot, yet Moore a sitting State Senator running for mayor couldn’t. But you all know this just doesn’t want to call it out because you are part of it. Can’t call it out without calling out your own corruption, because you don’t want to stop it from the people of the city. You just want to be part of controlling it. Hence BPT elections. Just Say. Either here or in-person JML you are smart enough to know that yet you are not calling it out Good Day people of the Port. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W51bDsk48IE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W51bDsk48IE
Don, EVERYBODY who has run with Maria will not on their own to endorse Maria. She has no idea how to win friends and influence people, none at all, there’s no way anyone could be loyal to Maria because she has this self rightness that there’s only one way, her way or the highway. Maria couldn’t get four other members on the BBOE to form a majority and there’s no way in hell that she could form a coalition on the City Council because she would need 9 other Council members plus her and her running mate and that ain’t happening. The 138th district will be the big losers. But some way Maria will find a way to blame Marilyn Moore.
JoAnn Kennedy will definitely be gone and it won’t take that long even if they don’t win.
Voting for working parties candidate
What the hell is Maria running for?
City Council or Board of Education.
You cannot serve on both.
She says she is not like any politician
But she is just like the majority. She wants it all and doesn’t care who she runs over trying to get it.
Gimme, gimme, gimme.
I want , I want, I want.
Bob, she wants to be Mario Testa, Maria wants to be head who tells others what to do and if they don’t then she’ll cut them loose.
Glad to see Day, Mackey and Walsh have plenty of time to write on the blog today instead of helping their candidate. Has the campaign packed up already? Maria must be out talking to voters two days before Election Day, as she should be.
I know you can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.
Is she talking as a candidate for City Council or as a Candidate for Board of Ed???
How does she actually answer that question, what do you want to do? does she both? Or does she say I’ll figure that out when I grow up???
I really did believe in Maria. I still respect her for her knowledge and hard work. But Maria’s ill-thought out war against Bridgeport Generation Now has completely turned me off.
Frank, it’s not Maria’s war against Bridgeport Generation, it’s Maria hate for Marilyn Moore.
Good luck, Maria, Helen, and JoAnn! Continue to teach the rest of the community how elections are won fairly, despite the “corruption.” Politicians with brains and initiative create victory on the debris of corruption. Lazy and inept politicians use it as cover for their ineptitude and laziness/losing ways.
It’s amazing how the losers can’t help but to keep rubbing their own noses in their defeat by trying to tear down the winners and winning ways…
Maria: You will have an embarrassment of riches when you have to decide whether you want to be sworn-in on the Council or the BOE!…
Again; Good luck!
I’m hoping Maria wins both seats,but I’m really hoping she wins her council seat.At least she won’t be a rubber stamp to satisfy Mario’s & Joe’s wishes like most of the council is.That being said,I know Ricci has her ear now,and Joe will use him as a conduit to influence her,just hoping she stays true to herself,we’ll see I guess.
Oh my! The male Marilyn Moore supporters of OIB have been busy today!
I was out of my door by 7:30 AM to begin working on our campaign and just ended at 10:00 PM.
I have been a busy, busy bee. Not that kind of B! 🙂
Day, Mackey and Walsh just make me chuckle. They are just whiny little snow flakes all because I refuse to support their candidate, Marilyn Moore.
It’s NOT my job to get YOUR candidate elected. That’s YOUR job!
Get off your ass, keyboard and OIB and get out and elect your candidate.
After all I’m just one person. It’s not as if I can possibly make or break Marilyn Moore’s election.
Let’s not forget she has Tony Barr at her side which just about guarantees her victory.
🙂
Just wondering, what ever happened to Chris Caruso in this campaign??.. After that pic of them sitting outside together Marilyn had taken, Caruso disappeared it seems.I would love to hear his take on her campaign.
Maria, what is your job, because it’s obvious to all that your job is attacking Marilyn Moore and being silent against Joe Ganim and Mario Testa. You pissed at Marilyn Moore because she didn’t call Judge Lopez. I’ve said this before there is not one former BBOE member who on their own who have spoken out publicly to support you, not one. You want to be Mario Testa of your own party and the loser is the 138th district. What is your platform for being on the City Council or the BBOE, besides you’re not Marilyn Moore? By the way where are all of those males who are supporting you?
Did you read my synopsis of why I created the “For the People” party and repeatedly criticize Mario Testa?
Judge Lopez has absolutely NOTHING to do with MY decision not to support either Marilyn Moore nor Joe Ganim. Those decisions are made solely by me.
You don’t reside in the 138th District, therefore you don’t have any authority to speak for the 138th District. Let those of us that actually reside here worry about the 138th District.
I have former school board members voting for me. I didn’t ask for their endorsement because they seldom translate to shifting voters. My endorsement of a candidate for instance would be meaningful because I actually have a large block of votes I can deliver to a candidate.
Our BOE platform is featured right on the literature Lennie posted on this story. Our City Council platform was featured on our literature which Lennie posted in July. You should be a school Board member because clearly you do not read the materials provided to you so that you can understand an issue and make informed decisions.
Ron Mackey for Board of Education in 2021! It appears you would fit right in.
In closing, male voters love me! I however believe in the power of women and believe we should rule the WORLD!
Maria, NONE OF THE PAST BBOE MEMBERS HAVE SPOKEN OUT PUBLICLY ON THEIR OWN TO SUPPORT YOU, NOT ONE. You supporting Marilyn Moore is the same as Tony Barr supporting Marilyn Moore and didn’t need either one of you guys. Maria, you don’t have the ability to form a coalition either on the City Council or on the BBOE, your past history tells your story.
Well, there is somewhat of a difference between Tony Barr and I.
1) I beat his crazy a__ at the polls on September 10th, and he lost BADLY.
2) I know how to win AGAINST the machine and he can only win WITH the machine.
3) He is a convicted felon that spent 21 years in federal prison for trying to kill a police officer with an assault weapon. I am not a convicted felon.
4) He owns a zoot suit and I don’t.
5) I have hundreds of votes that I could have delivered to Marilyn Moore in the 138th District and he doesn’t have enough votes than he can deliver to himself.
I believe that pretty much sums up our similarities and differences.
I must say I am a bit envious of his white, pinstriped zoot suit. 🙂
Maria, all of those call votes for Marilyn Moore that you said that you could have delivered for Marilyn sounds like what Mario Testa tells his minions but the reasons you didn’t deliver those votes was because Marilyn Moore didn’t call Judge Lopez, right Maria.
Good luck tomorrow Maria. The sad sacks are grumbling because their backed a loser. They have not had a winner in office in a long time, and 10 posts from each each day multiplied by days since they backed a winner, one can easily see they are horses that are out in the fields sniffing the glue in the air.
You’re a fighter and Bridgeport needs people of passion and skill. I’d like to see you on the council too.
You’ve worked hard, you deserve this.
Unlike Moore, who has taken all the help she can muster from well meaning people and utterly trashed their allegiance through her D- performance. A vote for her is a vote for the city in a death spiral.
Tell me thing that Maria Pereira has accomplish as a member of the BBOE, one thing? Maria has absolutely no skill and ability to form a coalition to get legislation pass. No one wants their name associated with Maria Pereira, in fact you don’t your name associated with Maria Pereira, stevenl, you are a coward and a disgrace to your family, you are ashamed of your God given name that your mother and father gave you.
I didn’t deliver my hundreds of votes to Marilyn Moore because I didn’t want to.
How’s that for a very direct and truthful answer?
Now get off your ass and do some work to get your candidate(s) elected.
I am busy for the rest of day focusing on getting MY candidates elected. YOU should do the same.
Maria, here’s why you and Tony Barr alike, you both talk loud and say nothing, you both want to be the center of attention, if Tony Barr ever got elected to any City elected position he would be just like you unable to form a coalition.
Maria, your video with your running mates JoAnn Kennedy and Helen Olga Losak, looks like a hostage video, they had nothing to say as you did just about all of the talking instead of candidates each giving their position. Even if all three of you guys got elected you still couldn’t form a coalition on the BBOE, all you would need is two of the other six BBOE members to join your group but they wont happen, so you never get anything accomplish, Maria, that’s your history, people abandon you after they run on the same slate with you.
Ron you’re absolutely correct, Maria has never accomplished one thing during her tenure on the BBOE, Not One Thing! She goes into these meetings with all these graphs, figures and information, but leaves those same meeting’s with nothing accomplished. All this to the detriment of Black and Brown students in the Bridgeport school district.
The fact is Maria, Senator Moore didn’t ask for your assistance because Senator Moore didn’t want your assistance! Give it six months and she’ll be fully entrenched in the pocket of Mario and the DTC because that’s why Ricci gave her that $1000 as a downpayment for her integrity. Paid In Full!
Don, have notice that not one former BBOE member has on their own have spoken out publicly that they are supporting Maria. Maria knows nothing about effective negotiation, the method by which people settle differences. It is a process by which compromise or agreement is reached while avoiding argument and dispute. In any agreement, individuals understandably aim to achieve the best possible outcome for their position. It’s Maria’s way or the highway sounds Mario Testa.
The CT Post has said that Moore doesn’t listen to her advisors. So her failure in this campaign and every failure to produce documents, to issue press releases, to campaign door to door, to make and ACUTAL EFFORT- to listen to her staff, to associate herself with a winning team- that’s ALL ON MOORE.
Why would Moore ask for her help when she wouldn’t even listen to Caruso? Because Moore thinks Moore knows best.
Well, here’s a prime example of her own mind. And you old farts want her to run the city. Get ready to grumble for the next few years because JOE is sliding right back into office, by a large margin. Not hanky panky. Through people CHOOSING him OVER MOORE. And your endless bitching to your own insular group has prevented you from seeing reality.
And you want Joe Ganim to get reelected because he’s not Marilyn Moore. Do you know anyone in your entire life who stole over $500,000.00?
My family is going 100% Jeff Kohut.