Two weeks from the Nov. 7 general election. Here’s how the ballot lines up.
Top line Democrats for four-year Board of Education positions: Hernan Illingworth, Jessica Martinez, Chaila Robinson.
Republican Party school board: Joseph Sokolovic, John Weldon, Chris Taylor.
Working Families Party school board: Joseph Sokolovic, Shavonne Davis, Howard Gardner.
There’s a new school board wrinkle this cycle by virtue of Mayor Joe Ganim appointing John Weldon last year to fill the vacancy of Republican Kevin McSpirit who was elected in 2015. As a result voters will choose between Democrat Sybil Allen, a retired educator and former city councilor, and Republican Jim Carbone, a former school board member, to fill out the final two years of McSpirit’s four-year term.
Bridgeport has nine school board seats with elections staggered every two years to fill four-year terms. Connecticut’s minority-party representation rules limits to six the number of members from a major party. Dennis Bradley, Maria Pereira and Ben Walker are incumbent Democrats not up for reelection until 2019. So only three more of the four Democrats appearing on the Nov. 7 ballot may serve. Republicans will slug it out with WFP candidates to fill out those three minority party slots.
Sokolovic would appear to have a leg up on one of those positions because his name is on two lines having been endorsed by city Republicans and the WFP.
The remainder of the ballot is filled out by citywide city sheriff positions and district City Council seats.
The next mayoral election is 2019.
There is also a Nov. 7 ballot question regarding financing the city’s library system.
“Shall a one thirty hundredths (1.30) mill tax be levied to operate a free public library and reading room?”
The genesis of financing the main library and branches goes back to 2009 when city voters approved a ballot question levying one mil to cover library expenses.
Question. anyone tell me whats the difference between columns 1-3 and column#4 They each say Board of Education. I see Sybil Allen is back on the scene.
Bob, 1-3 is for four-year BOE terms. Electors can choose from any three among the candidates. Column 4 is to choose between Allen and Carbone to fill out the final two years of a vacancy.
I don’t know where I read it(it might have been here on OIB) but there is a question of raising the contribution from the TOTAL Mill Rate from 1(One) Mill Rate to 1.3 Mill Rate. This will not increase the TOTAL mill rate. It is necessary due to the increase in the total mill rate(from 42 to 52 approx). I support this increase in support of the Bridgeport Public Library System and I hope all of you who vote will also support this. Thank you.
the entire above post was above The Bridgeport Public Library System
Frank, good point. I updated story to include library question.
Lennie, do you know if the library has ever received the full 1 mil payment? Speaking with library board members a couple of years ago, the report was the board asked, the city denied the full funding request. Has that changed?
Generally yes. The big question is, what does 1 mil represent today? For many years it has been in the $6 to $7 million range, but there has been some give and take on that. One of the problems the library has with City Hall is the tardiness to sign off on the paperwork to fill available positions even though the library has been given a dedicated fund approved by voters.
Thanks!
Thank you..Lennie and Jennifer.
Scott Burns said the Library Board did not inform the City Council. Hey,Scott,the CC liason should have informed the CC. Ohh..the CC Library Board liason never goes to Library Board meetings. Off the top of my head I don’t know who the liason is but I will have to do some research
And BTW,Flatto and Nestor,you are supposed to do what the People of Bridgeport tell you to do…NOT the other way around.
Ok,according to the City of Bridgeport website,CC rep Richard Salter is the Liason to the Library Board. I imagine Richard salter has been going to Library Board meetings and reporting back to the full CC and,therefore,Scott you should have known about this. With the liason,possibly Flatto and Nkwo would have known either. or,maybe,all the above just did not happen
Liaison duties are not reported on relative to CC duties. No photo-ops, unless like retiring School Board Building Committee there are ground breakings or ribbon cuttings, but at least that rep attended and chaired many meetings. IMO what he failed to do was to report to the Council itself, in written form, perhaps, that could be posted on the City website somewhere.
CC persons can attend a lot of meetings. However, why no expect them to provide notice of what they monitor? Wouldn’t it make their assignments worthy of note rather than a sham, as it is in too many situations? Time will tell.
Question. The question reads shall a 1.3 mill rate be instituted to fund the library board.
If you vote no then all of this game playing goes away and we are back where we started.
Be careful what you ask for cause you just might get it.
Question. The question reads shall a 1.3 mill rate be instituted to fund the library board.
If you vote no then all of this game playing goes away and we are back where we started.
To bad library board.
Be careful what you ask for cause you just might get it.
VOTE YES ON THE CHANGE TO 1.3 MILLS FOR THE BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC LIBRARY. Why are we re-litigating the issue of Scott Hughes? He failed to do his job and he was fired.Simple.