Megan DeSombre, who hosts the Education Bridgeport website, writes that Board of Education President Sauda Baraka allows attacks on fellow board members she does not like, especially former school board leader Ken Moales. From DeSombre:
According to Bridgeport’s Working Families Party-controlled Board of Education, rules only apply to some. At Monday night’s board meeting, in clear violation of their bylaws, Working Families Party-allied activist Clyde Nicholson was allowed to take personal pot-shots at former Board Chairman Rev. Kenneth Moales.
According to the board’s bylaws, “No individual or group [shall] be allowed to personally attack a board member … nor will the board receive any demands for specific disciplinary actions.” [Board Bylaws, Series 9000]And when reminded by Moales that Nicholson’s comments were counter to the spirit and letter of the rules that govern the board, Baraka ignores him, encouraging Nicholson’s attack on the reverend.
As shown in the video above, rather than reprimand or ask Nicholson to stop, Board Chair Sauda Baraka defended his right to call Moales a “liar”–insisting that the board doesn’t normally interrupt speakers.
Anyone who has ever gone to a Bridgeport school board meeting would know this is complete nonsense–particularly coming from Baraka, who has cut off parents at meetings, and only a month ago demanded Moales be censured for a similar reason.
Eventually, after Moales’ persistent protests, Baraka conceded that she would “take the matter under consideration.” Not holding my breath on that one.
While this situation is outrageous, it’s only one example of the political shenanigans that have become pattern for the Working Families Party-controlled Board, who insists on picking and choosing which by-laws to follow based on what suits their agenda. [Education Bridgeport, 2/13/2014]
Just making it up as she goes along. And we thought it was Finch’s crew that was responsible for all the discord and infighting.
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss
www .youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6-wG5LLqE
Or will we?
BOE SPY, tell that to her face seeing as you got so much to say. No way, you are too scared.
You think she doesn’t know or care? How can she be so educated and not know she is being a hypocrite? How could the people around her not see this? You know, like an ex-judge, with a law degree and years of experience as a lawyer … and judge. You would begin to think someone is pulling strings. Like you would do to operate a puppet. And, I wouldn’t be too scared. It is just a lot harder to spy on people when they know who you are.
BOE SPY, so what “FACTS” has your spying brought to OIB? Nothing, all we get from you is hot air. BOE SPY, you mention an ex-judge, please tell us who that is. You really have problems with strong-minded women. You know, you can get up and go to the mic at a BOE meeting and put the BOE President in her place, not you because you are too scared.
Ron,
I hope your “pro-education” commentary is restricted to having former Judge Carmen Lopez’ name mentioned on OIB, or attacking BOE SPY, suggesting that person has “problems with strong-minded women.”
Remember, the most basic concept is to support the youth who are to be educated at public expense for at least 12 years so they can pursue further education, training and ultimately independece, with 21st-century work that serves the community and allows them to pursue their dreams otherwise.
Who is supporting the current funding plan for our youth? It is not the Finch administration. Where is the voice of the WFP, the BOE, the PACs???
The Mayor has not yet provided the current year’s complete minimum budget requirement though a face-saving Plan B was provided with State intervention and a little more funding. To make it effective the Mayor must fund the balance due, about $1 Million or so more, AND SIGN ON HE WILL SUPPORT NEXT YEAR’S MBR. Nine months in this budget year and 999 Broad is talking about chickens in the coop? What about the kids? Like the BOE budget or not, do you support last year’s budget or not? Clyde Nicholson needs to talk about money as well as remediation of school sites. Time will tell.
*** IT DOESN’T MATTER WHOSE SO-CALLED CREW IS ON THE BOE OR IN CHARGE, THEY’RE ALL INCOMPETENT AND ALL NEED TO GO! ***
Yeah, too bad we can’t just appoint someone who is competent.
BOE SPY, your comment has left me with my mouth wide open. “… just appoint someone …” Didn’t Finch try that already? Did you not hear about the “NO” victory?
Yes, I remember. My issue is not with the ‘no’ part. My issue is with the is it actually a victory or more of a Pyrrhic victory. It would appear the one way to ensure you do not get the most qualified people is to have those people elected. It is one thing to actually want a PITA job that has no pay attached and it is another to have to go through the aggravation of raising money, running a campaign, suffering all the mudslinging and kowtowing to the people who financed your campaign. Then there is the chance you lose the election. Look at the people Finch appointed and who we have now. Would you say this is worse, just as bad or better? It is an opinion thing but are we moving forward, backward or treading water? To me it seems like we have all the same nonsense out of two of the same faces with seven people watching. Maybe they just do this for the public spectacle and the executive sessions go better.
BOE SPY, get over it, the election has long gone and you and the mayor lost with the takeover of the BOE and the effort to take voting rights away from the voters in Bridgeport to vote for whom they want to serve on the BOE.
This is free speech. The public has a right to speak. Rev Moales makes a habit of interrupting anyone whenever he feels like it. Moales is in a public, elected position, as such he agreed to the terms he has to be subject to criticism at times. It comes with the territory. He was talking out of turn. Let the public speak. At least Nicholson has the gumption to public speak. We need more people speaking up in Bridgeport. That is the problem.
Yes, it is free speech but in the same way you can’t yell ‘fire’ in a crowded theater you are not allowed to verbally or physically attack members of the board at the meetings. You do have to play inside the rules. Otherwise each side would just floor their own shills to berate the other side. As it stands now, only one side has that ability.
Bridgeporteur, your argument about free speech is pure bullshit. This guy who got up to speak could speak to the board but when he turned and addressed the audience, that’s when he had to go. He also cannot just get up and attack one member because of personal reasons.
Lopez and Pereira run the BOE with a gavel and iron fist and mouth.
Who knew when we voted in the “New” BOE it would end up as bad or worse than the old?
Wait until the WFP puts up Lopez for Mayor, that announcement will be forthcoming followed by a lot of intense laughter.
I worked hard to get these idiots elected to the BOE and next election I will work just as hard to defeat Baraka and her crew as it’s called. Ron, you mention people or BOE SPY afraid to put Baraka in her place. That should not even be part of this discussion. The BOE election does not give the elected members cart blanche to do what the hell they want when they want. What happened to the other members of the BOE, Andre Baker and that group? Do not tell me they got you in that little room at city hall where they sucked out your brains and your balls. Shame on you. Ron, all the people you mention can kiss my ass. If they want to fuck with me bring it on. Afraid, my ass.
Andrew C Fardy, you wrote, “Ron, all the people you mention can kiss my ass. If they want to fuck with me, bring it on. Afraid, my ass.” Is all that necessary? Why are you always inviting people to your ass?
Ron, maybe it should be about balls … and not the ones Bagley used to dribble, but the pairs from Gardner, Baker and Bagley the WFP (i.e. Pereira) have cut off. All the talk beforehand was about how “independent” these guys were, especially Baker. Terrible.
Balls!
Ron, you’re the one who brings the tough-guy shit up or one person is afraid of another. Here is one of your quotes, “you can get up and go to the mic at a BOE meeting and put the BOE President in her place, not you because you are too scared.”
Ron, you can play games with what I said all you want.
There is another thing about the elected vs. appointed argument. It would seem the DTC was not allowed to spend money to promote their candidates. But someone was allowed to spend a great deal of money to promote the WFP (DTC) candidates. Then you have to consider how many people voted and how many of those votes were AB’s. After all that, ask yourself, was this BOE elected or just appointed by someone who wasn’t the mayor? I mean what would constitute elected vs. appointed? If I were allowed to ‘buy’ enough votes and the other side were not allowed to buy any, wouldn’t I just be appointing my candidate?
Another thing is: They seem to not understand how the system works and take this stuff way to personal. Example: If a new Harding gets built the mayor doesn’t ‘win.’ And if it doesn’t get build he doesn’t ‘lose.’ The same goes for the solar plant, the chicken farm, ETC. None of this should ‘hurt your feelings.’ It is just about what the people want and what is best for the city.
We all agree we need a new Harding. Any plan is either good, bad or somewhere in the middle. Here is plan 1: blah, blah blah. We have no plan 2. If you craft a plan 2 then we have two plans. This is why plan 1 is good, this is why plan 1 is bad; gather expert advice, community input, debate and vote. The only people who win or lose are the students and the taxpayers. This should be the only agenda the BOE has. It is really not that hard.
Baraka, when that speaker faced the crowd and started addressing the crowd, he should have been called out of order and told to sit down. Baraka, let me suggest you and your cohorts read Robert’s Rules of Order.
Baraka is kaka/
She don’t let people habla/
Moales is no better/
He cannot fit his sweater/
They both have big egos/
but lack social graces/
Baraka screams at people/
and Moales makes weird faces/
The schools are underfunded in the city/
But Baraka wants to sound cute and pretty/
I said the schools are in a disaster in this city–Moales can you say a prayer?/
Whoops, too busy speeding without a license, but blame it on the paper./
*** This is an honest simple case of the blind leading the blind in an educational game called “pin the tail on the jackass,” no? *** GOD HELP US, EVERYONE! ***
BOE SPY, the DTC couldn’t spend against other Democrats, but that rule does not apply to another party choosing to raise funds for one slate or another.
By rights this is true but anyone could register as a Democrat and run for a position. One politico once suggested members of his party register as members of the other in order to nominate a candidate who had little or no chance of being elected to sabotage an election. The question would be, were those candidates Democrats or skunks in liberal clothing?
Would the DTC be able to spend money to educate the electorate if Rush Limbaugh registered as a Democrat and ran for office? The DTC may want to let the people know this guy does not really stand for the kinds of things we believe in.
I don’t think she can.