The profiles in courage award goes to the curious Board of Education member Ken Moales who wants to fill a school board vacancy by private paper ballots. Sanity prevailed in the form of Board of Education chair Sauda Baraka who reminded Moales at a meeting Monday night school board members are part of a public board.
The process to fill the October 15 resignation of John Bagley, city hoop star, is coming down to the wire. The school board has 30 days to fill the vacancy, following his resignation date, from a small pool of candidates who must be registered with Connecticut’s Working Families Party, the victorious line for Bagley when he won a school board seat two years ago. The City Charter provides a vacancy is filled by remaining members of the board for the balance of the term vacated.
The school board will meet Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Aquaculture School presumably to fill the vacancy.
What happens if the school board fails to select a candidate?
“Bridgeport’s city charter gives its school board the authority to select a replacement, and we anticipate that’s exactly what they’ll do,” says city Communications Director Brett Broesder in a statement to OIB.
Okay, but what if?
According to Connecticut General Statutes if the school board does not elect someone to fill the vacancy, Mayor Bill Finch would be authorized to appoint a successor until the next municipal election.
C.G.S. Sec. 7-107. Vacancy appointments by selectmen.
· Except as otherwise provided by law, if any vacancy occurs on any town board or commission, and such board or commission has power by law to fill such vacancy but fails to do so within thirty days after it occurs, the board of selectmen or chief executive authority of such town may appoint a qualified person to fill such vacancy until the next municipal election.
Bagley’s replacement will have immediate influence. The first week of December a school board organizational meeting will take place to select a chair. Does Baraka have the votes or will it be someone new? Then in January it’s expected Andre Baker will resign his school board seat following his November election to the State House.
CT Post scribe Linda Conner Lambeck provides an update.
Isn’t Moales in jail yet?
There is a specific state statute regarding vacancies on a board of education, therefore Mayor Finch does not make the appointment, it is made by the city council.
And do you think, if that’s the case, the council would push back on someone the mayor recommended?
I was at last night’s meeting and he starting behaving poorly before the meeting was called to order. Tammy Boyle District PAC President walked into the room and was not even seated before he stated loudly she had contacted the BBOE to ask who had applied to fill the vacancy and “it was none of her business” and she should focus on the PAC not the BBOE. First of all, Tammy had never contacted the superintendent’s office to ask who had applied to fill the vacancy, however if she had she certainly had a right to ask. This is a seat on a public board that makes decisions that impact parents and their children. In fact, anyone can ask about those interested in filling a vacancy. She politely approached him and asked if she could speak with him and he responded that he would not speak with her and had nothing to say to her. She then told him well I have something to say to you. She told him his comments were lies and if she had called the BBOE about the vacancy she would own it, however she would not own his lies. She also reminded him the information is public and available to anyone.
Is she too g about Moales or the Mayor???
No, I do not. The City Council is filled with Finch puppets and they would support whomever he chose, however I just wanted to clarify it is the City Council that officially votes on the vacancy.
During the meeting he argued about just about every single issue. At one point he referred to Sauda as “baby” and she had to repeatedly reprimand him for being disrespectful. He also told her next month she will be “done” and “out of here.” He then publicly attacked Tammy Boyle and her performance as the Parent Advisory Council president. This is a public school parent who attends more BBOE regular, special and committee meetings than he does and volunteers hundreds of hours annually as the president of the PAC and he chose to publicly attack her because she does not support him. His behavior was so outrageous and poor, I literally saw a woman in the audience with her mouth hanging open in disgust/shock.
Of course you did, Maria. But you didn’t film the entire meeting? I am shocked.
Bob, what are you shocked about? Unlike you I was there from the beginning of the meeting until the very end. He publicly stated he didn’t want anyone to know who he voted for to fill the vacancy. He stated when Sauda was elected chair it was by secret ballot. Ballots were cast and Lissette Colon only read aloud Sauda received 7 votes and two did not vote for her. I knew how each BBOE member voted was required to be made public, however the annual BBOE election of officers is conducted by the Mayor as per the City Charter, therefore it was his error.
I would not even consider Ken Moales as a candidate to walk my dog! Time for the Puppet Master Bill Finch and all his Clowns to go! Smoke and mirrors, dog and pony freak show! FOLLOW THE MONEY and catch a rat!