Tonight (Wednesday) the Burroughs Community Center, 2470 Fairfield Avenue, will host a forum from 6 to 8 p.m. for school board candidates competing in the September 4 special election. It’s sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Greater Bridgeport and the education advocacy group Excel Bridgeport www.excelbridgeport.org. Working Families Party candidates John Bagley and Barbara Pouchet will boycott the forum because of Excel Bridgeport’s participation. In response WFP candidates will conduct their own press event today at 5 p.m. at New Hope Baptist Church, 1100 Park Avenue. News release from WFP candidates:
Working Families Party Bridgeport Board of Education candidates John Bagley and Barbara Pouchet are inviting their fellow candidates to an independent forum. They will not participate in tonight’s debate cosponsored by Excel Bridgeport because they want to have an open and free discussion about the future of our schools in Bridgeport. They invite all the candidates to participate in an independent forum that isn’t hindered by an ideological agenda, to be scheduled in collaboration with the other candidates.
Excel Bridgeport lobbied for the state takeover of the Bridgeport Board of Education that illegally ousted its democratically elected members. It is also aggressively pushing for a School Board that is appointed by the Mayor, and not elected directly by the people.
John Bagley and Barbara Pouchet feel that participating in a debate sponsored by Excel Bridgeport would legitimize its views, which they strongly disagree with. In addition, they believe that a debate sponsored by such an organization will not be open to all views and will not be productive.
** Press conference regarding Bridgeport Board of Education Special Election Debate **
What: Working Families Party Candidates John Bagley and Barbara Pouchet will invite their fellow candidates to participate in an independent forum and explain their decision not to participate in the Excel Bridgeport sponsored debate.
Where: New Hope Baptist Church, Lower Level, 1100 Park Ave., Bridgeport, CT
When: 5 pm, August 22, 2012
September 4th I will only be voting for the Working Family candidates, that’s it.
So they announce the event five hours before it is supposed to take place? Not for nothing, but one of the WFP’s (candidates and returning BOE members) biggest complaints was the current BOE 1) scheduled meetings when parents could not attend and 2) scheduled them at last minute. And the other candidates are now supposed to break their agreement with the other forum to attend this one? And don’t say they can do both–if this one starts at 5 and the other at 6, they could not adequately do both. Hate to say it, but the board when it is re-constituted is just going to be more of the same when they get re-seated. US vs. THEM instead of US for the children and the school system.
This will be a press conference and not a forum for all of the candidates to speak.
I’m sure Excel Bridgeport will have no problem with this seeing as they are being supported by Mayor Finch, the Bridgeport Democratic Party League of Women Voters of Greater Bridgeport seeing as they wanted to co-sponsor the debate.
As I said before, I will be voting for the Working Families Party Candidates John Bagley and Barbara Pouchet and Republican Joe Borges.
*** Too little too late to get the word out WFP; a missed political opportunity no doubt in the West End! ***