So much going on in Bridgeport’s school district: financial woes, leadership changes, board infighting, state education board monitoring the situation, even calls for a complete state takeover.
In this sleepy municipal election year, five of nine Board of Education seats will be up for grabs leading the citywide vote.
Connecticut law requires minority-party representation on school boards so three seats of the nine must be accorded as such that provides opportunities for Republicans, Working Families Party, Independent Party and even petitioning candidates.
The Democratic seats up this cycle are currently held by Rob Traber, Christine Baptiste-Perez and Jennifer Perez, the newly appointed board chair.
The seats of Joe Sokolovic, Working Families Party, and Akisha Cassermere, Republican, are also in play this year.
Elections for school board are staggered with four-year terms: five seats this year and four seats in 2027, the next mayoral election year.
With all the musical chairs and board resignations, Sokolovic is now the member with the most service.
Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa and the 90-member town committee will decide the endorsed candidates at the July convention. Challenging the endorsed candidates in a primary is no picnic in the Park City. Opposition slates must secure roughly 2,000 verified signatures of Democratic electors to wage a September primary. Then, there’s the matter of money to yank a vote.
Of the current incumbent Democrats, retired educator Traber is the most vocal anti-establishment and has been for decades whether as a grammar school teacher at Blackham, union leader or now a sitting member. He joined the board about two years to fill the seat vacated by Erika Castillo.
The chances of Traber receiving the Dem endorsement would be like Abraham, Moses and Christ returning to their respective promised lands. So, if he wants to run as a Democrat he’ll need to build alliances for an opposition slate, or in lieu of that run on a minority-party line in the general election. Sokolovic has deftly toggled victories either as a Republican or WFP.
Traber’s establishment fighting and ideology may be a nice fit for a WFP platform. He and Sokolovic have also aligned on most school board concerns.
Traber, as did Sokolovic, supported John Gomes’ failed run for mayor in 2023 that lasted into 2024 and by all appearances it seems like Gomes still has the fire to run again. Will Gomes put up candidates for school board and City Council this year?
School board member Willie Medina also supported Gomes. He won a seat the last mayoral cycle running on the Bridgeport Independent Party line.
In recent years the WFP and Independent parties have lanced Republican efforts to win the three minority-party seats, so this is something to watch as the election season plays out.
Is this year a sleepy municipal election year because there is no President, Governor, or Mayor chief executive who will be on the ballot? Will they be in a backroom somewhere consulting with DTC Chair Mario, or in front of a camera spouting “development news” but with little to quantify about increases to the balance sheet of City values, increase in potential tax payments, or timetables of when the “news” can become a reality?
Since the State calls for minority representation, at least for one/third of the BOE membership, when do those organizations gather, where, and under whose leadership for running a candidate who can meet their standards for support? Do they maintain Internet platforms that offer “ABOUT US” type of facts that inform a curious candidate or voter? Time will tell.
Thank God you’re not a Bridgeport school district student. With all your questions, they’d be quitting in masses.
More like 21 hundred questions:
https://youtu.be/csKtqYgnGHc?si=ckToIPzag-VSa-Co