Want to be backed by the Democratic Town Committee for a school board seat? Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa is asking candidates to forward their résumés to Vice Chair Dottie Guman.
Guman, the Mother Goose of the party, will review potential applicants and share them with Mario for follow-up interviews. The 90-member Democratic Town Committee will endorse candidates for Board of Education on May 22 at Mario’s Madison Avenue restaurant, the epicenter of city politics. A special election will take place September 4; a party primary, if necessary, on July 10. Four Board of Education seats will be up for grabs September 4. The DTC is expected to endorse three candidates as one seat is reserved for minority party representation. City Republicans and the Connecticut Working Families Party will also field candidates September 4.
Two members of the city’s reconstituted board, Kenneth Moales and Hernan Illingworth, both city residents, have expressed interest in running for the elected board spots. The state-appointed board has been in place since last summer following the dismantling of the elected board by a 6-3 vote. The Connecticut Supreme Court reversed the decision and ordered a special election for the four open school board seats. School board seats are citywide positions. Once the DTC endorses candidates potential challengers will have a window to secure more than 2,000 certified signatures from registered Dems to qualify for a primary.
If you’re interested in sending your creds to Mother Goose, forward to Dottie Guman, 133 Hickory Street, Bridgeport CT 06610. Mario wants résumés shipped to Guman and not his restaurant address for fear he might lose them in a bowl of linguine.
I placed my name and resume info with the City for BOE consideration in the last year. Technical disqualification for having been a Democrat who switched party to assist a friend in his candidacy and then returned to the Democrats, but not enough time to qualify as a “prodigal son.”
More recently I placed my name and resume with Mayor Finch regarding Charter Review Commission. No response or acknowledgement of such volunteering. Just ignored.
So I continue to attend multiple City meetings each week instead of tending my garden, hanging with friends or catching the latest “must see TV.”
And I write for the readers of OIB who are more attuned to governance issues than most people I encounter in my daily travels.
My question for you: In the fantasy world where I would once again submit my resume that includes significant volunteer efforts on multiple fronts over many years, is there anyone who thinks I might be nominated? And if nominated and assuming I ran and won, what would that position mean to my campaign to make Bridgeport governance process more OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE and TRANSPARENT, which has been my purpose all along? Anyone care to comment? Andy, Lennie, what do you think? Time will tell.
Well John, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but they won’t choose you to be a candidate for the BOE. The reasons are many. You are not a yes man, you also know how to read budgets and audits and thus they can’t hide money in their budget like they do with the city budget.
This administration wants spineless go-along people on the BOE. I wonder what Finch will do when he finds out at the end of this process that he still has a 6-3 vote on all BOE matters?
I’m sure Mother Goose will be giving serious consideration to all prospective candidates.
Sycophants only need apply?
Mario, put down the jug of vino, and back away from the squid ink pasta with parsnips and pancetta.
*** Thankless job being on the BOE, especially when it’s a break-all-rules, pro-admin. type of system that spends money like drunken sailors on liberty! Bpt. schools need a Mr. Clark type of approach. *** LEAN ON ME! ***