'With Election Day approaching, the delivery revealed a withdrawn foreclosure case and breach of peace charge against the District E candidate. It also marked the start of mudslinging in the Board of Education race, which continued Thursday when Democrats published a Facebook post by incumbent Chairman Jack Chiaramonte that many find sexist.' - quoted from the Norwalk Hour
Are we just imperfect humans or should this information influence our vote? What do you think?
What each incident revealed was the character of the guys and confirmed the worst fears about them.
ReplyDeleteIf you know Mike Barbis you know that he's a cloying politician. He's spread rumors about Board of Ed members and actually participated in the "civility" discussion--- yet, COULDN'T BE CIVIL IN A PUBLIC RESTAURANT WITH HIS OWN SON. The terms "hypocrit" and "phoney" don't seem too strong.
The problem with Chiaramonte is just a little different. He doesn't act nicely in public-- he makes stupid comments a lot. I'm not saying he's a dumb guy because he isn't-- he's cunning but unpolished. His behavior is not what we need on any elected body. The Facebook post just confirmed what many of us feared.
As for Barbis' financial problems, he's not alone. Lots of professionals are struggling-- I wouldn't hold that against him and think that that part of the discussion about Barbis is unfair. The problem was how he handled it- instead of letting it humanize him, he just chose to ignore it. Ignoring facts is just the sort of behavior we would expect from a politician.
Mudslinging?
ReplyDeleteThe only mudslinging I've seen is on the blogs-- you have the Barbis camp blaming Dave McCarthy for creating the internet, developing the state of CT judicial website, bribing the judge who forged the records of his alleged domestic crime and then posting them on the public courts website.
The whacky stuff that trickles out is mind-blowing. You have whispier campaigns about people who aren't on the ballot, recirculated stories about stuff that happened 20-30 years ago and a knee-jerk response to anything true that might reflect on someone's character as being "mud".
Looks like I need to do some mudslinging of my own. The candidate who is running against Rosa appeared at a BoE meeting and wanted books censored from the school libraries. I don't know how others feel about this, but I don't want books censored from the school libraries! The school libraries have some excellent choices of books. That's waaaaaay too conservative an attitude for my liking!
ReplyDeleteThe parent, MATTHEW SURAPINE, never asked for the book to be censored. He explained that it had some very graphic sexual scenes and that it glorified (in some parts)promiscuity-- as a parent he asked if there could be some way that there be some parental involvement in allowing children to take out that book.
ReplyDeleteYou see, he recognized that there is a world of difference in the maturity levels between an 11 year old in her first month of sixth grade and a 14-year old 8th grader getting ready for high school. He felt that the books availalbe to the 14-year old could be (and should be) no necessarily available to the 11-year old.
That's not censorship-- that's resonsibility!
Lisa D.R. beat me to the punch.
ReplyDeleteMatt Surapine NEVER TALKED ABOUT CENSORSHIP. He talked about talking action pro-actively.
If you're a Rosa supporter, you probably don't have a clue what we're talking about because Rosa has no achievement to show for her 16 years on the BoE.
Taking action to help kids-- which is exactly what Rosa DIDN'T DO when she had evidence that Stacy Lorre was a fraud who were hurting kids. Don't forget all those phone calls she NEVER RETURNED and all those emails she NEVER RESPONDED TO.
I was there in the room the night that Mr. Surapine read an excerpt out loud from the book he was trying to warn people about. I happened to be sitting between two older men and hearing that was so embarrassing, I wanted the floor to open up and drop me down into the basement. I think he had a very legitimate concern and if our son was in that school, I think I would want to know about that author BEFORE he checked it out of the library.
ReplyDeleteMr. Surapine clearly has the strength of his convictions that we need on the Norwalk Board of Ed-- no more apologists and cheerleaders!
ReplyDeletePlus, as much as I have come to appreciate that Ms. Murray is really a very caring official, I am just so darned concerned about going back to the old days of a democrat majority on the Board of Education.
I am not playing the party game. I don't care which party is in the majority. I care about the candidate. Rosa is a proven entity. My vote is for her all the way.
ReplyDelete"Proven"?
ReplyDeleteWhat, pray-tell, did she "prove" when she . . .
What did she prove when she voted to give Sal Corda a contract extension at the same time the Cambridge Report told us about central office mismanagement?
What did she prove all those years she voted to renew Faye Ruotolo's contract?
Rosa has voted against this superintendent when necessary. The candidates the Red Apples are supporting with all their 'juice' are pledging their loyalties to the superintendent. I want Board members to vote for what is right, not vote to support the superintendent at all costs even if she is in the wrong. This superintendent has been promised by the red apples that she WiLL be supported this time around. Well, just wait until the budget gets cut again and kids don't come first. Remember I told you so, because I will remember to tell you loud and clear that I TOLD YOU SO!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Jack! I guess your actions really worked for you. Welcome back.
ReplyDelete