To: Board of Ed Members
Board of Ed: Reject Mayor Boughton's Appointment
To the Members of the Danbury Board of Education:
In the spirit of fairness and cultivating an environment of respect (values we hope to instill throughout our community and especially in our children), we hope you will honor the voice of the people from our recent election and reject the appointment of an opposition seat to the Board.
In the spirit of fairness and cultivating an environment of respect (values we hope to instill throughout our community and especially in our children), we hope you will honor the voice of the people from our recent election and reject the appointment of an opposition seat to the Board.
Why is this important?
We all have an interest in what happens in our schools and with our children. We want them to experience role models who can and do conduct themselves in a fair, respectful manner. We want them to see that whether or not adults like each other, and whether or not we agree on how things should be done, we all agree to operate by certain non-partisan standards. Cultivating an environment of respect where the spirit of fairness is honored is critical if we expect our children to do the same.
As parents, as teachers, as community leaders and members, and especially as people who care about the messages that we impart to our children through our own behavior, I urge you to join me in asking them to stand against the mayor's decision. We need to make it clear to the Board of Education members that they can and should reject this appointment.
As residents of CT, we should all be concerned about a gubernatorial candidate who feels it is okay to overstep his vested authority and rewrite policy about how positions are appointed.
HISTORY:
When the city of Danbury went through the vote just two months ago, voters decisively elected 4 Democrats to the Board of Education. While the remainder of the ballot went largely Republican as it has for some time, the voters made it clear they wanted change on the Board of Education.
It was unfortunate that one of the Democrats elected ultimately declined the seat due to a personal conflict, leaving a vacancy. Vacancies are appointed by the members of the Board, on the recommendation by the party which holds the seat.
The Board held several votes and could not reach a decision, ending in a stalemate every time. It was never addressed as to why the Democrat-nominated candidate was rejected - he was a young, energetic individual with children in the school system. The Republican-nominated candidate during these BOE votes was someone who ran in the election and garnered the next-to-last number of votes.
After several of these votes, the mayor quietly inserted himself into the situation without legal precedent and opted to appoint an individual from the opposing party, not only seating someone who didn't win during the election, but also shifting the balance of the board back to a Republican majority.
With this appointment, the spirit of fairness is being challenged. Just two months after the voters of Danbury went to the polls and elected a Democrat, they have been told that their voice does not count.
The arguments being made to justify this appointment are not legally viable, but the financial burden of taking it to court is too much, and it will likely go unchallenged. It is time to use the most powerful weapon at our disposal: our voices!
Please join us in signing on to this petition so that we may spread awareness of this abuse of power by Mayor Mark Boughton.
As parents, as teachers, as community leaders and members, and especially as people who care about the messages that we impart to our children through our own behavior, I urge you to join me in asking them to stand against the mayor's decision. We need to make it clear to the Board of Education members that they can and should reject this appointment.
As residents of CT, we should all be concerned about a gubernatorial candidate who feels it is okay to overstep his vested authority and rewrite policy about how positions are appointed.
HISTORY:
When the city of Danbury went through the vote just two months ago, voters decisively elected 4 Democrats to the Board of Education. While the remainder of the ballot went largely Republican as it has for some time, the voters made it clear they wanted change on the Board of Education.
It was unfortunate that one of the Democrats elected ultimately declined the seat due to a personal conflict, leaving a vacancy. Vacancies are appointed by the members of the Board, on the recommendation by the party which holds the seat.
The Board held several votes and could not reach a decision, ending in a stalemate every time. It was never addressed as to why the Democrat-nominated candidate was rejected - he was a young, energetic individual with children in the school system. The Republican-nominated candidate during these BOE votes was someone who ran in the election and garnered the next-to-last number of votes.
After several of these votes, the mayor quietly inserted himself into the situation without legal precedent and opted to appoint an individual from the opposing party, not only seating someone who didn't win during the election, but also shifting the balance of the board back to a Republican majority.
With this appointment, the spirit of fairness is being challenged. Just two months after the voters of Danbury went to the polls and elected a Democrat, they have been told that their voice does not count.
The arguments being made to justify this appointment are not legally viable, but the financial burden of taking it to court is too much, and it will likely go unchallenged. It is time to use the most powerful weapon at our disposal: our voices!
Please join us in signing on to this petition so that we may spread awareness of this abuse of power by Mayor Mark Boughton.