‘Political Game Playing’

To the Editor:

I am dismayed by comments from a GOP leader that were reported in two separate stories in last week’s Newtown Bee. In the first article, which was titled “Party Leader Disdainful Of School Board’s Secrecy,” Marie Sturdevant, town GOP nominating committee chair was “critical of what she called a ‘shroud of secrecy’ school board and staff members appear to employ over intricacies in their financial practices.” She also “expressed disdain about school officials sitting silent during Finance Board and Legislative Council budget sessions,” and labeled the actions of the Board of Education as “political game playing.”

In another article in the same newspaper that reported on the slate of candidates for this year’s election, Ms Sturdevant stated that her party was “committed to supporting Elaine McClure for reelection” to the position of Board of Education chair. I was a candidate for the school board seat along with Ms McClure and was invited to be interviewed by the GOP nominating committee. I was told that the decision to run one or more candidates would be made after the interview process. I informed the committee that I was not interested in running on a multiple-candidate ticket, but I would accept the party’s nomination if they decide to field just one nominee. If the Republican party was “committed” to supporting the other candidate then why did they bother to interview me? More importantly, if the GOP is so dissatisfied with the present school board why are they “committed” to supporting an incumbent member? Talk about “political game playing”!

I will probably become persona non grata in the Republican party for writing this letter, but I think it is time for politics to be removed from the school board. The effect of the clause in the Newtown charter dictates that members of the school board shall be three Democrats and three Republicans. This clause was originally put into the charter in an effort to keep politics out of the Board of Education, but in reality it has made the system more political. Each party feels that they “own” their three seats and the process of party nominations to these positions has injected too much politics into our Board of Education. It can also prohibit the best qualified people from serving when party affiliations have to be considered first. In addition, the present system does not provide for easy participation by unaffiliated voters, which actually comprise the majority of voters in Newtown.

Our Board of Education should be completely apolitical in its operation and in its recruitment. It is time for a charter change to ensure that the voters have real choices in their selections of those to serve and that politics itself becomes “persona non grata” in this process.

George Caracciolo

Schoolhouse Hill Road, Newtown                                     July 1, 2005