GOP Announces Three BOE Candidates Seeking Endorsement

The Hour reports today that the Republican Town Council has three Norwalk parents who are seeking the GOP endorsement for the BOE election in November. They are: PTO President Susan Haynie, attorney and former Democrat Steven A. Colarossi and pastor Artie Kassimis.

All candidates will be officially nominated at the Republican convention on July 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Norwalk Inn. The Democratic nomination meeting will be held in the City Hall Community Room at 7:30 p.m. the same day.

Colarossi is an attorney with Berkowitz, Trager & Trager, LLC in Westport. He has two children in the Norwalk Public Schools and has been vocal at Board of Education meetings.

In his June statement announcing he was leaving the Democratic party, he said: "This majority (of Democrats on the Board of Education) fails to respond to constituent e-mails, publicly complains when they are inundated with parental concerns about pressing issues and actually -- and shockingly -- make decisions affecting schools they never visit. Norwalk's Democratic Party has done nothing to make these members more accountable--in fact, the Democratic Town Committee has only served to embolden them by re-nominating and re-supporting them."

Haynie, who has three children in the district, said the position will be a continuation of what she's already doing in her roles on the PTO and as the director of NorwalkSeeks, a non profit dedicated to increasing awareness of issues involving children with learning disabilities.

She also said she doesn't feel the Board of Education is "really about politics" and doesn't think the party aspect should be a big part of the discussion.

Kassimis, who has three children in the Norwalk Public Schools and one who graduated from them, said he's happy to run at-large because constituents at his church, Word Alive Bible Church, come from all over Norwalk.

He previously served as the assistant director of information technology for a Stamford and said that business and technology background will be an asset to the district.

THe Hour, Board of Education hopefuls vying for GOP nominations, By LAUREN MYLO, 7/14/09

I'll be following this story closely. For those of you unfamiliar with the BOE election process, I'll post an explanation of how it works in the next few days.