Net/Net, this year's election is a bit of a farce, since the city charter says the majority party (democrats) can have no more than 6 of the 9 seats, so that guarantees that at least 2 of the republicans (Pia, Olson or Pierre-Louis) running will win, even if they receive the least amount of votes. I guess they could win all 3 seats, but I seriously doubt that, since enough democrats will come out to vote in the Mayor's race to ensure one Dem will finish in the top 3.
In my opinion, Jerry Pia is a given, since he has name recognition, has been on the BoE in the past and is currently on the Board of Representatives. He is very experienced in the inner workings of the city and and might be able to help navigate the budget process more effectively and will fight to protect the schools educational needs
That leaves the only Olsen and Pierre-Louis as the remaining Republicans candidates of choice. Fred Pierre-Louis is very knowledgeable of the process, as he is a teacher in Naugatuck. He seemed smart enough in the debate I was at to say when he did not have enough information to answer a question, rather than try to sugar coat, and I can respect that intellectually. He supports middle school reform as he "is a doctoral student at U of Hartford and his research focuses on mixed ability, or heterogeneous, classes. A pilot project, done as part of his research, found that 14 low-achieving students placed in college prep courses came to think of themselves as college prep students." - Stamford Advocate
I dont know much about Olson, other than she is running on the same ticket as Pia and she could not attend the forum I attended as she claims she is sick with H1N1. She has gotten into a bit of hot water recently with the Catholic schools, since she claimed to have gotten sick as a nurse there, and has said that students at her school have contracted H1N1, though the Principal has denied any students have tested positive. Certainly rips her credible to shreds in my mind. She is also a former school nurse and health instructor in Stamford Public Schools, though I dont think this is sufficient enough to garner my support. The fact that she was unable to attend the forum I attended, sends a signal to me that she is not dedicated or committed in spite of being sick. This may not be a fair assessment, but all is fair in love, war and politics.
That leaves 1 seat for the 2 remaining democrats running. Polly Rauh has the greatest name recognition and is probably the most qualified and right now, and (imho) we need experienced people on the Board of Education to muddle through the process. However, she is for school choice (basically breaking the city into 4 quadrants and assigning 4 schools to that area and saying you can go to any of those schools) and I am not sure how feasible or realistic that really is going to be implement here, since there are much more pressing issues in this city right now.
I liked Naomi Chapman-Taylor but it will take her months to get acclimated and become productive. She has not been to enough BoE meetings to really know or understand the issues. If she comes on a regular basis, she could wind up being a good candidate next year.
I am supporting Jerry Pia, Fred Pierre-Louis and Polly Rauh. Each comes with their own pluses and minuses, but I feel that they are best candidates for Stamford now. Pia and Rauh are both experienced with the Stamford political scene as they are currently on the Board of Reps. Pierre-Louis is a high school teacher and is on the ground in the classroom and can speak first hand to the needs of students. I think a combination of both education and political experience is the leadership qualities which we need now.
The Advocate ran a bit of a profile on the candidates, that is worth a read.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_13640383?source=rss
They also endorsed the same candidates that I am supporting.
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