The hypocrisy displayed by former board member Maria Pereira last night would have been shocking if all of Bridgeport hadn’t already come to expect it.

Prior to last night’s meeting, Pereira and her best bud, Parent Advisory Council President Tammy Boyle, led a press conference attacking new board member Kadisha Coates.

If that wasn’t enough, after the rally, Pereira and her cohorts spent the board meeting holding up signs that called Coates a “shyster,” as well as stating that she had an “evil agenda” and “treacherous motives,” including during the public speaking session.

Pereira, who led the group of “activists”, is always the first to be outraged whenever she perceives she’s being attacked personally, yet somehow she thinks it’s appropriate to use racially-charged insults to disparage a new board member.

As Maria Pereira is fully aware, the board’s bylaws state that “no individual or group of individuals” is permitted to “personally attack a Board member, staff member or member of the Board of Education personnel during the public speaking session.”

I say she’s fully aware not because the board reads their “no personal attacks” rule at every single board meeting, but because Pereira has used this policy to attack the conduct of others.

Pereira is totally ok with personal attacks, as long as she’s not on the receiving end – like the time she spent half a committee meeting trying to call a point of order on board member Rev. Kenneth Moales for accusing her of “filibustering.”

So, what happened to no personal attacks at board meetings? Or does that rule only apply to people who might disagree with Pereira and her ilk?

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