Remember when Bridgeport BOE meetings were full of dysfunction and rancor?

Well, apparently we may not have seen the last of that.

This is not a clip from two years ago. This is last week’s regular BOE meeting, which devolved into a shouting match after former chair Sauda Baraka repeatedly refused to allow fellow BOE members to speak.

One has to wonder: Did we get a glimpse of what’s to come?

I hope not, but it’s more likely than not.

Of the six candidates running for the four open seats on Bridgeport’s school board, all but two have close ties to Baraka or her allies. They would only need three of them to be elected to shift the political power of the BOE.

The Democratic slate is being led by former BOE member Maria Pereira, a long time political ally of Baraka’s who claims she “thoroughly vetted” her running mates Dennis Bradley and Ben Walker.

The Working Families Party – the party Pereira was formerly the Bridgeport chairman of – crossed endorsed Bradley, and also endorsed Karen Jackson, another Baraka ally.

Baraka’s possible return to power isn’t the only thing Park City residents might have to look forward to.

According to the Connecticut Post, all four of the above candidates support suing the state over funding – not really surprising if readers can recall just how frequently the BOE under Baraka threaten to sue the city or the state.

So far, the only two candidates that oppose seeking litigation are Republicans Kevin McSpirit and John Weldon.

Both have a shot, especially McSpirit, who was endorsed by the Bridgeport Education Association, but it will be an uphill battle in solidly blue Bridgeport.

 

 

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