After Wednesday’s recount, Bridgeport’s Board of Education make up will be dramatically different — now the question is,  what will that mean for students?

For years, the Park city’s school board has been made up of two clear factions: Members decidedly against school choice and the mayor — Maria Pereira, Howard Gardner, Sauda Baraka and Ben Walker — and everyone else. The fault lines didn’t always determine the vote, but alliances and gripes set up the board for infighting and opposition.

I give you exhibit A from — which is a video taken at a BOE meeting last year: 

With Republican Real Estate Developer and Project Manager Chris Taylor winning the recount, it looks like allegiances on the school board are less clear. This is the first time in a long time that Republicans, not the Working Families Parties have the most minority seat on the board. How this will play out is yet to be determined, but hopefully, this will mean more comprise.

For more on the recount, the Connecticut Post has the story:

“Taylor beat incumbent Howard Gardner, who ran on the Working Families Party line, by a vote of 1,155 to 1,132.

The 23 vote margin was larger than the 15 vote spread announced on election night.

The recount, held in City Hall Annex, took a full 12 hours to complete, involved about a dozen poll workers and was observed by both candidates, their designated observers and others. 

Taylor left before the recount was complete. Reached by phone, the new board member said he was excited.”

Also, check out Only in Bridgeport coverage of Bridgeport BOE race that has more Taylor.