The votes are in. Tuesdays Republican Primary for Board of Estimate and Taxation has resulted in the ouster of a candidate endorsed by the RTC, Nancy Weissler.
Victorious was Leslie Tarkington had been passed over by the RTC and petitioned her way onto the ballot, forcing a primary that closed schools on Tuesday.
During a debate a week earlier, Mike Mason guessed it had been 30 years since there last was a primary in the BET.
During a BET debate on Sept 5, Mrs. Tarkington was the only candidate who brought up the issue of declining school enrollment, pointing out that if the trend continues, it will have implications for the number of schools in town. “These topics such as a new New Lebanon School become all of our topics,” she said to the standing room only crowd.
Tarkington effectively bumped incumbent and fellow Connecticut College alumna Nancy Weissler, who is finishing her second term on BET. Weissler, who chairs the BET’s Human Resources Committee was previously the chair of Greenwich’s Board of Education.
Results of the Republican Primary for BET:
Debra Hess 1,324
Michael Mason 1,240
Andy Duus 1,150
Leslie Tarkington 1,112
Karen Fassuliotis 1,061
Bill Drake 1,051
Nancy Weissler 1,017
All results are preliminary until verified by the Town Clerk.
The Nov 7 slate will be comprised of Michael Mason, Leslie Tarkington and Bill Drake, in addition to new BET members Andrew Duus, Debra Hess and Karen Fassuliotis.
Back in July the DTC nominated their slate, which includes incumbents Jeff Ramer (who is chairman of the DTC), Beth Krumeich, Leslie Moriarty, Tony Turner and Jill Oberlander, as well as newcomer David Weisbrod, who is chair of Greenwich’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
In the race for Board of Education, Peter Bernstein, an incumbent who was passed over by the RTC in favor of incumbent Pete Sherr (chair of BOE) and Jason Auerbach, has similarly petitioned his way onto the ballot. And though his fate will not be known until the Nov 7 municipal election, he was endorsed by Indivisible Greenwich earlier this week.
Swomley said Republican Peter Bernstein had stood against the attempted takeover of the Board of Education and “paid a price.” This summer Bernstein took Mr. Sherr and Mr. Auerbach to court
See also:
Greenwich Republican Candidates Differentiate Themselves at Crowded BET Primary Debate
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Himes, Blumenthal and Murphy Address Indivisible Greenwich on Resisting Trump Agenda
Michael Mason at the Republican BET debate hosted by the League of Women Voters of Greenwich. Sept 5, 2017 Photo: Leslie Yager
BET candidate Andy Duus. Sept 5, 2017 Photo: Leslie Yager