By John Schwing

WESTPORT — Controversies triggered by right-wing social media recently were topics of brief, but concerned, discussion at TEAM Westport’s meeting last week.

• In a recent national podcast hosted by Steve Bannon — the currently indicted, one-time top advisor to Donald Trump — TEAM Westport, the town’s multicultural advocacy committee, was called an “unelected Marxist politburo,” which insidiously influences public policies, particularly in the school district.

• And in a viral “undercover” video, a Greenwich school administrator discussed his views on hiring personnel, which appear to discriminate against Catholics and conservatives. The video was circulated last week by Project Veritas, a group whose goal is to expose what it contends are the hypocrisy and hidden “woke” agendas of liberals.

Both issues arose during TEAM Westport’s meeting last Thursday, although the main business was to introduce five new members of the advisory town committee. 

That process of adding new TEAM members was triggered when town resident Camilo Riano, along with Zack Alcyone, threatened legal action last January over the committee’s makeup. Coincidentally, Riano’s complaints about local schools were a source for statements made by Todd Wood of the “CD” Creative Destruction website on Bannon’s “War Room” podcast.

TEAM members’ discussion of the controversial allegations last week was prompted by a question from Sal Liccione, a District 9 member of the Representative Town Meeting, who attended the committee’s Zoom meeting.

Liccione asked if TEAM members and school officials who came in for harsh criticism during the Bannon podcast —first reported on the “06880” blog — are worried about their personal safety and the security of future meetings.

Despite criticism, officials do not feel threatened

Harold Bailey Jr., the longtime TEAM chairman, noting facetiously that he was called the “leader” of the alleged Marxist politburo, answered that despite claims made on the high-profile “War Room” podcast and similar local criticism of his committee, he has not felt threatened.

Likewise, Board of Education Chairwoman Lee Goldstein and Supt. of Schools Thomas Scarice agreed that even though school officials and their policies have been topics of vigorous debate and criticism, the level of antagonism has not risen to a point where they feared for their safety.

One committee member called the podcast full of “atrocious inaccuracies.”

Wood, interviewed by Bannon on the podcast, contends Westport is being infiltrated by Marxist ideology and the schools are indoctrinating students with Critical Race Theory.

As quoted on 06880, Wood claims Westport schools are “showing grooming videos to elementary kids — large, obese women with their breasts flaunting, jumping up and down with their beards to third graders. Literally opening the door to behavior that’s really inappropriate for children.”

That statement apparently is based on Riano’s letter sent to school district leaders and published on the CD website, criticizing several June programs at Saugatuck Elementary School. 

Dance troupe, music video: Indoctrination?

Among his concerns was a performance by the dance troupe Pilobolus, which he said was sexual in nature and inappropriate for young children.

Riano was also angered by a schoolwide broadcast to students by Saugatuck Principal Elizabeth Messler, providing background on the school’s “You Be You Day,” planned in conjunction with Pride Month. Messler’s broadcast also included a music video, of which Riano states: “Together with the sexual images in the video, there are also subliminal messages about race and society, as understood by the proponents of Critical Race Theory.”

That video — excerpted from the movie, “The Great Showman,” about circus impresario P.T. Barnum — is the song, “This is Me.” It is performed by the troupe of human “oddities” showcased in Barnum’s circus, standing up for themselves.

The song, by the award-winning songwriting team of Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, has a Westport connection. Paul is a 2003 graduate of Staples High School.

Video of Greenwich school official raises hiring questions

Issues about Westport’s public hiring policies and transparency were raised during the TEAM meeting by Police Chief Foti Koskinas 

He cited the Project Veritas video that purportedly shows a Greenwich school administrator describing how conservatives could be weeded out of the job-selection process.

The town’s recently reconfigured Civilian Review Panel — chaired by Bailey — now has an oversight role in hiring for the Police Department and other emergency-services agencies.

Koskinas expressed concern, in light of questions raised by the Greenwich incident, that other town departments’ hiring be subject to a fair and transparent process.

Several TEAM members noted the veracity of Project Veritas video “exposés” has been faulted for editing techniques and lack of context, designed they said to misrepresent views of political foes.

One committee member said the group is known for trying to “trap” those with whom it disagrees into making controversial statements for secretly recorded videos, and suggested local officials be warned.

Last week’s brief discussion of the social-media controversies indicated a broader review by TEAM Westport members may be scheduled in the future.

John Schwing, the Westport Journal consulting editor, has held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.