Westport voters:
According to Camilo Riano, a candidate for our Board of Education, voting “is not the American way.” This is the same man who, at board meetings over the years, has repeatedly called the American education system “Marxist.” He has threatened to sue our Board of Education twice, wants to ban books at the school and library, and uses the term “child groomers” to refer to our teachers, our board members, and our superintendent.
Sadly, this was only an indication of how far he and his running mate, Jamie Fitzgerald, are willing to go: Recently, in an email, they went so far as to twist the horrible attack on Israel into a desperate narrative for votes. They aligned social justice and “liberal values” with terrorism, and compared our town’s support for a diverse and inclusive curriculum to the teachings of Hamas.
We must defend our children from this dangerous, extremist agenda.
You have three votes on Nov. 7 for our Board of Education. Lee Goldstein and Neil Phillips will be in Row A. Unlike their opponents, they are experienced board members, educators, and parents who have been focusing on our children. They calmly shepherded our families through COVID, helped to increase the education budget, secured principals and a new superintendent, and added courses, technology, mental health support, and advanced facilities to our buildings.
For your third vote, please write in Jill Dillon on Row E. Jill is a well-loved former PTA president and will be focused on serving our children.
We are both proud graduates of the Westport schools, as are our three sons. We love our schools and teachers. Due to our teachers, our administration, and our board, Westport is officially the No. 1 school system in Connecticut, and the top 20 in the entire country. Children are watching. Let’s keep showing them how we work together.
Mr. Riano, voting is very much the American way.
Vote on Nov 7. Re-elect Lee Goldstein and Neil Phillips, and write-in Jill Dillon, to save our Board of Education.
Darcy Hicks and Josh Koskoff
Westport
________________________________
Vote for “excellence, not extremism”
To the editor:
I have been planning to write to express my enthusiastic support for Lee Goldstein and Neil Phillips for the Board of Education, based on their extraordinary list of accomplishments and their tireless advocacy on behalf of Westport’s students while serving as BOE members and beyond. I’m glad I took my time.
I am horrified by an email sent on 10/22 (and a follow up missive sent on 10/23) by Lee and Neil’s Republican opponents, which uses twisted and purposefully misguiding language in an attempt to connect the work of these dedicated local elected officials to a rise in Hamas-level violence and terror. I am disgusted.
As a Jew — and a parent — I am deeply offended that local politicians have co-opted a painful and terrifying time in this world to bootstrap extremist national political talking points to an election involving the education of our children. To equate the mainstream, Westport-focused equity work of our school district to a hate filled agenda is to maliciously disinform. To accuse the Democratic Town Committee, and two Jewish BOE members, of antisemitism is absurd and recklessly inflammatory.
I for one am extremely thankful for the important work the BOE has done, under Lee and Neil’s leadership, to create equity of opportunity and a sense of belonging in our schools. That is not pursuing an “agenda.” That is being humane.
If you are looking for excellence, not extremism, on our Board of Education, please join me in voting to re-elect Lee Goldstein and Neil Phillips, and in writing in Jill Dillon, on Election Day.
Melissa Kane
Westport
As a Jew, a mother, and a parent of two Westport students, I agree with what Darcy, Josh, and Karen have said!
I am sick and tired of Camilo Raino’s vile attacks on:
Westport as a town- Marxist/ Communists
Westport schools- Indocrinators
Tom Scarice- Groomers
Voting- not necessary ( supports Trump and Jan 6)
Weatport teachers- indoctrinators
And now.. Westport Jews!- we all have to vote for them for some strange reason! ( Trumo said the same about us Jews!)
How dare Camilo and Jamie, two non- Jews who stand for Christian National Moms for Liberty Facism, use the terrorist attack on Israel and Jews by Hamas, to attempt to hijack DEI and SEL and to convince Westporters that Jews here agree with that tacitc! I am disgusted by BOTH of their emails! The first one showed that they are opportunists to use a tragedy to somehow benefit them to garner votes and gaslight what DeI is! The second, they doubled down and attacked local Jews by saying the Jews who are for DEi are like Hamas and the rest of the Jews must stand by them! NO, JEWS in Westport as a while do NOT stand by their: bigotry, gaslighting, anti- Democracy, attacks on our schools and superintendent! We Jews stand with Israel and we as Jews stand against BIGOTRY! We as Jews know what DEI is and is not! We as Jews are emotional right now and have feelings that need to be expressed through SEL and DEI! Our kids have feelings and emotions that SHOULD be expressed in school as opposed to what Dorie ( Camilo’s megaphone) said saying the same parents who want to talk about and support Israel do not want to express their feelings and emotions? WtF? That makes zero sense!
DEI and Sel support Jewish kids throuugh this rough time and other kids through this rough time! DEi does NOT turn kids into Hamas or Hamas sympathizers on college campuses! NO!
Camilo and Jamie are politicians lookiing to divide and attack, even Jews are their targets now!
Sickening!!!!
My votes are with:
Lee
Neil
And write in
Jill Dillon
Stop the vile attacks Camilo and Jamie. Shame on you for using the terrorist attack on Israel and us Jews, shame!
I stand also with the Israeli woman who spoke at the board of ed meeting! We have to teach all the facts, even about Trump and also about Hamas!
After attending the LWV “debate” in which none of the candidates actually debated but presented their platforms, there was one noticeable omission: Candidate Camilo Riano did not mention or justify his vile assertions of child grooming by Superintendent Scarise, any of the board of ed members, teachers, counselors, or librarians. He got away with it because audience members were not permitted to ask questions and the moderator did not challenge him about these inflammatory accusations. So he could hide behind how much he loved Westport and America. In an incredible display of ignorance, his co-running mate, Jamie Fitzgerald went on to decry PEN and its insidious offenses, clearly demonstrating that she knows no more than how to use words to incite that segment of the population that prefers to react rather than think.
Ms. Fitzgerald and Mr. Riano go on to state how Democrats use their “antisemitic voices that pervade their party nationally and its alignment with organizations that openly praise Hamas.” Really … Where do you go to document these charges? Their flatulent use of rhetoric to abuse the language in pursuit of derogatory and provocative accusations seems to be intended for their particular audience which greets them warmly. It doesn’t work with people who think.
Ms. Fitzgerald and Mr. Riano see no need to put on the breaks. They continue how “one Westport parent from the Jewish community called upon the board to scrutinize our curricula to understand how the “social justice” agenda is potentially delivering a warped understanding of events like the terrorist attacks in Israel.” What understanding is that? Help the voters understand this instead of just throwing it out unsupported. The academic curricula needs to be scrutinized? Which of students’ studies in particular do you point to? Specifics. Not generalizations. Perhaps, Ms. Fitzgerald and Mr. Riano, you will explain how the social agenda for freedom of expression and the 1st Amendment is counteracted by your lesson plans for wrapping books in brown paper, banning them and then, how’s this for an original concept, burning them? Certainly we have seen examples of this in history in Germany, Cambodia, Chile, China. Would that parent who was “widely praised for her courageous and insightful remarks” care to come forward in support of Ms. Fitzgerald and Mr. Riano?
Ms. Fitzgerald and Mr. Riano have not presented documented records or references as to how “the Democrats on our Board of Education have for several years pushed a policy agenda based on combatting “structural racism” and have demanded we all submit to their ideologically progressive “equity lens.” Why would anyone believe there is racism in this country, structural or not, from the time this country was founded? “Article one, section two of the Constitution of the United States declared that any person who was not free would be counted as three-fifths of a free individual for the purposes of determining congressional representation.” Yes, slavery was not mentioned by word. How about structural sexism? Would they like to accuse the Board of Ed of teaching about the fight for the women’s right to vote or, please let us not say this out loud, encourage everyone to vote by considering the facts, not the vitriol? Are these among the criticisms presented by Ms. Fitzgerald and Mr. Riano that Democrats demand that “we all submit to their ideologically progressive “’equity lens’”? How exactly do the GOP candidates for Board of Ed define equity? I have several definitions in mind having grown up with refugees, immigrants, and Holocaust survivors who came here with barely the shirts on their backs and sought a safe and secure life for their families and children to learn, books unwrapped. Having lived and taught abroad and, in one case under martial law when my students and I were forbidden to meet after all university classes were cancelled, yet, we still did … until …
Now Ms. Fitzgerald and Mr. Riano want Democrats to apologize “to every Jewish citizen, indeed every citizen, in our town” while you promote banning books, except, I imagine, books that they choose. Ms. Fitzgerald also praised using AI to compare styles of writing (see “books” above), therfore, avoiding the writing of other writers. I have another suggestion: Use critical thinking. Not just being critical without thinking.
Oh David, where to begin. The 3/5 s rule was actually to prevent the slave states from having more influence via higher populations. As you may or may not know, the House of Representatives uses those numbers to determine how many representatives you get in your state to cast votes. We can presume the slave states would cast votes to support slavery. As for banning books, nothing is banned. You can get any of this vile material at bookstores or online if you choose. As for the current tragic situation in Israel we have all seen the video footage and audio including chants” from the river to the sea” by so called Americans , including college students, many of whom are Jewish. May there never be a situation as we saw in Europe in the thirties and forties. Open minded leftists make that a possibility that is too awful to comprehend. Don’t be so open minded that you mistake your enemies for your friends and your friends for your enemies.
I understand completely, Sharon, so no need to explain to me. 3/5 rule was about free people and those who weren’t free. Justify it as you wish, and adapt any definition you prefer, it was less about voting at the time than who was free to vote. The discussion about book banning is not about where you can get it, it is about the proposal to make them unavailable, thus banning them. You may also blame “open minded” leftists for any ill of society that suits you, but make no mistake that I mistake fascists for friends.
So you are as nutty as they are?
Sorry, Mr. Liepolt, I have no idea what you are talking about. If you are going to take up space to comment, support your thoughts with evidence rather than throw around labels which have no meaning.
If this is the best response you can come up with do yourself a favor and don’t bother. Neither pithy nor witty.
Sharon,
You asked when Camilo said he does not think voting is the American way.
Go to the internet
Go to You Tube
Type in Camilo Raino You Tube
Update to all!!!!! Important to read!!!!
I attended the Temple Israel community discussion about Israel and anti- semitism and how it affects us locally, last night. I brought up the emails sent from Camilo Raino and Jamie Firzgerald and how disturbing it was to me as a local Jew to use the terrorist attack on Israel and the Jews as an opportnity for a school board campaign and to associate DEi with Hamas and anyone who supports Hamas or the attack.
Dorie Hordon and her husband responded after me. Dorie attacked me personally and said I was rude to her. Then, Dorie’s husband said that HE HELPED TO CRAFT THE EMAIL THAT CAMILO AND JAMIE SENT OUT!
Let that sink in!
Oy vey, Pephi. 2:50am!! Now you’ve brought me into your petty world of cyberattacks. Let’s clarify what happened last night. My wife and I attended a discussion at Temple Israel, where we have been members for 16 years, on the topic of the crisis in Israel. We went with no intention of speaking, let alone about the Board of Ed. You were the first person to speak at the event. Before hundreds of fellow congregants, you launched into a broadside against the Republican BOE candidates and members and claimed that criticism of DEI and even SEL (???) is antisemitic, as you glared at us. So we responded. I cannot tell you how many people approached us after the event, after you bolted out, with expressions of sympathy and support for my wife, who spoke so eloquently and so authentically, as she always does, following your inappropriate behavior and nasty partisan attack.
As a member of the RTC, I along with other Jewish Republicans in town have been involved with the communication on Israel. I would encourage everyone to read IDF veteran Daniel Bakaleinik’s letter to the editor in the Westport Journal today, which was prompted by the DTC’s accusations towards the Republican BOE candidates. As Rabbi Friedman explained last night, the support we now see on campuses around the country for Hamas stems from an ideological perspective that considers Israel a white oppressive colonial power. It is imperative that Jews and all Americans come to understand how the tribalism of the racial equity perspective (as opposed to the universalism of the racial equality perspective that it seeks to dismantle) is feeding this absolutely frightening domestic resurgence of antisemitism. As a Jew, an American and a supporter of Israel, I feel it is urgent to set aside partisan loyalties and have these discussions, in a civil and thoughtful way, now more than ever. I applaud the Republican BOE candidates for having the moral courage to address this issue head on, because it is in fact a subject that can only be addressed locally, in our homes, our places of worship and our schools.
Cyberattack? What? This is gaslighting at its best.
Let me clairfy all of this for you Rob:
You support Camilo Raino who has a history of attacking: our schools, out town, our teachers, and our Superintendent. Camilo has gone so far as to call Tom Scarice, a groomer! Do you know the implications of such an outrageous, exteremist, and slanderous comment? He has sued our town on the basis of nothing. All Camilo does is attack, attack, attack and he is who you want to run for school board? Scary! You support his comments on grooming, indoctrination, making fun of LGBTQ people, ans saying voting is not the American way?
Did you not hear what Rabbi Friedman, whom I have spoken to many many times about what Camilo and the cult of book banners and grommer commentators have said, about his support for Tom Scarice? Did you ignore that? Tom supports out children during these rough times with DEI and SEL which you alter the meaning of to suit your Moms for Liberty playbook. Do you disagree also with our Temple’s DEI mission statement? Do you agree with the attacks on Tom?
I was floored when I received an email from from Camilo and Jamie using the terrorist attack on Jews and Israel for their anti- DEi campagin! Floored! I was shaking because I wondered how a school board campaign could possibly USE this terrorist attack and us Jews to somehow benefit their campaign! I had many many people reach out to me that they had the same exact feelings as Jews that the campaign should not be using the terrorist attacks for a campaign. Then, Camilo and Jamie decided to double down on using the situation and Jews as pawns for their campaign
So, I decided as a member of Temple Israel, just like YOU, with a daughter who had her Bat Mitzvah last year, and a daughter who is having her Bat Mitzvah this year, to attend the community meeting last night about Israel and how anti- semitism affects our community. I decided to speak up about my discomfert with the emails sent by Camilo and Jamie. I was calm, I was mindful, and I used SEL skills that I have learned as a teacher. I did not mention your name ( I do not even know you) or Dorie’s name, one single time in what I said.
You then spoke and were really rude and out of line with your comments about me personally. That was uncalled for. I have never been rude to your wife, she can prove to me otherwise. You wrote the email that I spoke about and it upset you. I never spoke about either if you at that meeting.
I know that letters ro the editor of this very magazine keep pouring in about the email that we now know that you crafted on behalf of Jamie and Camilo in regard to DEI trying to tie it to Hamas or Jews who like DEI, such as myself. I supoort Israel and want Hamas wiped out in case you are unaware of my stance. I also believe in teaching facts about history from slavery, to the 1776 project to the Holocaust, to Trump, to the history of Israel and who Hamas is.
People,many Jews, are very upset about Dorie being the megaphone for Camilo’s hate of this district and town. Many are upset with your emails.
I will let the polls decide..
David, the explanation of the 3/5ths rule is not a definition. It was also not about free people and slaves. It was about slaves. The fact that you did not know the purpose of it does not change history. Quit before you embarrass yourself further.
Thank you for proving my point. I quit. At least wasting my time responding to you.
There was a comment asking whether Riano actually said that voting is not the Democratic or American way. The direct quote: “I think a vote cannot be justified as the democratic way of doing things, because this is not the American way,” can be found at minute 22:10 on the town meetings cite: https://play.champds.com/westportschoolsct/event/2.
Alarmingly, he also threatens the board with “eternal hostility” at 2:20 here: https://play.champds.com/westportschoolsct/event/14.
In addition, you can find him threatening to sue the board at 8:20 here: https://play.champds.com/westportschoolsct/event/12 and at 5:35 here: https://play.champds.com/westportschoolsct/event/15.
I could go on, but the amount of times this man has stood behind that mic to smear our schools with accusations of “grooming,” “marxism,” “the shadow of communism,” etc. is head-spinning.
Let’s just say this man is not someone who works well with others.