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Ben Walker
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Ben Walker is a Democratic at-large representative on the Bridgeport Board of Education in Connecticut. After failing to receive his party's nomination at convention, Walker gathered sufficient signatures to force a primary election, which was September 16, 2015. He advanced from the primary and was the second-highest vote recipient in the general election on November 3, 2015, securing his seat on the board.
Biography
Walker earned a B.A. in music education from Angelo State University in 1980. He went on to receive a master's of music educaiton at Texas Tech University. From 1993 to 1998, he was a high school band director in Danbury Public Schools. In 2001, he became a high school band director for Greenwich Public Schools.[1]
Elections
2015
Opposition
Four seats on the Bridgeport Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on November 3, 2015. A Democratic primary election was held September 16, 2015. Four at-large incumbents' seats were up for election in 2015: Jacquelline Kelleher (D), Hernan Illingworth (D), Kadisha Coates (WFP) and Kenneth Moales Jr. (D). Kelleher, however, resigned from the board on July 31, 2015, to move to New Hampshire.[2] Mary "Kate" Rivera was appointed to fill the vacancy on August 24, 2015. Rivera made it clear at the time that she had no intention to run for a full term in the election.[3] Ultimately, none of the incumbents retained their seats.
Incumbents Illingworth and Coates received the Democratic nominations along with candidate Faith Harrison-Villegas. Their nominations, however, were challenged by primary petitioners Dennis Bradley, Ben Walker and Maria Pereira. The Republican Party nominated John Weldon and Kevin McSpirit. The Connecticut Working Families Party nominated Karen Jackson, as well as Democratic candidate Bradley.
Cross-nominated candidate Bradley, fellow Democratic petitioning challenger Walker and former board member Pereira advanced to the general election.[4][5] The three primary winners also took the top three spots in the general election. McSpirit placed fourth, securing one seat for the Republicans.[6]
Results
General
| ELECTORAL FUSION: Bridgeport Public Schools, At-Large, General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/WFP |  Dennis Bradley |
27.3% | 11,961 | |
| Democratic | Ben Walker |
25.8% | 11,320 | |
| Democratic | Maria Pereira |
24.6% | 10,792 | |
| Republican | Kevin McSpirit |
8.1% | 3,536 | |
| Republican | John Weldon | 7.6% | 3,349 | |
| Working Families Party | Karen Jackson | 6.6% | 2,890 | |
| Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting) | 43,848 | |||
| Source: Connecticut Secretary of State, "Prescribed Form for Return of Votes Cast at a Municipal Election: Bridgeport," Novemeber 3, 2015 | ||||
| FULL BY-PARTY RESULTS: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Ben Walker | 25.8% | 11,320 | |
| Democratic | Maria Pereira | 24.6% | 10,792 | |
| Democratic | Dennis Bradley | 24.3% | 10,641 | |
| Republican | Kevin McSpirit | 8.1% | 3,536 | |
| Republican | John Weldon | 7.6% | 3,349 | |
| Working Families Party | Karen Jackson | 6.6% | 2,890 | |
| Working Families Party | Dennis Bradley | 3% | 1,320 | |
Democratic primary
| Bridgeport Public Schools, At-Large, Democratic Primary, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Dennis Bradley |
17.5% | 5,811 |
| Ben Walker |
17.0% | 5,648 |
| Maria Pereira |
16.9% | 5,625 |
| Faith Harrison-Villegas | 16.8% | 5,597 |
| Kadisha Coates Incumbent | 16.3% | 5,425 |
| Hernan Illingworth Incumbent | 15.6% | 5,188 |
| Total Votes | 33,294 | |
| Source: CT Post, "Bridgeport primary election returns," September 16, 2015 and CT Post, "Recounts settle some, not all races," September 24, 2015 These election results are not official and will be updated when certified results are available. You can submit certified results by contacting us. |
||
Funding
The Bridgeport Town Clerk's office does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Endorsements
Walker was endorsed by the Bridgeport Education Association.[7]
Campaign themes
2015
Walker was interviewed by Linda Conner Lambeck of the Connecticut News Blogs. Below are the questions and his responses.
| “ | 1. Tell me a little bit about yourself and why you would make a good school board member.
I am a 35-year veteran public school teacher. I am married to a 27-year veteran Bridgeport teacher. I have a unique, insider’s vision of public school education. I understand the needs of the teacher, a major constituent of the Board of Education. For too long teachers have taken the fall for everything that is wrong with public school education. If public schools are to succeed in teaching our kids, teachers will lead the way. I am a listener and life-long learner. I am a bridge-builder, who can work with all people. I am politically beholden to no one but the 22,000 students, staff and parents of the Bridgeport Public Schools. A quality public school education is one of the cornerstones of democracy and my passion lies with the success of the public schools in Bridgeport. 2. What would you seek to change in the next year in the Bridgeport Public School system. What is your first priority. First, we need, no deserve, a superintendent who has a vision of success for urban public schools. No offense to our current interim superintendent, but it is time to fill this position of leadership. Second, we need to explore our public schools that work, dissect them to find what works and replicate this in our Focus and Turnaround schools. Third, we need to think outside of the box with high school start times. Why not implement a flexible start time in order to accommodate those students in sports, with after school jobs, and who take care of siblings at home. Fourth, we need to find a better way to define our schools and teachers. We need to develop an evaluation system that emphasizes the human element. We are not a business. We are not making widgets. We are dealing with children in a developmental stage. Applying a business model to education is just asking for failure. 3. Name something you think the school system is doing right. What is positive that should be built upon. Our magnet schools are doing an incredible job. They provide alternatives to neighborhood public schools and focus the students in a variety of areas. Aside from a few of our neighborhood public schools, they outperform all other schools in Bridgeport. We need to offer more magnet school choices. They are cost effective, non-discriminatory, and fall under local Board of Education oversight. 4. Anything else you want the public to know about you. I live in Bridgeport by choice. I am drawn to the multicultural diversity that this city offers. I am passionate about public school education and the opportunity a quality education offers to our children. Although many of our citizens live in poverty, a quality education should be an expectation for every parent of our children. As a member of the Bridgeport Board of Education, it will be my priority to make the public schools the first choice of these parents.[8] |
” |
| —Ben Walker, (September 2015)[9] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Maria Pereira' 'Bridgeport Public Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Ben Walker," accessed September 16, 2015
- ↑ ctpost.com, "Bridgeport BOE loses a member," August 3, 2015
- ↑ Education Bridgeport!, "BOE Appoints Bridgeport Parent Kate Rivera As Newest Member," August 25, 2015
- ↑ CT Post, "Bridgeport primary election returns," September 16, 2015
- ↑ CT Post, "Recounts settle some, not all races," September 24, 2015
- ↑ CT Post, "Bridgeport primary election returns," September 16, 2015
- ↑ Connecticut Post, "Bridgeport teachers union announces its picks for school board race," October 22, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Connecticut News Blogs, "So you want to be a Bridgeport school board member?" September 15, 2015
| 2015 Bridgeport Public Schools Elections | |
| Fairfield County, Connecticut | |
| Election date: | Primary election - September 16, 2015 General election - November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Candidates: • Incumbent, Hernan Illingworth (D) • Dennis Bradley (WFP) • Incumbent, Kadisha Coates (D) • Faith Harrison-Villegas (D) • Karen Jackson (WFP) • Kevin McSpirit (R) • Maria Pereira (D) • Ben Walker (D) • John Weldon (R) |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
