Carol Anderson-Blanks
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1997 - Present
28
Carol Anderson-Blanks is a Democratic at-large representative on the West Hartford Board of Education in Connecticut. She won her first term unopposed in the general election on November 3, 2015.[1]
Anderson-Blanks has served on the West Hartford Democratic Town Committee since 1997. She was also involved in Congressmen Christopher Dodd’s (D) presidential campaign and Gov. Dannel Malloy's (D) gubernatorial campaign.[2]
Biography
Blanks earned an A.A. and a B.S. in allied health administration and respiratory care from Mount St. Mary's College in 1984. She earned an MPA from the University of Hartford in 1994. From 2002 to 2005, she was a plan liaison for the Connecticut Department of Social Services. In 2005, she became a program director with the Connecticut Department of Public Health.[3]
Elections
2015
Opposition
Four of the seven seats on the West Hartford Board of Education were up for election on November 3, 2015. Three of the at-large seats were up for general election in 2015. The fourth seat was up for special election, following the resignation of incumbent Jillian Gilchrest (D). In February 2015, she left the board to become a senior policy analyst at the Connecticut Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. Cheryl Greenberg (D) was appointed to fill the vacancy until the election was held.[4]
Incumbent Mark Zydanowicz (R) was nominated as the sole Republican candidate for the board in 2015.[5] The Democrats, meanwhile, nominated newcomers Carol Anderson-Blanks and Dave Pauluk for the regular four-year terms and nominated the recently appointed Greenberg for the two-year term.[6][1] The four candidates won the election without opposition.
Results
| West Hartford Public Schools, At-Large (4-year terms), General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Carol Anderson-Blanks |
38.2% | 7,201 | |
| Democratic | Dave Pauluk |
37.1% | 6,995 | |
| Republican | Mark Zydanowicz Incumbent |
24.8% | 4,673 | |
| Total Votes | 18,869 | |||
| Source: Connecticut Secretary of State, "Prescribed Form for Return of Votes Cast At A Municipal Election," accessed November 5, 2015 | ||||
Funding
The West Hartford 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
Anderson-Blanks received no official endorsements in this election.
Campaign themes
2015
Anderson-Blanks provided the following answers to questions from We-Ha.com. The website's questions are in bold text, and Anderson-Blanks' answers are in plain text.
| “ | Why are you running for office? I am running for the West Hartford Board of Education because I believe every child in our town should have the opportunity to obtain an excellent education that will prepare them for graduation, college, and post-secondary education success, so they can become contributing citizens and future leaders of this great town. I want to partner with the administration and keep our schools at the top and continue the legacy of delivering an excellent affordable education. I want to work toward closing the achievement gap and enhance services for our students that struggle due to many barriers they may experience. Together we can continue to capitalize on our strengths and build areas that are in need of improvement.
On Tuesday, November 3, I am asking for your vote, not only for me but the entire democratic slate located on row A. What issue(s) are your primary area of focus? Common Core, teaching for knowledge, and adequate resources for teachers and administrative staff. What do you feel is the biggest issue facing West Hartford today? Teacher Evaluation, SBAC Test, Teachers Contract, Charter Oak International Academy What do you feel differentiates you from other candidates also running for this position? Each student brings unique skills and learning abilities, I’d like to focus on addressing those issues utilizing existing resources. My experience as a parent and as a tutor allowed me to observe that every child learns differently and at a different pace. Having children that are students in the district is my incentive to partner with teachers and aim for successful outcomes by utilizing available resources (Optional) Anything else you would like to share? I listen carefully and work collaboratively to resolve issues that may benefit those who are impacted by decisions made. As a parent (and a government employee) I am committed to being a good steward of public funds, creating effective public policy and delivering services that positively impact our community.[7] |
” |
| —Carol Anderson-Blanks, We-Ha.com's candidate questionnaire, (2015)[2] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Carol Anderson-Blanks' 'West Hartford Public Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- West Hartford Public Schools, Connecticut
- West Hartford Public Schools elections (2015)
- Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
- What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondance with West Hartford Town/Council Clerk Essie S. Labrot," August 19, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 We-Ha.com, "Meet the Candidate: Carol A. Blanks," October 25, 2015
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Carol Anderson Blanks," accessed October 26, 2015
- ↑ We-Ha, "Dr. Cheryl Greenberg Appointed to West Hartford Board of Education," May 5, 2015
- ↑ We-Ha, "West Hartford Republican Town Committee Nominates Candidates," July 24, 2015
- ↑ We-Ha, "West Hartford Democrats Endorse Candidates for Fall Election," July 29, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
