Erik Anderson (Connecticut)

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Erik Anderson

Democratic Party

Erik Anderson was a Democratic candidate for District B representative on the Norwalk Board of Education in Connecticut. Anderson won the Democratic primary election on September 16, 2015, and advanced to the general election on November 3, 2015. Erik Anderson won the general election on November 3, 2015.

Elections

2015

See also: Norwalk Public Schools elections (2015)

The five district representative seats on the Norwalk Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on November 3, 2015. A Democratic primary election was held September 16, 2015, for Districts A and B.

Yvel Crevecoeur (D/WFP) won the District A seat after petitioning for and winning a Democratic primary and defeating Joe Perella (I) for the open seat. While Perella ran as an unaffiliated candidate, he was endorsed by the Republican Town Committee (RTC).

District A incumbent Rosa Murray (D) did not seek her party's nomination to run for another term. Instead, the Norwalk Democratic Town Committee (DTC) nominated Nicol Ayers to run for the seat. Ayers faced a primary challenge from Yvel Crevecoeur. Crevecoeur won with a margin of 14 votes. The tight margin automatically necessitated a recount, which held the same totals. Crevecoeur received the endorsement of the Connecticut Working Families Party after petitioning to run as a Democratic candidate. This ensured that he would appear on the general election ballot regardless of the primary outcome.

Erik Anderson (D) won the District B seat after defeating incumbent Migdalia Rivas (D) in a primary. The two had tied for the Democratic nomination at the party convention. This left the party without an official nominee in the race. Both Rivas and Anderson successfully petitioned to hold a party primary to determine a Democratic candidate for District B. Anderson won the primary and was set to face Republican nominee Harold Bonet in the general election. However, Bonet withdrew from the race, leaving Anderson without official opponents.

No primaries were necessary for the other three seats. District C incumbent Michael Lyons (R) won re-election after his party nominated him to run for re-election; he defeated Democratic nominee Lisa Nuzzo in the general election. District D incumbent Bryan Meek (R) won his first full term on the board. Meek was appointed to the board in March 2015 and received his party's nomination to run for the remainder of the seat's term. He defeated Democratic nominee Haroldo Williams on the general election ballot. In District E, Michael Barbis (D) won re-election without opposition. He was nominated to retain his seat by the Democratic Town Committee, and no Republican candidate was nominated to challenge him.

Results

General

Norwalk Public Schools, District B, General Election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Erik Anderson	100.0%	915
Total Votes				915
Source: Connecticut Secretary of State, "Prescribed Form for Return of Votes Cast At A Municipal Election," accessed November 5, 2015

Democratic primary

Norwalk Public Schools, District B, Democratic Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Erik Anderson	60.0%	189
Migdalia Rivas Incumbent	40.0%	126
Total Votes		315
Source: Nancy on Norwalk, "GOP candidate withdraws, Anderson will join BoE; vote recount changes nothing," September 21, 2015 These election results are not official and will be updated when certified results are available. You can submit certified results by contacting us.

Campaign themes

2015

League of Women Voters' primary voter guide

Anderson participated in the League of Women Voters of Norwalk's questionnaire for the District A Democratic primary. The questions and his responses are below. The questions have been put in bold to distinguish them from Anderson's responses.

“	Why do you feel qualified to run for this position? I'm a lifelong resident of Norwalk and attended the Norwalk Public Schools, so I understand the issues we are facing. As the child of a single parent, I want to be a voice for people who may be struggling or can't make it to every meeting, but want the very best for the children. I plan to be available and responsive to my constituents and help them find solutions. With a career in banking, I have the skills in financial data analysis and budgeting to enable me to help our district make the most of our resources. I served on the Board of Estimate and Taxation for 3 years, and immersed myself in Norwalk's finances working hard to fully fund the NPS budget. This experience gives me insight into how to work with the administration to support the schools. For 6 years I worked with youth from the greater Norwalk area as a leader and mentor. That experience fueled my enthusiasm for ensuring that all of the young people in our school system are supported. I will be a fresh face and a fresh start for District B on the Board of Education. Norwalk has had several controversial years, with a lot of conflict on the BOE. I believe it is time to break free of that destructive cycle. I will bring a positive, team-building attitude to the BOE. I have strong relationships with many leaders in the city, and I believe I can help return civility to the process. An advertisement for Anderson's campaign. 1.Effective school boards commit to a vision of high expectations for students and achievement and quality instruction and define clear goals toward that vision. List and explain at least 2-3 goals that you advocate for in the area of student achievement and quality instruction. Clearly we need to close the Achievement Gap and prepare our children for the 21st century. I believe that expanding the curriculum, especially in the areas of Science and Social studies will help us to do that. Studies show that Science and Studies are a fun and effective way to improve reading, writing and math while simultaneously expanding critical thinking and creative problem solving. Not that I am a fan of testing, but testing for Science and Social Studies will ensure that these critical subjects are given due value. Norwalk has some very serious issues facing its Special Education Department. It is my intention to fully support the Superintendent in implementing his plans to bring more of the services needed into our schools. This will give students appropriate support throughout their journey through NPS and not just when the problems become so severe that drastic intervention is necessary. It will also save our district money, as outplacement is very costly. Likewise, I would work to expand our Academically talented programs and support ESL. We need to realize that the diversity in our city means we cannot use a cookie cutter approach to education. We must meet the child where they are. Different kids need different resources, and we need to be sure we are meeting their needs. This will require greater communication between stakeholders, attention to niche programs and accountability. 2.Effective school boards align and sustain resources, such as professional development, to meet district goals. According to researchers, LaRocque and Coleman, effective boards saw a responsibility to maintain high standards even in the midst of budget challenges. What would you do to ensure a reasonable balance between the need to maintain high academic standard through quality programs and the need to establish spending levels that dovetail with the overall financial condition of Norwalk? There are many ways that the Board of Education can help ensure the highest standards of education, even in difficult economic times. First, we must ensure a culture of transparency and communication. If we listen to one another we can change course if we are heading in a wrong direction. All of our stakeholders have valuable information about the success of our schools and we need to keep the communication channels open. We also need to ensure that all the schools are being treated equitably, with the same access to resources. While our demographics are diverse, our resources must be shared fairly. In order to bridge the achievement gap we must be sure we are supporting those who need it most. We must support our teachers, as they are the front line in this endeavor. We must listen to their needs to make things work. We must provide quality and pertinent Professional Development allowing teachers to have the confidence to present new curriculum. I plan to ask them what they need, and find a way to make it happen. It is our responsibility as a Board to use Norwalk's resources wisely. We must evaluate the success of programs using both testing data and parent and teacher feedback. We must expand and promote the programs that are working, and be quick to cut ones that are failing. We must work with the Superintendent and Administration to find outside grant money and help make sure we keep those grants through faithful oversight.	”
—Erik Anderson, (September 2015)

Recent news

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Erik Anderson (Connecticut) - Google News

See also

• Norwalk Public Schools, Connecticut
• Norwalk Public Schools elections (2015)

External links

Suggest a link

• Norwalk Public Schools
• Campaign website