Fairfield Public Schools elections (2013)
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Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links References |
Fairfield Public Schools |
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Four seats on the Fairfield Board of Education were up for election on November 5, 2013. Five candidates sought election to the board. Eileen Liu-McCormack, John Llewellyn, Marc Patten and Donna Karnal defeated Kenneth Lee to win four at-large seats.
About the district
- See also: Fairfield Public Schools, Connecticut
The Town of Fairfield is located along the Long Island Sound in Fairfield County in southern Connecticut. The population of Fairfield was 59,625 according to a 2012 report by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center.[1]
Demographics
As of 2011, the city had a poverty rate of 3.3% in the CERC Report while the state rate was 9.2%. The 2012 CERC Report calculated Fairfield's median income at $114,709 while the state median income was $70,705. The percentage of city residents over 25 years old with undergraduate degrees (59%) was above the state average (36%).[1]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Method of board member selection
The Fairfield Board of Education consists of nine members who are elected at-large to four-year terms. The Democratic, Republican and Party Town committees in Fairfield endorsed candidates in July 2013 for the board elections. Four seats were up for election on November 5, 2013 and five seats were on the ballot on November 3, 2015.
State law requires a minimum of three seats to be held by minority parties following each election.[3] The composition of the board heading into the November 2013 election was five Democrats and four Republicans. On November 5, 2013, voters were able to choose any three candidates on the ballot regardless of party. The four candidates who received the most votes won election to the board.
Elections
2013
Candidates
The candidates on the November 5, 2013 ballot were:
- Small business owner
- Small business owner
- Graduate, University of Connecticut
- Owner, Destination Entertainment LLC
- Graduate, University of Pennsylvania
- Graduate, Boston College and Duke University
- Independent restructuring consultant
Election results
| Fairfield Public Schools, General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Eileen Liu-McCormack |
22.8% | 6,724 | |
| Republican | John Llewellyn |
21.2% | 6,269 | |
| Democratic | Marc Patten |
20.1% | 5,919 | |
| Democratic | Donna Karnal |
18.2% | 5,382 | |
| Democratic | Kenneth Lee | 17.7% | 5,214 | |
| Total Votes | 29,508 | |||
| Source: Connecticut Secretary of State, "Municipal Elections - November 5, 2013," accessed December 17, 2013 | ||||
Forums
The Fairfield League of Women Voters hosted a candidate forum on October 21, 2013. Candidates discussed how the board could improve communications with the public. Donna Karnal stated that the board doesn't listen to enough feedback from the public when developing policy. Kenneth Lee suggested that improvements to data gathering could enhance community engagement though the budget could prevent these efforts. Eileen Liu-McCormack wanted the board to listen to public feedback even if these comments are critical. John Llewellyn advocated for greater student involvement during board deliberations on school policy.[4]
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission.
Past elections
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2011
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What was at stake?
Incumbent Democrats Sue Brand and Perry Liu and Republicans Pamela Iacono and Tim Kery did not seek re-election to the board. The Fairfield Democratic Town Committee endorsed Donna Karnal, Kenneth Lee and Marc Patten in July 2013. Lee was the only candidate not elected to the board.[5] Eileen Liu-McCormack and John Llewellyn were endorsed by the Fairfield Republican Town Committee with Iacono placing third in a July caucus.[6]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Fairfield Board of Education election in 2013:[7]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 23, 2013 | Last day for political party endorsements of candidates by town caucus or convention |
| July 24, 2013 | Nominating petitions available for primary |
| August 7, 2013 | Last day to file nominating petitions for primary |
| September 10, 2013 | Primary day |
| October 10, 2013 | First campaign finance filing date following primary election |
| October 29, 2013 | Last campaign finance filing filing date prior to general election |
| November 5, 2013 | Election day |
| December 5, 2013 | Certification of election results by county |
Additional elections on the ballot
The Fairfield Board of Education election shared the ballot with other local measures. Residents of Fairfield cast ballots for three seats on the Board of Finance, two Registrars of Voters, six seats on the Town Planning & Zoning Commission, three seats on the Board of Assessment Appeals and five seats on the Zoning Board of Appeals. The ballot also included 50 seats on the Representative Town Committee broken into ten districts.[8]
See also
- School board elections review: Voters opt for experience over new blood in nation's largest school districts
- School board election wrap-up: Incumbents re-elected overwhelmingly in November 5 elections
- Connecticut
- List of school board elections in 2013
- Fairfield Public Schools, Connecticut
- Fairfield County, Connecticut ballot measures
External links
- District page
- Town of Fairfield
- Connecticut Secretary of State
- Fairfield Democratic Town Committee
- Fairfield Republican Town Committee
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Connecticut Economic Resource Center, "CERC Town Profile 2012," accessed October 9, 2013
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Election Results," accessed October 9, 2013
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Minority Representation Requirements," accessed October 7, 2013
- ↑ Fairfield Daily Voice, "Candidates For Fairfield School Board Tackle Budget, Communication," October 23, 2013
- ↑ Fairfield Democratic Town Committee, "Board of Education," accessed October 9, 2013
- ↑ Connecticut Post, "Iacono, Bellitto denied nod for re-election," July 24, 2013
- ↑ Connecticut Office of Government Accountability, "November Municipal Candidate Committees Calendar," accessed October 9, 2013
- ↑ Town of Fairfield, "Elected Officials," accessed October 9, 2013 (dead link)
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