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Kadisha Coates
Kadisha Coates was an at-large Working Families Party (WFP) representative on the Bridgeport Board of Education. Coates was appointed to the board in 2014 to fill the vacancy created by John Bagley's (WFP) resignation in October 2014. The member to replace Bagley was required to be of the same party to fill the seat.
This party affiliation became contentious to some when the Democratic Town Committee nominated her for the 2015 election. Board member Sauda Baraka (WFP) objected to Coates remaining on the board after she voluntarily switched her party affiliation in order to receive the Democratic nomination. According to Board President Dave Hennessey (D), it was determined that Coates could remain on the board after the board consulted its lawyers and the Connecticut Secretary of State's office.[1]
Coates, however, was defeated in a primary election on September 16, 2015, following the successful petitioning of two Democratic candidates who did not receive their party's nomination. The top four vote recipients advanced to the general election on November 3, 2015.
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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3][4] The three primary winners also took the top three spots in the general election. McSpirit placed fourth, securing one seat for the Republicans.[5]
Results
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.
Campaign themes
2015
Coates was interviewed by Linda Conner Lambeck of the Connecticut News Blogs. Below are the questions and her responses.
| “ | 1. Tell me a little bit about yourself and why you would make a good school board member.
I am a parent of three who has lived in Bridgeport for approximately 16 years. I have seen great progress made in the short time I’ve served on the Bridgeport Board of Education. I am committed to keeping the students and parents of Bridgeport at top priority. 2. What would you seek to change in the next year in the Bridgeport Public School system. What is your first priority. The simplest and most attainable change to make in one year would be to improve school climate. Improvement in such a way that demands respect for each and every student parent and staff in our buildings. Change in a way that can be felt upon entering each school. The first battle is won once our children and parents feel at home and respected in our schools. My first priority would be to develop strategies to increase funding to keep teachers from seeking higher wages in our surroundings towns. 3. Name something you think the school system is doing right. What is positive that should be built upon. The school system has added much needed technology such as access points and chrome books. New and innovative ways of achieving increased parent engagement are underway. There is also a valiant pursuit of high quality preschool. There are many unrecognized people in our school system that make a tremendous difference. I hope to bring these people to light for them to share their experiences and practices. 4. Anything else you want the public to know about you. My priorities also include high quality pre-K and Increased State funding. [6] |
” |
| —Kadisha Coates, (September 2015)[7] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Kadisha Coates' 'Bridgeport Public Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 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
- ↑ 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 |
