Nicol Ayers

Nicol Ayers

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Nicol Ayers was a Democratic candidate for District A representative on the Norwalk Board of Education in Connecticut. Ayers was nominated for the seat by the Democratic Town Committee, but Yvel Crevecoeur (D/WFP) petitioned to force a primary for the party's designation on the general election ballot. Ayers lost the primary election on September 16, 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

Democratic primary

Norwalk Public Schools, District A, Democratic Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Yvel Crevecoeur	52.6%	142
Nicol Ayers	47.4%	128
Total Votes		270
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

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

“	Why do you feel qualified to run for this position? I am a life-long resident in Norwalk with a strong community service history. I have participated in community-based programs such as Norwalk ACTs-KCAN Committee, the After-School Alliance, youth oriented community service, PTO, and have organized and implemented religious- based community service projects. I have worked with youth all of my life. Currently, I am a service coordinator at a therapeutic DCF Group Home. I have strong skills in the areas of client referral, case management, program development, and program implementation. I enjoy working with people. I am not judgmental and do not blame. I seek to understand, support, and implement solutions. I believe in utilizing data to determine the success of programs. I have been responsible for organizing volunteers to work with clients. I am knowledgeable about the needs of young people including those who are considered as at-risk. My son is enrolled in the Norwalk Public Schools. I am committed to our community and students. I have been involved at the grass roots level in my son's school. I continue to be a parent volunteer for many activities in which both my children participate. I believe in hard work, dedication, and open communication to achieve success. 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. I will contribute to the vision and goals discussion with the Board members and the Superintendent. It is important, that as a Board member, I commit to being a team member. My vision is collaboration and support of all students and families. I believe that we must expand Norwalk's Early Childhood Program. This expansion will improve students' academic success. Students with special needs must receive appropriate programming. As a BOE member, I would understand that there are no quick fixes to special education, but we need a comprehensive long-term plan to ensure student success. In addition, many of Norwalk's students need more time to learn; and, consequently, we must consider extending the school day and year. I believe in partnerships. After school providers must be partners with the school district to assist in the overall development of youth. With the assistance of our community partners, we can provide programs to improve student attendance, increase time spent on academic activities, and strengthen parent involvement. Elementary students, who are not achieving at grade level, must be supported with programs that researchers have determined to be effective. Our teachers and support staff must be provided with staff development to appropriately respond to the needs of our diverse students. Staff development must be on-going, and resources need to be accessible to all schools. When the BOE supports our teachers, everyone benefits, our students, staff, and our community. 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? I will work with the superintendent and the Board of Education members to establish a budget that is aligned with the district's goals. The Board is comprised of nine members, and it is our role to work together for all students. Norwalk's students have varying needs. The Superintendent and the Board, with input from the staff and community, must determine the most comprehensive budget strategies to increase our students' learning opportunities. As written in the August 29 edition of THE HOUR, State aid to Norwalk is up 23% since 2011 with most going to the Board of Education due to Norwalk being an Alliance district. "Norwalk will receive $11,551, 095 in Education Cost Sharing money in FY 2016 and FY2017 as, compared to $11,716,280 FY2015." The State and Norwalk officials work to keep taxes down. The last few years have been very challenging for municipalities. I will assist the Board and City with lobbying efforts to procure additional state funding for our students.	”
—Nicol Ayers (2015)

Recent news

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Nicol Ayers - Google News

See also

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

External links

Suggest a link

• Norwalk Public Schools
• Campaign Facebook page