The resignation and replacement of a member of the Board of Education is generating controversy among political parties in town.
Colleen J. Lowell, a Republican who was just elected to the board in November, resigned Dec. 22.
In a one-sentence letter to the Town Clerk, Lowell said she was resigning for personal reasons, “effective immediately.”
Fellow Republicans said Lowell resigned because she moved to Milford for a job.
However, Democrats are questioning when Lowell stopped being an Oxford resident.
Lowell was unable to be reached for comment. A publicly-listed phone number for her was disconnected.
Lowell was elected to the school board Nov. 3.
The issue arose after former Democratic school board member Deborah Sherman’s car sustained minor damage after it was struck in the Oxford High School parking lot after a Board of Education meeting Nov. 24.
Sherman went to the police, who reviewed a security camera and determined Lowell backed into Sherman’s car. Police contact Lowell, who cooperated, according to Trooper David Ives.
However, the police report listed Lowell’s address as Milford. Her car registration was listed to an Oxford address.
That raised concerns for Sherman, who, at a Dec. 2 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, asked elected officials what to do if a member of the school board does not reside in Oxford, according to meeting minutes.
There was a Board of Education meeting Dec.8.
Lowell was at the meeting. There was no discussion of Sherman’s concerns.
Republicans said town Democrats are creating an issue where one doesn’t exist.
Voting records list Lowell’s Oxford address. Town GOP Chairman Thomas Kelly said Lowell lived in Oxford — at least until sometime in December, when she called Kelly and said she was resigning from the school board and moving to Milford for professional reasons.
Republican Rose McKinnon, chairman of the Board of Education, echoed Kelly’s comments.
“The way the economy is, Lowell had to make a professional choice. Even though we are not happy, it was her choice.”
However, the controversy does not end with Lowell’s resignation.
The Democratic-controlled Board of Selectmen voted this week 2-1 to replace the Republican — with a Democrat.
First Selectwoman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers and Dave McKane voted to appoint fellow Democrat Kevin Reid. Reid is an attorney and former school board member.
However, in a letter to the Selectman, six of the eight school board members — including Democrat Ted Oczkowski — asked that Republican David Vincent Penry be appointed to fill the vacancy.
Penry ran for the school board in November and received 1,784 votes. That’s 219 more votes than Reid, who also ran unsuccessfully for the board.
In addition, the school board members pointed out that the seat should go to a Republican — particularly an experienced and successful businessman such as Penry.
However, in skipping over Penry, Drayton-Rogers said Reid previously served on the Board of Education (from 2001 to 2005).
“Both are viable candidates,” Drayton-Rogers said. “It is critical that someone understands education issues at the state and local level.”
However, McKinnon, the school board’s chairwoman, isn’t buying it.
“This appointment is disingenuous,” she said. “The voters spoke in November and they wanted Penry over Reid.”
Republican Selectman David Yish tried to appoint Penry — but failed because Drayton-Rogers and McKane voted no.
Reid’s term on the school board will start immediately and run through November 2011.
Guess what, the Republicans and RTC have their tails between their legs and are saying and doing anything to try to bury this issue because they put forward a candidate who wasn’t eligible to serve!
If Lowell wasn’t trying to hide, why wasn’t it discussed at the BOE meeting and why, all of a sudden, did she turn in her resignation after it being a question for almost a month?
The Republicans are also being disingenuous because Mindy Dorazio got more votes then Penry and she wasn’t selected by the RTC, so the RTC is also not listening to the voters.
This once again points to the type of people serve on the RTC and why Haversat lost the election, people simply do not trust the RTC’s leadership!
Well written article by the author.
Reid got the fewest votes out of 14 candidates
The only explanation for his appt is political.
The people of Oxford now can see why electing
MDR at the top of the ticket has negated their
wishes of having the BOE run by repubs 6-3. Oxford
voters should now be aware of how their vote
for the top of the ticket effects their votes for
the indidual boards. Hopefully, lesson learned for 2011.
Did Sherman get her car fixed after all this? Republicans are just upset that they couldn’t “majority rule” this one appointment. They have majority on BOE, BOF and P&Z so nothing will change based on this appointment alone. Seems like all Republican BOE members know how to do is quit as was done a few years ago after they were only in office for four months. Good luck Mr. Reid!
I love the way people take anonymous shots at people on this page. Combine ignorance with the ability to say anything you want without the people you are insulting knowing who you are and you get a special kind of ugly.
Joe Hines.
Sherman … did get more votes, if not much, than Reid. Guess the only way Dems can get in to office is by appointment. That is okay in 2 yrs the Oxford voters will just put more republicans back in office.
OxfordResident you are incorrect – Mindy was offered the RTC and the Boards endorsement but chose to pass it up. Then Vin was approached.
Nice try…
Sure she passed it up…then why did she run? I guess she must have been another “troubled issue” like Lowell was when the RTC put her forward as a candidate eventhough she didn’t live in town.
I bet if we checked, there is no new job, and she moved much earlier then anybody has admitted. Just like a Republican, lie and then when things go wrong, CYA.
“Stopthelies,” even if the Republicans get more people on the BOE in two years, someone will screw up, have to quit or just quit outright AGAIN and the Democrats will have to step in and make everything right. These “appointed” people have a far better attendance record than the people who are elected anyway! She probably didn’t even live in Town two years ago when she previously ran. Bottom line, she got caught this time, shame on the RTC! What goes around, comes around!
If you want to talk about a ruckus and how the Republicans are acting, just look at what happened at their Caucus and you’ll see why they act the way they do. It was a circus with people yelling at each other, denegrading each other, the whole group of them are a bunch of fools.
They will never learn because it is the same bitter and sophmoric attitudes of these people that make them think they are the answer to all and when crossed, they will do everything in their power to try to hurt you.
These are the people who the residents should be afraid of, not a particular person who was appointed to a Committee because the ex-Committee member supposedly pulled a fast-one on the Community.
If you really care about Oxford, be wary of the group of Republicans serving on the RTC because with them in power, it is their way or the highway!
For “OxfordResident” don’t worry nobody will trust you! The town has a serious problem with the DEMOCRATIC tax collector! In yesterday’s today’s Waterbury Republican, “Cash missing from tax office investigated”. The Waterbury Republican states, “First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers said the town has information that links the missing cash and ——-.” The tax collector, a Democrat and a popular elected official has been placed on sick leave. We will be watching this very closely!!