New London school board gets new leadership
New London — The Board of Education has new leadership for the first time in four years.
Margaret Mary “Peg” Curtin yielded her seat as board president Thursday and turned over the gavel to Vice President Scott Garbini. Garbini, the president of Garbini Education and Career Consulting, unanimously was elected as the new president by the seven-member board.
In what appeared to be a predetermined vote, board member Zachary Leavy in turn nominated Curtin as vice president. She was voted in with a 6-1 vote.
Jason Catala, who is often at odds with Curtin, nominated and voted for himself. Catala criticized the board for continuing to elect the same people to the executive board and singled out Curtin.
“You should not have continued to be president all that time,” Catala said.
Sylvia Potter was re-elected as secretary with a 5-2 vote.
Mirna Martinez, a Green Party member, had nominated herself for the secretary position. As she has in past years, Martinez unsuccessfully lobbied the board for a show of bipartisanship. She is the only non-Democrat on the board and the only non-Democrat to get a seat in the last municipal election that included the school board, City Council and mayor.
Catala, the former Republican turned Democrat, voted for Martinez, who also voted for herself.
“I think it would be a value to us to have multiplicity in views,” Martinez said.
None of the board members responded.
The biggest surprise of the night came with the entrance of Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, who came from Hartford to swear in the board's new officers. She came at Curtin’s request. The two have known each other for decades, Curtin said, and Wyman had visited Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School last week to sample some of the offerings by Brigaid’s chefs in schools program.
“It’s a present from me to you,” Curtin told Garbini.
Curtin also was honored by educators and fellow board members for her years of service to the school district and to the city. Curtin, 82, is a longtime former City Council member and mayor.
She indicated Thursday it could be her last year in elected office.
“Sixty-one years in elected or appointed office — it’s enough,” Curtin said.
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