Minutes after I blogged that the mayor of a Hartford was set to name Harold Sparrow to the Hartford School Board, I learned that the candidate withdrew his name because of controversy that was distracting.
Who caused that controversy? Blogger Jonathan Pelto, who brought to light Sparrow’s history as a corporate reformer, founder of a charter school, trustee of elite private schools, etc.
#bloggersmatter
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Now why can’t you be that effective with DeVos? 🙂
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GregB,
Trying! I fear that all I will get for my effort is an NSA tap and an IRS audit and a God knows what else. But we can’t live in fear.
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Wow. That shows that speaking truth to power is worth the effort. Congratulations.
Now the question is: Who will the next candidate be?
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BRAVO BRAVISSIMO
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Such sadness. A man is denied acting on his beliefs. THAT was the reason there was a commotion, not because of his other activities.
Mayor Luke Bronin’s embattled nominee for the city school board, YMCA official Harold Sparrow, has withdrawn his candidacy on the eve of Monday’s confirmation hearing, stating that controversy over his past employment had become a distraction that would take awhile to overcome
[…]
Sparrow, 60, president and CEO of the region’s YMCA, was nominated Thursday to fill a vacant seat on the board, with the mayor anticipating the city council’s approval at a special meeting Monday evening.
But then came revelations Friday that Sparrow had once led a black clergymen’s group during a time when the organization was openly against gay marriage.
In 2004, the same year that Massachusetts became the first state in the nation where same-sex couples could marry, the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston put out a public statement calling for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Sparrow was the group’s CEO and executive director from 2002 to 2007.
Former state legislator and blogger Jonathan Pelto noted the alliance’s stance in an online post late Friday afternoon. Within hours, Sparrow had distanced himself from the 2004 statement, telling The Courant that it did not reflect his personal views, that he was “unequivocally” in support of marriage equality and LGBTQ rights, and that he has pushed for inclusiveness at the YMCA of Greater Hartford since becoming its leader in 2015.
Bronin told The Courant Friday night that he was unaware of the alliance’s anti-gay marriage position when he nominated Sparrow, and was “deeply troubled when I learned of it.” But he had planned to move ahead with Monday’s vote after speaking with Sparrow and being assured that he was committed to a “welcoming and supportive environment” in the city schools for all students, including those who are gay, lesbian, transgender or questioning.
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Rudy,
That was not the issue that caused Pelto to criticize Sparrow, if you read his post. He thought it wrong to appoint a charter school founder to a public school board and noted that as head of the YMCA, Sparrow had closed down a successful literacy program.
Gay-bashing won’t take you far on this blog, Rudy.
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The reason he pulled out of the running was exactly because of what the paper wrote. And that is NOT the impression you created. You created the impression it was because of his educational credentials/lack thereof.
Having actually read the article in the newspaper, there was no mention whatsoever about that aspect.
\And, Dr. Ravitch, this his NOTHING to do with gay bashing. This has EVERYONE to do with the right of ANY PERSON to be allowed to voice his personal opinion, faith and beliefs.
Out of my six sisters, two of them are lesbians. I don’t love them any less for that. And they allow me to think different, and express my differences with them on the topic.
One of my sisters has had more than one abortion. I still love just as much as before I learned that.
And that is where the problem lies in THIS country: People are no longer allowed to openly state the fact that they disagree with same sex marriage and abortion. Those who DO express that, are immediate targets of accusations of “gay bashing,” anti-women, etc.
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Congratulations, Rudy, for having two lesbian sisters. Too bad you disapprove of them, as you have often expressed here.
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And here you keep telling me not to make personal attacks? How much more personal can you get than this?
Please copy and past ANY comment I made that shows, “Too bad you disapprove of them, as you have often expressed here…”
If you cannot find any of such, I would appreciate as public an apology as this personal attack was.
BTW, I also have a sister who is a drug addict. I disagree with her choices as well. It seems you cannot grasp the idea that I can disapprove of choices made by my sisters without losing respect or love for them…
Somewhere in your youth or childhood something must have gone wrong if you are unable to grasp this concept.
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Rudy,
I have not asked for information about your sisters. I don’t care. I would rather you not make a comparison between drug addiction and homosexuality.
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Given that you use your real name here, I would think that if anyone deserves an apology, it would be your sisters, unless of course you have their pre-approval to discuss their medical histories and sex lives in public.
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And that, FLERP I do… They are not afraid to admit their choices…
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