Reporter Jackie Majerus filed this story about the names picked for the West Bristol School Building Committee:
Two insurance agents – Melanie Dumont and Bud O’Neill – are the latest nominees for the city committee charged with planning a new 900-student K-8 school in the West End.
A sub-committee made up of school board member Chris Wilson, city Councilor Ken Cockayne and Don Soucy of the finance board met early Wednesday and agreed to nominate Dumont and O’Neill.
Mayor Art Ward said Wednesday that he will submit the names to city councilors for approval next month.
Committee members have said they want the two vacancies filled before January 28, when they make what is likely to be a controversial decision on a site for the school.
Soucy said the two help fill out “the business end” of the school committee, where he said there was a “void.” He said the committee needed a Bingham parent, too.
Cockayne, who put forth Dumont’s name, said she is “a great pick.”
He’s known Dumont “for years,” Cockayne said, describing her as dedicated and thorough.
“She’ll be a great asset to the West End School Building Committee,” said Cockayne.
The two new nominees replace the names of former city Councilor Ellen Zoppo and former Republican mayoral candidate Ken Johnson. Zoppo, a Democrat, ran against Ward in a bitter primary this fall. After beating Zoppo, Ward beat Johnson in the general election.
Wilson, Cockayne and Soucy had put forth Zoppo and Johnson’s names, but Ward refused to pass them along to the council, a move that rankled the three.
They had “the skill set, the knowledge and the vision” needed to serve on the new school committee, said Wilson, and should have been considered.
But both Zoppo and Johnson sent emails to the sub-committee asking that their name be withdrawn from consideration, committee members said.
On Wednesday, Wilson put forth O’Neill’s name. He said O’Neill sells insurance for him but is also a parent with two children at Bingham School.
“We identified him as a parent that we thought would be an asset on the board,” said Wilson.
Dumont doesn’t live in the West End, Wilson said, but her name was put forth by Cockayne to fill a city-wide vacancy on the committee.
Wilson said the potential addition of two insurance agents is “incidental,” and not deliberate.
But Wilson said, “I think they understand risk management.”
Wilson said he didn’t want to comment on the situation with Zoppo and Johnson.
“Enough has been said about that,” said Wilson.
Wilson said the approval of the new names isn’t up to Ward.
“The city council votes up or down,” said Wilson.
But Soucy said that Ward can block the nominations by not adding them to the council agenda.
“The mayor controls the agenda,” said Soucy. “That’s frankly what happened with Johnson and Zoppo.”
Soucy said he was prepared to put Zoppo’s name forward again Wednesday – until she withdrew her name. She was right for the job because of her experience on the library building committee, Soucy said, as well as because she has children at Bingham and knows the West End.
The committee could have used Zoppo, said Soucy, who said he is the only one on it who has served on a school building committee in the past.
“It’s not fun,” said Soucy. “It’s a daunting task.”
But out of respect for her decision to withdraw, Soucy said, he didn’t nominate her again.
Soucy said city councilors need to deal with a “separation of powers” so a mayor couldn’t block appointments by leaving them off the council agenda.
“It’s a conflict,” said Soucy.
Wilson said he didn’t want to predict whether Dumont and O’Neill would be approved.“I’m not a very good forecaster of how the political winds blow,” said Wilson. “I didn’t think we’d have any trouble with the first set of names, quite frankly.”
Cockayne said he also thought Johnson and Zoppo would have been good choices, but said it was “becoming too political.”
“I’m just trying to keep this project moving,” said Cockayne. “I don’t want to see it get bogged down with politics.”
If approved, the two newcomers would join the five men and two women already on committee.
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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
21 comments:
Who are these people? How can people have an opinion on someone they know nothing about?
What are their credentials/backgrounds? Are you just a name-dropper and a rumor monger Steve?
I don't think I know Bud O'Neill -- yet -- but Melanie Dumont has been involved in all sorts of things for many years. She's a pretty well known figure in town.
In any case, how could it be rumor mongering to report the names of the people the City Council is apparently going to approve to serve on the committee?
Melanie Dumont is a great choice. She also served on the Robert Committee so hopefully she will bring some common sense to that stupid idea about putting a school there
Wonder how many deals Artie boy cut on this one.
Any idea what happened to the other two unblemished unaffilitated new blood names that were mentioned prior to this; Mrs Therriault and Mrs Trestman? Did they withdraw their names from the selection process? I sort of smell politics here. Bud O'Neil I think either works with, or for, Chris Wilson in the insurance office. I think a yes vote for later on down the road is possibly being lined up here.
might it not seem that this nominating committee has their own agenda?
first nominations are politically motivated, Johnson and Zoppo, second set of nominations includes neither of the names submitted by the mayor, which include a reccomendation from the Bingham School Principal, forwarded to the nomination committee by mayor ward,: additionally to a staunch supporter of Ellen Zoppo's race for mayor?
Ultimately, one of the appointees happens to be wilson's associate and the other doesn't even live in the area - what a fiasco.
how about the fact that two insurance agents, wilson and cockayne, nominate two other insurance agents, o'neil and dumont? talk about limited scopes of candidates. great vision. sad part is that these same people are going to be making decisions on your behalf - or not.
Four of the committee, if these two are approved, will be in the insurance business. How lucky for Bristol!
The story says that Bud works for Chris Wilson, so that relationship is clear.
Steve didn't rite the story. That other reporter did. And it's fact, not rumer.
Why only three women on such a large committee, assuming Dumont is picked?
Steve, how can you put up with these people? "name-dropper?" "rumon monger?" As a professional journalist, these kinds of smears must make you crazy. Especially when you didn't even write the story. I certainly hope you get a big juicy Christmas bonus from the paper for all the work you do.
Maybe Dumont and O'Neill will side with Wilson, who wants to put the school where the mall is now.
it should be about who is going to best serve the committee and zoppo was clearly the best choice if for no other reason than the library project that she played a big role in. Johnson would have brought a good perspective too, and niether of these people would be intimidated. So I assume that the Democratic Party didn't have a kiss and make up holiday party yet? What else will the mayor do to ensure that he doesn't ever have to look at Zoppo again?
What could be more visionary than an insurance agent? Oh, I know. A funeral director. Now that's looking ahead!
Interesting that all the names of individuals who either volunteered or were nominated for the committee were not listed in the paper. Did the nominating committee convieniently forget to submit them?
Mrs. Trestman and Mrs Therriault, the only two mothers of west end childern were busy drivng their childern to school while the nomination committee was stacking the building committee with personal and business associates. Neither of these woman where given the appropriate notice to rearrange their schedules so that they may attend the nomination committee meeting.
It looks like the only two people who had nothing to gain monetarily or politically were overlooked altogether.
The insurance business is intimately tied to the real estate business, let's follow the money and see whose interests are being served.
Zoppo's cronies need to get over the fact that she lost and move on. As for the statement about 3 woman on the committee - no one complains when it all men on a committee, so why make reference to women on committees? Must be John Boi rearing his ugly head again.
"It looks like the only two people who had nothing to gain monetarily or politically were overlooked altogether"
Uhmmm, hello? Jody Trestman specifically said her goal was to advance in local Democratic Party politics.
"Zoppo's cronies need to get over the fact that she lost and move on."
Boy, you got that wrong. It's Art who keeps fighting the war he already won. Maybe someone should tell him that. Elliot? Jon? Mike?
How come the Press didn't report on the emails that Zoppo and Johnson sent to the committee? I bet those were interesting.
Do we have to wait for Jay Meisinger to file anohter FOI complaint?
I love how Artie's pals love to call the people Ellen cronies that keep busting his butt. I voted for Johnson as did lots of Republicans and Independents which resulted in a close election. Too close, apparently based on the bruised egos on this blog. Who claims these Republican and Independent cronies?
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