In the wake of the Board of Education’s 4-2 vote against keeping the Westport Community Gardens at their present Long Lots Elementary School location, Republican BOE candidates Jamie Fitzgerald and Camilo Riano issued this statement:
“If we were seated members of the Board of Education, we each would have supported the amended motion regarding the preservation of the community gardens that was defeated 4-2 on Thursday, October 19. We believe Board of Education members have an obligation to take a holistic view of all decisions and the impact they have on all Westport constituents.”
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On Thursday, a Westport resident placed a lone Israel flag on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge.
On Friday, it was replaced by dozens of flags, of a wide variety of nations.
(Photo/Tracy Porosoff)
Nothing nefarious was going on. The town of Westport was not trying to make a political statement.
The flags of world nations go up every year at this time, on the span named for the Westporter who spent her life volunteering for the United Nations (and started our town’s jUNe Day welcoming tradition, over 50 years ago).
The flags go up twice a year: on jUNe Day in the summer, and for UN Day. The holiday marking the founding of the organization is Tuesday.
Back to Israel: Today’s candlelight vigil supporting safe return of the hostages taken by Hamas is tonight (Sunday), 6 to 6:45 p.m. on Jesup Green. Attendees are asked to bring real or electric candles (in case of wind).
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Matthew Van Gessel returned to the Westport stage last night.
As he did throughout his Staples Players career, the 2011 graduate played a psychologically fraught character, with outstanding depth and nuance.
Van Gessel was one half of the cast of “Gentle Hacksaw.” The drama — combining religion, identity and violence — had its world premier staged reading as part of the Westport Library’s 6th annual StoryFest.
The event continues today (Sunday) with a TeachRock Workshop, Pink or Treat Halloween parade with children’s author Victoria Kann, and pitchfest for authors. Click here for details.
Matthew Van Gessel (left) and Ahmad Maksoud on the Westport Library stage. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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The Saugatuck River is usually pretty mellow.
Yesterday morning though, Michael Mossman spotted the Kraken, not far from shore:
(Photo/Michael Mossman)
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This weekend was Staples High’s Homecoming.
Kimberly Paris — whose “Signs of Happiness” often supports school events — offered this:
PS: Despite the weather, Homecoming was a success. The Wrecker football team beat Stamford, 21-10.
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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo comes courtesy of Betsy Amitin. She writes:
“With so many atrocities all over the news, I am trying to shift my focus to notice sweet spot small moments that give me comfort or joy throughout the day.
“Looking out my kitchen window on yet another soggy fall day, I noticed this squirrel had found shelter from the downpour underneath our outdoor table umbrella. It cracked me up.
“It stood there a while, seeming as though it too was taking a quick break from the heaviness surrounding it.”
(Photo/Betsy Amitin)
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And finally … speaking of the Kraken (story above):
(The Kraken may be a myth. But “06880” is very real. So is our reliance on readers’ support. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
This LL issue seems very fishy. Why on earth would you remove such a wonderful garden and “relocate” it to a toxic location? Do we need another baseball field ?
in interested in knowing what countries have flags on the bridge.
Please ask Camillo and Jamie what their veiwpoints are on:
Climate change
Experiential learning
Science
Facts and statistics about science and medicine
Mindfulness learning in gardens
Social emotional wellness learning and gardening
I am certain these two extremist Republicans are using you people, just like us Jews, and the situation in Israel, for VOTES!
I do not know the last time I met an extremist Trumplican cult member who wants to save gardens because they believe in experiential learning and the teaching of the whole child. If they believed in this, they would be supporting SEL and DEI people, let alone believe in masks and vaccines!
I smell opportunists and gaslighting.
If they want to save the gardens for learning, then I want them to put a garden at each and every school and make climate change the number one issue in Earth Science classes!
Camillo and Jamie used the gardeners and Jews as pawns.
Thanks for this important post, Stephanie.
While preserving the Garden, this dangerous pair would ban books and, in general, try to substitute their shockingly ignorant, homophobic concept of education for that of the trained professionals currently in charge.
Perhaps Mr. Riano and Ms. Fitzgerald should spend less time on issues that are *not at all* under the Board of Education’s purview (the Board of Education will have no voice or vote on the gardens movement; that is under the purview of the First Selectwoman and Parks and Recreation) and spend more time finding ways to express themselves that does NOT include equating liberal views and school equity to Hamas’ acts of violence, as they did in their email missive earlier today. Given the horrors inflicted by Hamas the last two weeks and the immeasurable impact it has had on every Westporter with even a minimal sense of humanity, using Hamas in a local Board of Education campaign email to degrade your opponents’ viewpoints is downright disgusting. Mr. Riano and Ms. Fitzgerald are not fit to hold any office, so they should spare us their imaginary votes that wouldn’t even matter in the seats they are unqualified to seek to begin with.
I encourage every Westporter with a sense of basic deceny to re-elect Lee Goldstein and Neil Phillips and write in Jill Dillon on Election Day, because all three at least understand what office they’re running for.
BINGO!
They used the Jews and gardeners as PAWNS! They are mere opportunists and politicians who are unsuitable to lead ours schools and children. They claim to care on a holistic level! Are they joking? DEI and SEL are holistic. They claim to be so emotional about what is going on in Israel, yet do NOT want their children to talk about their feelings and emotions in school!
I call BS on Camilo and Jamie. It is so blatant.