The road to victory for a write-in candidate is daunting.
First, voters have to know he or she is running. They must learn how to fill in the ballot. At the polling place, they have to remember to do it.
Meanwhile, the candidate must somehow get his or her message out — without relying on traditional party machinery.
There’s a reason why Westporters cannot recall the last time — if ever – such a candidate won office here.
But Jill Dillon is undaunted. She’s running a write-in campaign for the Board of Education.
Jill Dillon
And she thinks she has a shot.
The long-time unaffiliated voter decided to run when she realized that because the Town Charter limits one party to no more than a bare majority on the BOE, one of two Republican candidates — Camilo Riano or Jamie Fitzgerald — seemed guaranteed a seat.
Their views worried Dillon, who served as PTA president at both Kings Highway Elementary and Coleytown Middle Schools, and generally supports the Westport Public Schools’ administrators and teachers (and the current Board of Ed).
Without speaking with Democratic Town Committee representatives, her hope was that voters would circle the names of Lee Goldstein and Neil Phillips — the 2 incumbent Dems in the race — and also bubble in the bottom of the ballot, then write “Jill Dillon.”
Her decision to run was solidified by support from friends — and strangers.
But “thank you for running” comments don’t translate into action. So Dillon and a dedicated corps of volunteers have been hard at work. They’re using social media, word of mouth, meet-and-greets and more.
Like all candidates, Jill Dillon has plenty of lawn signs.
Besides the usual challenges — including not appearing in the League of Women Voters’ guide — she has had to answer questions about why one of her 2 daughters attends private school. (The other is at CMS.)
“It was the right decision for her,” Dillon explains. “People assume we thought Staples was deficient.
“Not at all. As parents, we all make the best decisions we can. We thought that environment was the best fit. It’s been very good for her.
“I love our schools. I am 100% committed to Staples, and the Westport Public Schools.”
Criticism has not bothered her.
“I know who I am, and who I am not,” Dillon says. “Name-calling doesn’t bother me.”
She does not engage in back-and-forth on social media. “It degenerates quickly” into personal attacks, she says.
“It’s ironic. We don’t want our kids to be bullies. But adults bully all the time.”
Democrats Goldstein and Phillips have been called names. So have Republicans Fitzgerald and Riano.
“You can disagree strongly with what they says,” Dillon notes of the GOP candidates she is running against. “But calling them names takes away from their arguments.
“I don’t think I’ve smeared Camilo. I’ve stated his positions, and where I disagree. I think I’ve provided factual evidence to back up my claims.”
As her campaign heads toward the November 7 election, Dillon has been surprised by support from people she does not know.
Wearing a t-shirt with her name at CVS, she was approached by a woman with young children. “Thank you for giving us a choice,” she told Dillon.
Jill Dillon with supporters, at the Westport Farmers’ Market.
It’s one thing for a write-in candidate to forage for votes in areas where she’s known — like parents with children in schools. But Dillon realizes she must get the word out to other groups, including older voters, empty nesters, and younger voters without children.
So she and her volunteers continue to post on social media. They hand out yard signs.
And they keep hoping that voters know there’s a bubble at the bottom of the ballot that must be filled in, with a name they remember.
Jill Dillons’s mission is to save our town from the intellectually retarded and politically fascist intrusion of Camilo Riano and Jamie Fitzgerald on an otherwise responsible and rational Bpoard of Education. Conscionable voters who wish to maintain Westport’s leading role in public education, will take the time to write in her name on their ballots.
I wish I had seen this article before I sent in my absentee ballot! I would have definitely voted for Jill as a write in. My kids are grown, but she makes much more sense to me!
Indeed, Beth.
“NOTHING(caps mine) in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”, both of which are on constant display by the Riano/Fitzgerald duo.
Submitted absentee ballots can be changed up to 10am on Election Day. Just go to the Town Clerk’s office and ask that your submitted ballot be pulled and then apply for a new ballot.
Jill, you need to put up a lot more signs! Maybe add a photo of how to do a write-in….. or maybe write a sequel to Dan with such a photo.
It’s easy to remember
Dillon is the Fillon!
I grew up in Westport, and attended its schools from Kindergarten through graduation from Staples. Westport schools have been rated among the best in the country. Homeowners, if nothing else, your property values depend on keeping it that way. Hopefully though, there are higher motives at play here, like knowledge, compassion, honesty, intellectual curiosity, and a safe environment for all students and their families. Ban three books now; how many next year? Stop talking honestly about the legacy of racial discrimination; maybe next year deny the holocaust. Ban Elie Wiesel? I’m a Jew, and know what it was like to be invisible in Westport before the influx of other Jewish families. I would not want to see Westport slide back in time.
I worked as a diversity educator for almost a decade, and mostly with high school students, including from Staples. The students were extremely anxious to talk about all the isms, to know first hand the experience of people different in social identity from themselves. They were very aware that they needed a broader understanding in order to navigate the ocean of identities they would encounter as college students and later, as adults. Westport, please give them a Board of Education that takes this need to heart.
Your vote is the loudest voice you have in what is, still, our Democracy.
As an unaffiliated voter, I always appreciate opportunities to consider moderate candidates. In this election in particular, where had she not run 3 of the 4 other candidates would automatically be elected, Mrs. Dillon offers a choice for those who find some of those candidates don’t align with their values. As Dan says, write in campaigns are a long shot, but whatever happens, Mrs. Dillon should be applauded for giving Westporters more choice, which is good for our democracy.
I agree. Dan , if possible, a follow up story with an image of how and where to put the write in. I wish it was attached to this story. Visuals are very important when “getting the word out” The yard signs don’t explain it either.
See previous story on Jill Dillon: https://06880danwoog.com/2023/10/16/write-in-candidate-enters-board-of-ed-race/
Make sure your college age students get their absentee ballots and vote in this important election. https://oabr-sots.ct.gov/OABR/absenteeBallotReqPortalHome.do
Please visit http://www.JillDillon.com to see how to fill out the ballot.
You can also search for us on Facebook (Jill Dillon Write-in Candidate for Westport BOE) and Instagram (@Jill_Dillon_Fill_In).
Kudos to any write-in candidate. That said, sounds like this is more of a “DON’T VOTE for the other guys/party” from someone who doesn’t even enroll their kids in Westport’s school system. Whatever the reason, that’s their choice. Hope it’s working well. BUT, I’d prefer BOE reps who choose to enroll their own kids in the system for which they’re making decisions. Similar to Washington politicians who rail against school choice funding and programs, yet enroll their own in private schools.
As the article states explicitly, Jill DOES have a child enrolled in the Westport school system. And, unlike the two R candidates, she has been a very active member of the school system, most recently serving as a PTA president. Further, unlike your referenced “Washington politicians,” she hasn’t railed against funding our schools, but instead has been a strong advocate for funding its programs. Why one of her children attends a private school is none of our business. However, given how much time and energy Jill has committed to our school system, it’s clear that Jill’s family’s choice has nothing to do with her commitment to the public school system.
“Word on the street”? Was it discussed in a dark alley by people wearing raincoats and fedoras? I’m guessing she knows her kid better than you do. But it’s just a guess.
A post by “Lexi Jones” in response to Kerry Foley has been removed. I have asked twice for proof that that is her real name, but have not been able to verify it.
Jill & her family do have one child in the Westport school system – at CMS. She spoke candidly about her family & reasons at the coffee at the Westport Library last week. As a past PTA president, I have had the pleasure of working with Jill on several school PTA projects & she is incredibly hard working, very intentional & cool, calm & collected when problem solving. This town is VERY lucky to have her as a write-in candidate. Fill in oval 5E on your ballot & write in Jill Dillon for BOE!
Interesting that she is attacked for having 1 child out of 2 at a private school right now. She was President of the PTA at KHS and CMS – both hugely demanding jobs that shows her dedication to our children and our school system. She also has her other child at CMS. How does that compare to Jamie who has no kids in the school system now and when one of them was at Staples (we think as its unclear) she showed no interest whatsoever in the school system – no participation in BoE or PTA.
I think its no secret she’s giving us a choice to avoid one of the 2 candidates that the RTC in this town selected. They could have selected someone with moderate/rational/civil views but they didn’t. Read Candice Savins excellent letter posted here on Oct 4th
https://06880danwoog.com/2023/10/04/opinion-3rd-selectwoman-riano-nomination-a-turning-point-for-our-community/
I wonder if it is possible that Ms. Fitzgerald was included on the ballot by the local GOP as a “strawman” — that the party knew Mr. Riano would not overcome a moderate well-known Republican so they paired him with a candidate with little to no name recognition who would garner fewer voters than him. That way (given that 3/4 candidates would automatically win) it would assure the conservative wing of the local GOP (represented I guess by Mr. Riano) would be able to get a foothold on the BOE.
I’m not sure whether this “Ms. Fitzgerald as strawman” theory is more than a supposition, but it does seem like the only way someone with such extreme “love him or hate him” persona could win in Westport would be if his competitor didn’t have a well-established role in local community life or politics. No shade to Ms. Fitzgerald and no question about her qualifications, but anyone with out a history of community involvement, PTA or otherwise, makes it harder to win a local election from the point of view of name recognition alone. It will be interesting to see if Ms. Dillon’s campaign upsets this apple cart.
Jill has been my friend for 20 years. She is smart, hard-working and passionate about our community. She is a good listener and is respectful of everyone, including those with whom she disagrees. She cares deeply about everyone who has a stake in our school system–children, parents, educators, staff and taxpayers. Jill understands that HOW someone does something can be just as important as WHAT someone does. She would be an outstanding member of our Board of Education, in terms of what she does and how she does it.
In case anyone is unaware of what Mr. Riano stands for. Here is an excerpt from CDM. Spoiler alert – he’s the writer , the concerned parent, the staff and the editor. Don’t miss what CDM stands for in general at the end and the sort of comments this sort of civility brings out.
https://creativedestructionmedia.com/investigations/2022/06/20/westport-ct-parent-shocked-at-child-grooming-happening-in-westport-schools/
Westport, CT Parent Shocked At Child-Grooming Happening In Westport Schools
By CDM Staff
June 20, 2022
A group of parents in Westport, CT have been fighting the Board of Education in an attempt to prevent Marxist CRT instruction from making further inroads into the community. Child grooming is part of the effort pushed by Leftists in key positions of town leadership.
Below is a recent letter sent to the school district’s leadership by a concerned parent.
Dear members of the Board of Education, and Mr. Scarice,
What outrageous final two weeks have we had at the Westport primary schools!
On Tuesday, June 7th, my Kindergarten daughter and my 3rd-grade son were taken without my consent to an inappropriate presentation of a modern dance troupe.
On Monday, June 13th, the Principal of Saugatuck Elementary School, SES, started the day with a video presentation to the school promoting Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Day, followed by a musical video of a black woman dancer with a heavy beard bursting onto the dancing floor of a party.
And, on Wednesday, June 15th, SES celebrated You-Be-You Day, where children were encouraged by their teachers to wear shirts with the LGTB colors and to be proud of what makes them different by writing down a list of characteristics that could include physical traits and information about their families, such as their religious preferences, their national origins, or the languages spoken at home.
I would like to make some comments and share with you some of the ‘lived experiences’ of my children.
Let me begin with the presentation by the group Pilobolus. Since it was announced as a PTA cultural activity, it went under my radar until I read comments from concerned parents about the history of the group and the sexual nature of the presentation. Keeping an open mind about artistic expression, I asked my son for his and his friends’ opinions about the dance. He said that most of his friends thought it was ‘weird’ and that one of them mentioned that it looked like the dancers were having sex on stage. Apparently, the message got through! According to the outline of the presentation, Section 3 was indeed about mating dances.
Nevertheless, the point here is not if the performance is of great artistic value or not. The issue has to do with the parents’ right to determine when should their children be exposed to sexual material.
At the same age of my son, I saw a Picasso exhibition of vagina paintings. Certainly, it was art by one of the greatest artists of all time. However, the exhibition was not in my primary school in Massachussets. It was in an art museum in France, which I was visiting with my parents.
I am sure that if the PTA, with the approval of Mr Scarice, brought this Picasso exhibition to our primary schools and had the children see it without parent supervision, even the more art-loving members of our Town would have trouble justifying having this artistic activity in a public school setting.
Obviously, it is clear that the decision to allow this modern dance presentation in our primary schools was not correct, and I question the mechanism by which the particular performances are selected and approved.
Furthermore, it was also insensitive to students and parents of different cultural backgrounds. How do you think our Muslim or our more traditional Christian families are feeling after their sons and daughters were forced to see semi-naked dancers performing mating movements? Where are the defenders of Diversity and Inclusion when the Westport schools are promoting activities that disregard the sensitivities of their neighbors?
Now, let me comment on the video of Ms. Messler, Principal at SES, announcing the celebration of Pride Day.
For more than a year, I have complained at BOE meetings about the lack of transparency and honesty with which this Administration is conducting an indoctrination campaign of our children. Well, if any one had any doubts, just watch the SES Principal’s video ( http://www.wevideo.com/view/2732021995 ) starting at 1min 58sec.
In her remarks, she presents the celebration of LGTB Pride Month as a celebration of “every one being their true and authentic self”, and of the “inclusion of every one.” She talks about our “many identities”, such as being “an artist” or a “soccer player”, and how our identities are shaped by “our ethnicity, our religion, our family, our cultural traditions, and our passions.”
Then, she introduces the rainbow flag as a symbol of Pride Month and how it represents “pride, hope, and equality for every one,” and serves “to remind us of being good friends and allies…” Amazingly, she manages to do this without mentioning even once the words gay, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual which describe the communities that actually created the rainbow flag!
To top this exuberance of intelectual dishonesty, the SES Principal finishes with a musical video presenting what some third-grade students described as a ‘weird but funny’, fat woman with a beard and big ‘boobs.’
These students’ comments illustrate how the exceptional logical minds of our children work when subjected to confusing messages about sex. When they do not understand why a voluptuous woman has a beard, they resolve the contradiction by determining that it is ‘weird’ and that someone is trying to play a joke one them.
However, this indoctrination is not a joke! Together with the sexual images in the video, there are also subliminal messages about race and society, as understood by the proponents of Critical Race Theory. The bearded woman, and I am assuming she is a woman even though at this point nobody really knows, is black. All other members of her group are what some call ‘peoples of color,’ but the ones who are having the party are rich white people accused of not being sensitive to the differences of the intruding group.
I personally do not think it is funny. To teach our children that only white people can be successful in our society because they discriminate against everybody else, and that they should feel guilty for their parents success, is not only a disservice to children of all races and backgrounds, but totally un-American.
Finally, with regard to the celebration of You-Be-You Day, an activity used as an euphemism for the previously announced celebration of LGTB Pride Day in public schools, I have to say that the SES Principal’s video was enough to convince me that the day’s activities were going to be inappropriate.ts and characteristics, and parading them around the school looking for differences that they might have in common, is as un-American as it gets.
We should be celebrating everything that is common to us as Americans, and not inquiring about our family’s religious celebrations, the race of our ancestors, or if our grand mother still lives with us, which are all just none of the school business!
Members of the Board,
We elected you to represent the parents of our Town in setting the policies that govern public education in our communities, and to be the controlling entity to prevent abuses of power by the Schools Administration.
What you do or fail to do has long-lasting implications in the lives of our children and the future of the country in which they will live.
As a relevant illustration, if the Chairman refuses to pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States at the beginning of the Board’s public meetings, how can you demand explanations from the Administration when the principals of the schools choose to celebrate the LGTB Rainbow Flag on June 15th, and totally ignore our country’s official Flag Day on the 14th of June?
Or similarly, if you approve a School Climate Survey where the parents are asked if their sex is male, female, or ‘other’; where parents, teachers and students are classified along racial and national origin lines; and where the questions violate the basic American principle of privacy by implying that teachers should ask students their religious practices to be more effective in the classrooms; how can you ask the Administration why a principal is celebrating a You-be-You Day by asking primary-school students private information and posting it all over the school to celebrate their ‘differences’?
And, Mr. Scarice,
When are you going to STOP authorizing inappropriate celebrations that are offensive to many families of the district?
When are you going to STOP implementing programs based on Critical Race Theory?
When are you going to STOP conducting surveys and implementing programs that open the door for racial discrimination of minority groups such as Americans of Latin or Asian origin?
And, when are you going to STOP the ‘child grooming’ of our children?
Camilo Riano
Westport, CT, 19th of June, 2022
CDM Staff
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5 Comments
D3F1ANT
D3F1ANT
1 year ago
This mother is RIGHT ON THE HEAD. Except that, knowing her schools are this corrupt and perverse, she should be ashamed of herself for continuing to deliver her kids to these people every day. Get them out of public schools.
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LongTimeTexan
LongTimeTexan
1 year ago
Parents have to go to the school board meeting and get in their faces. Same with the principals and teachers in these schools. Yeah, you will be called terrorists and all kinds of names by that feckless clown AG Merrick Garland who will threaten to sick the FBI on you but never stand down. To save our children this sexual perverted crap must stop.
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Stefanie
Stefanie
1 year ago
Totally un-American is disregarding our differences. We are a melting pot of cultures, religions, and ethnicities. Celebrating difference is not grooming. You are tying pieces together that make no sense and also make you sound extremely uneducated.
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CDMediaNetwork
Reply to Stefanie
1 year ago
I would submit that the poison arrow of the white liberal Westport female (that lives in a town with very few minorities) is the ‘I’m more educated than you!’ meme. You want diversity, just not diversity of thought, or political view. You want only a diversity that includes the sexualization of kids. If one objects to that, you are ‘uneducated’. That is a true ‘Let them eat cake’ comment.
I would submit that one who is not aware of the nation-wide, even international, movement to sexualize kids at a young age (which is grooming), is the one who is ‘uneducated’, or simply just lying to promote a culturally Marxist agenda.
John
7 months ago
I don’t know if that video was meant to be part of an indoctrination into lgbtq or whatever it is, because the video has nothing to do with the gay community. It’s a song from a musical about the life of P.T. Barnum, so if whoever in the school system actually believed that the video has anything to do with being queer because they saw a “bearded woman” is either an idiot or just thought it shows that everyone is different, I don’t know what the person thought. The movie is called
“The Greatest Showman” stars Hugh Jackman and is the highest grossing musical film in history. I thought it was an excellent move and I hate musical’s.
Believe me, I’m not trying to protect the school system just pointing out the truth.
I know school boards and teachers across the country are pushing inappropriate trash on the children and I’m glad to see people keeping an eye on their kids and their education, theirs no place in K through 12 for hate based and racist CRT and the school system in no way should be showing any kid’s anything about sex unless it’s an approved health or sex education class and that approval should include the parents along the the school boards or board of education.
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in case anyone wants to watch the B of E debate that (I assume) led to Jill Dillon entering the race, it’s here
https://westportjournal.com/politics/before-you-vote-watch-candidates-debate-in-lwv-videos/
Interestingly enough Lauren, Camilo Riano who is running on a platform of parental rights and parental consent, made public in this article that you shared, a video that includes 16 Kindergarten students reciting the pledge of allegiance, WITHOUT parental permission, without blurring their faces, and with a complete disregard for the safety and the rights of those students and their families. Is this the lack of judgement that we want on the Board of Education? For the sake of student safety alone vote for Neil Phillips, Lee Goldstein and WRITE IN Jill Dillon & Fill in the bubble in box 5E.