Paul M. Carver
286 Garry Drive
New Britain, CT 06052
March 5, 2012
Dear Mayor O’Brien:
I would like to make you aware of the egregious behavior of your Communications Director Phil Sherwood Wednesday last at a session of the Board of Education’s Search Committee. In my many years as an elected official, I have never encountered such a blatant affront to the system of checks and balances which is the basis for our democratic form of government.
As you are aware, the Board of Education has gone to great lengths to ensure that the search for a new superintendent is a fair and open process. In addition to naming the Board as Search Committee, we formed two advisory panels, one of community members and one of school district staff, to participate in the search process.
On Monday, February 27, the above three groups gave 12 hours of their time to interviewing the 7 candidates recommended by the hired consultant. Many of us had to take time off from work to do so, but I know I speak for many when I say we are willing to make personal sacrifices to keep our commitment to finding the right candidate to meet the challenges of this critical position.
In addition, there was a long evening on Tuesday with a meet and greet and a question and answer session for the three finalists with the community. The Board received hundreds of feedback forms and we were very pleased with the positive response from the community.
Wednesday noon, the Board met to go over the community feedback and prepare for the final interview of the remaining two finalists (one having dropped out of consideration). The Board, meeting as the Superintendent Search Committee, is allowed under FOIA to meet in private to discuss hiring decisions.
I was surprised when Mr. Sherwood tried to insert himself into the meeting uninvited and unannounced. He threatened the Board with labeling us “racists” if we chose a particular candidate. After Mr. Sherwood left, board members, Democrat and Republican alike, expressed their shock that a representative of the Mayor’s office would not only act so rudely and harshly, but would attempt to coerce members on how to cast their votes. This type of behavior would not be allowed in our schools under our bullying policy, and it should not be tolerated by City Hall employees toward elected officials.
Mayor, I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you were not aware of nor condoned this behavior by Mr. Sherwood. As such, I respectfully ask that you personally review this situation and that at a minimum; members of the Board of Education receive an apology from Mr. Sherwood. However, it is really the community that deserves an apology for this unethical attempt to circumvent the democratic process and override this open process which is so critical not only our children’s future, but the viability of our entire City.
Let me emphasize that I write to you as an individual and not as a spokesman or representative of the Board of Education. I would not presume to speak for the Board or other Board members and that would not be appropriate. I thank you for your attention in this matter.
Best Regards,
Paul M. Carver
Cc: New Britain Herald
Hartford Courant
And let's also add that Dr Ayalon broke the rules of executive session and should be punishedz
ReplyDeleteThe serial liar is claiming Paul Carver "acted bizarre"? Are you kidding? This from the guy who brings lying to a whole new level? Who kicks in doors when he doesn't get his way? And folks you are paying for this.
ReplyDeleteFinally, a member of the BOE reports that Phil Sherwood referred to the BOE as racists if they hired M r. Cooper.
ReplyDelete"I was surprised when Mr. Sherwood tried to insert himself into the meeting uninvited and unannounced. He threatened the Board with labeling us “racists” if we chose a particular candidate." This as stated by Carver.
This is not only a violation of Executive Session protocols, it is criminal action by an appointed stooge of O'Brien on a duly elected New Britain
Board of Education. O'Brien will violate the oath of office he took if he does not summarily dismiss Sherwood's action but fires him as well.
For Sherwood to refer to a duly elected Board of Education as "racists" is the worst insult that could be hurled at a group of people elected by the voters of New Britain. Nothing done by the BOE constitutes their being labeled as racists. Sherwood has/had absolutely nothing on which to base/level that insult. He has in fact proven that he is an evil person. He is a bully who has muzzled city hall officials with impunity and took the wrong tack when he tried it with the BOE.
If O'Brien lets this pass and supports Sherwood, he too is complicit in this sinful act.
Finally, a member of the BOE reports that Phil Sherwood referred to the BOE as racists if they hired M r. Cooper.
ReplyDelete"I was surprised when Mr. Sherwood tried to insert himself into the meeting uninvited and unannounced. He threatened the Board with labeling us “racists” if we chose a particular candidate." This as stated by Carver.
This is not only a violation of Executive Session protocols, it is criminal action by an appointed stooge of O'Brien on a duly elected New Britain
Board of Education. O'Brien will violate the oath of office he took if he does not summarily dismiss Sherwood's action but fires him as well.
For Sherwood to refer to a duly elected Board of Education as "racists" is the worst insult that could be hurled at a group of people elected by the voters of New Britain. Nothing done by the BOE constitutes their being labeled as racists. Sherwood has/had absolutely nothing on which to base/level that insult. He has in fact proven that he is an evil person. He is a bully who has muzzled city hall officials with impunity and took the wrong tack when he tried it with the BOE.
If O'Brien lets this pass and supports Sherwood, he too is complicit in this sinful act.
Sherwood should be terminated for his outrageous conduct. An apology just isn't enough.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Paul Carver, this awful Sherwood story is finally in the press where it belonged.
ReplyDeletePeople will learn that their vote for O'Brien was a mistake. He hired Sherwood because he does not know how to run the city. Bad judgment. Sherwood is making things worse. He should resign.
The letter was addressed to the Mayor - but it is Sherwood who responds?
ReplyDeleteThe appropriate analogy is a citizen makes a complaint to the Police Chief about the conduct of an officer, and they send that officer out to investigate.
We need to hear from the Mayor, not his mouthpiece. Their strategy of only letting the Mayor talk about "good" things and let Sherwood be the bad cop is shortchanging the taxpayers and citizens of NB. O'Brien was elected, not Sherwood.
Mayor O'Brien - it's like a marriage - for better or for worse. So put on your big boy pants and take responsiblity for the actions of your minion.
Once again the New Britain is the laughing stock of the state. When are we going to have an administration that has some moral and ethical values? The residents have elected people who have show poor/bad judgement in the past, wake up New Britain before you become a ghost town.
ReplyDeleteWhat is better. The democrats electing a dysfunctional bizarre Bridgeport School Board or a New Britain Mayor with a bizarre "communications director" ?
ReplyDeleteThe Del Rio News-Herald newspaper headlined its story "The District Cracks Down on 'Illegal' Students." That U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents—had counted the number of school-age children crossing the border from Mexico on Sept. 9, 2009 the day that school began in town of Del Rio, Texas.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.texasobsever.org/cover-story/child-x-ing
Why would the Mayor need to be made aware of of a Sherwood action that he was briefed on in advance. Furthermore, the Mayor does't consider Sherwood's behavior egregious; on the contrary, he considers it standard operating proceedure.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of response from O'Brien is a stamp of approval from him on everything that Sherwood has done and continues to do. O'Brien through his total silence owns every scandal Sherwood has caused and will continue to cause as long as he remains the mayor's mouthpiece. It is clear that the only way to remove Sherwood from city hall will be to vote O'Brien out of office next year, otherwise you too are accepting his nonsense.
ReplyDeleteHis action is sure to elevate Sherwood's status at the NBDTC, and before we know it, DeFronzo will hire him for twice the taxpayer money that No'Briens is giving him.
ReplyDeleteThis goes to show us that we elected the wrong person for Mayor, and Sherwood should be fired and evicted from New Britain!
ReplyDeleteThe Mayor of Hartford, CT recently fired his communications director, Mr. Sherwood and now Mayor of New Britain, CT has hired Mr. Sherwood as citiy's
ReplyDeletecommunications director.
Why did Mayor OBrien bring this cancer back into the city? Sherwood is a big source of conflict. Tim you were doing so well. And to give this guy a salary?
ReplyDeleteI was e-mailed this quote and it speaks of the problem in my City, State, and in places around the Country. It is rash or brash but it is worth contemplating it's consequences which are more than visible in this City--
ReplyDeleteThose of us who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.
NEW BRITAIN - The Democratic Town Chairman of New Britain obtain his published "vigliante-like" information on Superintendent Del Rico school district, Mr. Kelt Cooper from an article published in the Texas Observer magazine by said communications director Melissa del Bosque,
ReplyDeleteNOTE: The Texas Observer is a progressive monthly magazine and daily website that covers issues ignored or underreported in the mainstream press.
http://www.texasobserver.org
Sherwood's alleged actions are way too serious for a "no comment" from the School Board's President. An official public statement describing what happened along with a signed complaint to the mayor's office is needed. An official complaint to the New Britain Police Dept. is also warranted so the allegations of threatening can be properly investigated. The Board's entire hiring process has been compromised by Sherwood's actions, and further tainted by the Board's own silence and inaction. Its' continued silence and inaction serves only to compound the problem and will ultimately cast suspicion on all its' future hiring and firing decisions.
ReplyDeleteReading about the nonsense going on makes me happy to have left New Britain and makes Tenn. seem like heaven on earth if not for the low low taxes and low gas prices as compared to Conn. then for the lack of socialists.
ReplyDeleteSherwood should be fired and kicked out of New Britain politics...he is an embarrassment, regardless of what political party he belongs to!
ReplyDeleteSherwood is a perfect example of how radical the local Democratic party has become and it is a total embarrassment to the city that his sleazy underhanded tactics are representative of the mayor. Remember that when you vote next year, that every slymeball thing Sherwood does between now and the next election has the stamp of approval and the blessing of O'Brien.
ReplyDeleteO'Brien can try to bury his head in the sand all he wants, but he owns everything this radical extremist does on his behalf.
Printed below a piece of Melissa del Bosque magazine article on the NACLA Report on the Americas / North America Congress on Latin America.
ReplyDeleteIn May 2008, Media Matters, a web-based, progressive research center, released Fear and Loathing in Prime Time, a report that analyzed the immigration rhetoric heard on cable news.
The report focused on commentators who often discussed the issue of illegal immigration on their programs, such as CNN’s Lou Dobbs and Fox’s Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck. The report found that these hosts provided an extremely high amount of information. For example, despite studies that show that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes, O’Reilly and Beck particularly promoted the idea that “illegal aliens” were responsible for a crime wave sweeping the country.
Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck lost their TV programs dealing with "illegal aliens" issue (Latino students trends etc.) on the Mexican border.