Somerville's Ward 1 gets new School Committee candidate after tie vote (via Somerville Journal)

Via the Somerville Journal; reposted in it's entirety without any permission whatsoever, inasmch as nobody reads this blog and the Somerville Journal articles disappear from their website after some period of time.   I have an interest in this, as its subject took much of my time and focus for the past month and a half of my life!

Somerville —

After a brand-new process, a ward-wide search, and three public meetings, the School Committee voted 5-3 for candidate Ben Echevarria to fill the vacant Ward 1 seat for the rest of the year.

Echevarria beat out finalists Steven Roix – who had been recommended by the former Ward 1 member, Maureen Bastardi – and Bonny Carroll. However, Echevarria was picked after a tie produced several flip-flopping votes, and School Committee members said the vote was essentially a toss-up.

The first round resulted in a deadlock with four votes for Roix and four for Echevarria. In the second round Echevarria secured five votes, the minimum required for the seat, to Roix’s three. Three board members switched their votes in the second round – Mayor Joe Curtatone and School Committee Chair Mary Jo Rossetti gave their support to Echevarria and Ward 4 School Committee member Christine Rafal switched her vote to Roix.

“I could have voted for any of these candidates,” Rafal stated.

"I switched but I would've voted for all of them," Rossetti added.

"If we made a call, it would not have been a bad call," Curtatone said. "I felt we had great candidates."

Echevarria said the process was exciting but nerve-wracking and he is relieved it is over after a two-and-a-half hour public hearing in the Capuano School on Jan. 22.

“I am happy that the process attracted a lot of candidates and I honestly thought that any one of the 10 could do the job. It’s an honor to be picked,” he told the Journal afterwards.

A lifelong resident of the city, a first-generation immigrant, a product of the Winter Hill Community School, a board member of the Welcome Project, and a youth pastor at the Elm Street Baptist Church in Everett, Echevarria has a lot of experience working with children, engaging diverse communities, and speaks Spanish – qualities that residents during the public hearing said are important for a Ward 1 School Committee member.

In his closing statement, however, Echevarria urged the board to look at the big picture and to not pick him for race reasons.

“I bring things to the table but if someone voted for me because of the language I speak or the color of my skin, it would be insulting,” he said. “I ask you vote for the candidate you think will best serve Ward 1.”

But language and diversity are a real concern of immigrant or non-English speaking families whose children attend Somerville schools but who often feel left out. Candidate Consuelo Perez initially addressed the board during the public hearing in Spanish through the help of an interpreter but switched to English midway, pointing out that interviewers’ confusion at his language mirrored that of the Spanish-speaking community in Somerville when they are faced with English-speaking officials. She urged the importance of having a bilingual representative in Ward 1.

“It’s time for you to look at the needs of your community,” she said.

Both finalists congratulated Echevarria, commended the process that chose him, and said they look forward to continue to be involved in the schools.

“Going through this process really triggered something in me and got me rejuvenated,” said Carroll, a tobacco control specialist in the city’s office of prevention who previously worked for the city as a SomerPromise coordinator and director of human services. “I really did want the best candidate to win and if that’s not me, that’s fine.”

“I am going to give Ben my full support and I think he will be great,” said Roix, who Bastardi recommended to the Committee before the search process began. “I learned a lot and I think it energized people in Ward 1.”

New energy

While this vacancy could have led to a special election at another time with Ward 1 residents choosing their candidate, Bastardi said the application process produced a great pool of candidates with talent, interest and experience in the schools – a sentiment others echoed.

“Having so many candidates is a first for Ward 1,” said Dorothy Scally, vice president of the Somerville Teacher’s Association.

Mayor Joe Curtatone pointed out that an election would hardly see so many candidates come to the table. “Keep that in mind,” he said.

Board members said it was a tough decision given the caliber of the candidates.

“It was very very close,” said Board of Alderman President Bill White of the vote. “It was a good process with a lot of public input and a lot of qualified people who got involved which was great.”

“I could have voted for any of these candidates,” Ward 4 School Committee member Christine Rafal stated.

Ward 6 School Committee member Paul Bockelman told the Journal that the idea to publicly interview the finalists was unanimously approved by the board last month.

This was a great day for Somerville,” he said. “We had 10 people raise their hands to run for the ward 1 seat. Even if we totally screwed up the process we would be fine.”

School Committee Chairman Mary Jo Rossetti said it was a long, tough process but that the enthusiasm and the commitment of the many candidates who expressed interest and participated in it has made it worthwhile.

“I am so proud to be a resident of this city,” she said. “I know Steve and Bonny will continue to be involved and I hope the rest of you do too. Help Ben and help us.”

While the last special meeting had narrowed the pool of nine candidates to four, one of the finalists dropped out before Tuesday night. Rossetti announced that Yvette Verdieu had decided to not run given her current commitments.

After a brief public hearing, the board individually interviewed the three finalists asking them questions regarding what they would change in the schools, what they would do to retain young families, their Ward 1 activities, and if they could commit to the time commitment it takes to be a board member for the remaining of this year.

Each candidate got 20 minutes, including the option of making a closing statement, after which the board submitted ballots.

Nervous about being a newcomer to the ongoing school budget process, Echevarria hopes to dive into his new job by attending meetings, speaking with the city clerk and board chairman, and learning the ropes about how the school board works.

He is not yet sure if he will run for election in November. “I haven’t thought that far yet,” he told the Journal. “I have a lot to learn.”

New process

While officials initially expressed doubts about the public process chosen by the School Committee to fill this seat, all agreed that the process worked well.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the process but I respect it,” Bastardi said during public comment.

“It’s not an ideal process but it will get us through until the election,” Roix told the Journal.

Board members and candidates commended Rossetti for running a fair and open process.

“This is a process that I had a few concerns about but you really made it very effective,” Curtatone said. “I counted seven times more people here than when we reviewed the budget!”

He urged all the residents who came to the meetings to continue to be involved in the schools and in the community for a better future.

 Rossetti, who put in hours of work and consulted with the legal team to carve out the new process, said she was satisfied with the outcome.

“Considering the time we had to get this completed, I’m pleased,” she said. “This was a first time and I know the city will look into (the process of filling a vacancy)… I am sure if this happens again, it will be different.”

Aldermen plan to debate the rules for the process of filling a vacancy on their own board and the mayor has publicly stated that he’d like them to take a look at the city charter again.