Testing Lamont’s Harding history
Candidate has often touted work at school
BRIDGEPORT — Considering how often Ned Lamont tells voters about volunteer teaching at Warren Harding High School in 2005, one might assume “Lamont High” would have made a recent list of possible new names for the building. But it did not.
Starting when Lamont ran for U.S. Senate in 2006, then for governor in 2010 — and now as the Democratic Party’s endorsed gubernatorial candidate — the Greenwich cable television entrepreneur and millionaire has name-dropped Harding in interviews and on campaign literature.
“As a teacher, Ned also sought to give back to his community by volunteering at Harding High in Bridgeport,” reads Lamont’s current online biography. “In an effort to pass on the entrepreneurial spark, Ned taught students about the inner workings of small businesses, bringing in local businesspeople to share their own experiences, and helping to place students in local internships.”
That piece of Lamont’s resume comes in handy for convincing urban Democrats their country cousin has some inner-city credibility. But it was 13 years ago. What has he done lately?
Lamont and his staff insisted that in quiet ways the candidate has remained engaged with the Harding community.
“I fell in love with those kids,” Lamont said in an interview.
In recent weeks, as Hearst Connecticut Media made inquiries about Lamont’s relationship with Harding over the last 13 years, the candidate contributed $5,000 toward an effort to raise $20,000 for football equipment at the school.
“It was out of the blue,” Harding Coach Eddie Santiago said. “I didn’t reach out to him. And we still haven’t publicly said anything, either. We made some serious headway with that amount of money.”
The timing was intriguing, because of Hearst’s questions and because Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim wants to face Lamont in a primary. Ganim is courting inner-city Democrats and portraying Lamont as out of touch with those voters’ lives.
Hard to quantify
As for what else Lamont has been up to at Harding, that information has been slow in coming and, when eventually provided by him or his campaign, vague. Lamont said he has sponsored nonprofit Teach for America teachers at Harding and helped launch and fund a scholarship for Bridgeport students who attend his alma mater, Harvard University.
Harvard did not respond to an inquiry about the David L. Evans scholarship. A 2006 article from “The Harvard Gazette” said the scholarships are offered to students from underrepresented backgrounds — Evans was black. Lamont’s campaign claimed his contributions are earmarked for Bridgeport students, but could not say how many students have benefited.
“It's the same thing the college does for a lot of cities,” Lamont said. “I put it together specifically for Harding and Bridgeport.”
The Lamont campaign also said the candidate has tried over the years to get parents more involved in the Harding community, and that he hosted a lunch last fall encouraging attendance at parent/teacher meetings.
Harding Assistant Principal Kathy Silver said Lamont has sponsored an “an annual honor roll event for students and their parents.”
Lamont said he tries not to overstate his volunteering at Harding: “It was an important experience for me. And I hope it was great for the kids.”
But as far back as his 2006 Senate bid, Lamont’s claim that he was a teacher at Harding has been criticized by opponents. Then-U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s campaign said Lamont was “misleading” the public.
Unofficial teacher
Harding Principal Hector Sanchez, in a 2006 interview, credited Lamont for the time he spent volunteering, but said calling him a teacher was “stretching it.” Sanchez said Lamont partnered with a certified teacher on Mondays for two periods.
Max Medina, a prominent Bridgeport school board member from 1993 to 2009 who is backing Lamont’s current bid for governor, recalled being introduced to Lamont through Sanchez: “He (Sanchez) says, ‘ Max, we got a Harvard guy volunteering at Harding.’ I thought it was fantastic. Back then he wasn’t running for anything.”
Bridgeport City Councilman Ernie Newton graduated from Harding in 1974. He said he was unaware of Lamont’s continued involvement at his alma mater, but gave the candidate credit.
“Not many millionaires come to our schools,” Newton said. “I would like to see some young people who benefited (or) went to Harvard — that’s how you know if he was a success in Bridgeport.”
Lamont’s television and radio advertisements from 2006 featured minority students who called him their “teacher.”
After receiving the surprise $5,000 from Lamont for the football team, Santiago needed no convincing.
“He didn’t come to take a photo — none of that,” Santiago said. “Sometimes you get a donation like that, people want to shake hands, take a picture, especially in the political game. To us, it felt real genuine and generous.”