Ridgefield school board vice chair election sparks dispute
RIDGEFIELD — The local school board has elected a new chair and vice chair — but not without sharp disputes between board members.
The 5-4 vote approving Elizabeth Floegel, a Republican, as vice chair led one Democratic board member, Selina Bell, to accuse two Democrats of voting differently than they said they would at a party caucus prior to the meeting.
Bell said at the Nov. 28 meeting that she was “horrified at what took place here.” She withdrew the nomination for secretary that was made for herself. The results of the secretary election are unclear.
Bell claimed Democrat Tina Malhotra, who was elected chairman, said during the caucus that she would support Republican Rachel Ruggeri, but Malhotra instead voted for Floegel for vice chair.
Later in the meeting, Malhotra addressed some of the Bell’s accusations. She said in all her volunteer positions serving the town, she has always tried to do the best for the board.
“My vote reflects what I think will be the best for the board,” said Malhotra, who replaces Democrat Jonathan Steckler as chair. “There were a lot of insulting things said to me at the caucus. But I want to move forward from that.”
Malhotra declined to comment further. Bell told Hearst Connecticut Media last week that at the caucus, “agreements were made about how people would vote and they weren’t honored. I grew up being taught that a person’s word is sacred so I was profoundly disappointed that this situation unfolded the way it did.”
She added, “Moving forward, I hope all board members will act with integrity and transparency.
The Ridgefield community deserves it, and most of all our children are watching us. So we have to be role models.”