NORWALK, Conn. – The Norwalk Republican Town Committee sympathizes with Board of Education member Jack Chiaramonte but does not condone the way he has been addressing the public in the past few days, RTC Chairman Peter Torrano said.
“We believe that Jack’s method of communicating, as I read it on the blog just now, was inappropriate, although some portions of it are not completely without merit. His method of communicating is not condoned by the RTC,” Torrano said Tuesday night.
Chiaramonte’s comments on another website have made their way to the NancyOnNorwalk comments section.
They were first brought to light by LWitherspoon, who posted here Chiarmonte’s online response to a commenter who said he should resign: “Hey Walter, keep you’re hilarious! Thanks for advise to resign, but your racist friends already asked. I’ll tell you what I told them, “Go Fry Ice! Ain’t happening! Speaking of ice, put some more in your glass and pour yourself a nice tall glass of “Shut Your Ignorant Mouth Up”!! Bottom ups! (Hint: Aim for the gaping hole on your face, the one below your nose.)”
“With all the attention paid to the three controversial board members, I’m surprised that there has not been more focus on Jack Chiaramonte’s recent comments,” Lwitherspoon wrote. “… I am greatly appreciative of the work that Chiaramonte has done to control costs, but his recent childish and insulting comments reflect badly on the entire BoE and NPS. Most of all they reflect badly on Chiaramonte himself. I believe that Chiaramonte should resign or not be re-nominated for election. Let’s encourage both of Norwalk’s political parties to work for a more calm, respectful, and collaborative BoE.”
“To make those type of comments on a public forum, as a current public official, well, leaves much to be desired measuring by professionalism and maturity,” a commenter named “Grandma” said. “Dont think the issue is racism, per say on any side. Think what the issues are lies in maturity and egos. Mandating all future incoming board members to attend workshops that define the responsibilities and help members develop progressive working relationship skills will go a long way to help us all focus on the tasks at hand, which is, to remind everyone, to Make Norwalk Public Schools an outstanding progressive organization that leaves no child behind, none, white, black, brown, impoverished, nor students that require specialized education.”
“Donald Trump” came to Chiaramonte’s defense. “Jack C may be rough around the edges. But the facts are the local NAACP leader is making a mockery of this city bringing in Al Sharpton to promote a drug dealing pimp who was stealing from the city. Today, he is a central figure in running a well qualified education executive out of town that may well end up costing this city tens of millions in lost grant funding,” the commenter said.
Asked about it Monday, Chiaramonte said he is upset by comments made by Norwalk Branch NAACP President Darnell Crosland and BoE member Shirley Mosby, whose complaint to the NAACP fired up Chiaramonte in July.
“She alleges that the African-American and Hispanic female board members are subject to continual intimidation, harassment, disrespect, exclusion, discrimination, lack of transparency and not being informed, and subject to disparate treatment,” Brenda Penn-Williams said to the board on July 1.
In response, Chiaramonte several days later called Mosby “the girl who cried black.”
Mosby has not provided evidence to back up her complaint and has not met with Mayor Harry Rilling to discuss it despite his attempts, Rilling said.
“Ask them. Don’t you think we need an answer from these people? Where’s my answer?” Chiaramonte said Monday.
He referred to the arrest of Tanya McDowell in 2011 for enrolling her son in Norwalk Public Schools, although she lived in Bridgeport.
“You parade around, you take a woman who you call a homeless black woman, and you trash the city, you trash it. You give the city a black eye, so much so that it is publicized on the national news, because they don’t have facts. How quick they are to rush to judgment. Does this sound familiar? Does this look familiar?” Chiaramonte said, holding his hands up with that last line like the protesters in Ferguson and around the nation.
“Everything is predicated on lies, that don’t exist. And then what do they do? Have meetings, rallies, and then the truth comes out later. This is like ‘shoot first and ask questions later.’ They talk about the police? Well, that’s what they did. They shoot first and ask questions later and find out the truth later on,” Chiaramonte said.
He explained further.
“What you read is city officials here, people who represent the city, need to get their facts straight,” Chiaramonte said. “I am talking about Mr. Crosland, I am talking about Ms. Mosby, to put out accusations that they have no proof. I think it’s your job … to back up what they say before you make it a headline. Mosby: ‘Oh, they’re racist, they’re this, they’re that, blah, blah-blah-blah-blah.’ … Just by saying it you accuse us. That’s what I’m saying, they don’t have anything to back it up with.”
Chiaramonte said he has not decided if he will seek re-election in the fall.
Torrano said Tuesday night that he had just talked to Chiaramonte.
“I expressed our concerns and how we expect elected members of the Republican Party to behave,” Torrano said. “Jack explained to me that he is very upset with some of the postings he had received on his Facebook and some of the personal attacks he has had to suffer on the Board of Education.”
He continued, “All that said, and understood by us, and in a big way we sympathize with Jack in his position as we do with others on the Board of Education, but again, we do not condone in the manner in which Jack responded to these people. Our thinking is it could have been done in a more factual and straight forward manner.”
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