With the recent events surrounding the appearance of white supremacists along Route 72 and the resignation of the Bristol Farmers Market manager from both his position with the market as well as his membership in the Bristol Rotary Club, it is easy to get sidetracked from other significant developments.
In the summer of 2021, while a candidate for mayor, Jeff Caggiano released a series of videos providing voters with a preview of a Caggiano administration.
In one video titled “Learn How Jeff Plans to Bring Transparency to Bristol’s City Government,” he stated, “Currently, we have inside deals being made with public and private sectors. Months later, we learn about these deals through press releases and photo opportunities that we’ve all become numb to, they are meaningless.”
It is worth noting that it was not just the video, he discussed transparency as a virtue throughout his campaign.
Jennifer Van Gorder, who ran for State Representative in the 79th district in 2022 and came within a whisker of winning, was recently nominated as a Republican candidate for the Board of Education. It is an odd choice. The issue has been documented in several reports over the past month.
Originally, Rob Parenti was offered the nomination by Caggiano. However, following a meeting between Van Gorder, Councilwoman Sue Tyler, and Whit Betts, the chair of the Republican Town Committee, Caggiano changed his mind from Parenti, who by all counts, was the more qualified candidate, right down to scoring the highest on a rubric that Caggiano himself contributed to.
Why would Caggiano shift his support to Van Gorder, who has no professional experience in education, over Rob Parenti, who is a special education teacher? What skill set does she possess that makes her a better fit for the students and educators of Bristol?
It needs to be asked then: What was behind the change? Was a secret deal made so Van Gorder could improve her resume should she decide to run in the 79th district again? Was “politics” at play over the good of Bristol’s public-school students?
The selection of a nominee who reportedly has a fractured relationship with the Greene-Hill School community for allegedly demeaning parents and teachers, bullying a student and being involved in posting to YouTube a contentious phone call in an attempt to embarrass the individual, requires an explanation and an explanation only Caggiano can provide.
The TBE reached out to Caggiano so he could explain to the residents of Bristol why Jennifer Van Gorder is the nominee. He failed to respond. Where is the transparency he promised?
Van Gorder could surprise everyone and display a gear that she has yet to show, and she should have an opportunity to do so. However, if the BOE meetings turn into a circus, it will not be Jennifer Van Gorder who is at fault because her belief system and tactics are well established; it will be Caggiano’s, and it will be a problem of his making.
Videos have their place in any political campaign, especially these days. They are very effective in presenting a particular narrative through images. However, a video that promises one thing, such as transparency, and fails to deliver tells a different story–for those who pay attention.
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