Greenwich School Board's disregard for law poses a real threat to our local democracy
- Oct 31, 2025
- 2 min read
Local democracy is under direct threat, not by some abstract national crisis, but by the very officials elected to uphold its principles.
Last week, a state court delivered a damning judgment against the Democrat members of the Board of Education (BOE) - Karen Hirsh, Laura Kostin, Sophie Koven, Kathleen Stowe. The ruling concerned an illegal emergency meeting they held in October 2024, in an attempt to bypass protocol and appoint their preferred candidate to a vacant Republican seat.
Despite the court's clear ruling that this emergency meeting was illegal and must be declared null and void, these BOE Democrats are openly defying the decision. They continue to conduct official meetings with their preferred appointee, Jen Behette, refusing to seat the legitimately-appointed Republican, Paul Cappiali.
Mr. Cappiali rightly characterized this ongoing violation, stating that Behette's appearance on the Board last week was another deliberate disregard for the law. He drove home the point with the analogy "You don't drive away from a cop who is giving you a ticket."
The Democrat members of the BOE have gone on the offensive, issuing statements faulting the Selectman for spending taxpayer money on attorney fees to block their unlawful actions. Given that the court ultimately ruled against them, it is perhaps these rogue individuals who should compensate the town for the avoidable legal costs.
Greenwich has suffered concrete consequences from this act of political power. As a direct result of the Democrat power grab, the contract of School Superintendent Toni Jones was renewed without appropriate challenge or scrutiny. Furthermore, there was no meaningful push back or counter-proposal on the new teacher's union contract, which now results in Greenwich paying its educators a staggering 15% more than the next highest paying Connecticut town of New Canaan.
Between the Lines: Set aside the abstract "threat to democracy" that politicians like CT Sen Chris Murphy (D) use to criticize Donald Trump. In Greenwich, we are witnessing a tangible threat to democracy unfolding in front of us.