Dear Editor:
Over her years as our Superintendent of Schools, Cynthia Randina has changed a political culture that has been going on for decades in our school system. She fought the “old boy network” of not what you know, but who you know, that landed you a position in our school system. Up until the time she came on the scene, Town Hall called the shots. Her criteria were to have the most qualified to fill a position, not the person with the best political contacts.
Her efforts angered Mayor Gonnelli and president of the SEA Robert Anderson, the result being the superintendent received not one but two votes of “no confidence.”
Well, thanks to Mayor Gonnelli the “bad old days are back.” It is politics-as-usual.
On April 17th I received my vote of “no confidence,” championed by those who led the “no confidence” vote against our superintendent. Thanks to Mayor Gonnelli, and his, “Take back Secaucus” supporters, his call to “replace” Tom Troyer was successful.
However, all he has accomplished was removing me from fighting his political influence in the Board of Education in a confidential manner, privately, along with eight other board members.
I now move to the other side of the table, fighting and exposing his political influence in board decisions in public and in letters to this column. No doubt, this will be objectionable to the four board members that, during this election, signed a letter to this column expressing their displeasure to my letter writing.
Believe me, I am just getting started.
I want to thank the 549 people that voted for me in this election. You can take some satisfaction in knowing that its better to lose in a cause that you know will someday win, than to win a cause that you know will someday lose. Mayor Gonnelli takes pride in his being able to inject politics into the Board of Education. I view that with alarm.
Tom Troyer
Former Board of Education Trustee