Bridgeportschoolboard seeks new member after fourth resignation in less than a year
Jul. 25—In the short one-paragraph letter sent to school and city officials, Maccarone said he decided to resign due to an increase in family obligations.
"I wish you all well as you move into the future," he wrote.
Maccarone, who holds a master's degree in financial management from Fairfield University, is an adjunct professor at the University of Bridgeport. He was elected to a four-year term on the school board in 2021.
His resignation marks the fourth time in the last nine months that a member has abruptly stepped down from the nine-member panel and comes about a month after he voted alongside a majority of his colleagues to appoint Carmela Levy-David as the district's new superintendent.
The board is scheduled to meet Thursday to begin the process of appointing Maccarone's replacement. The panel has 30 days to name a city resident to the non-paid position before the responsibility shifts to Mayor Joe Ganim.
The open seat left by Maccarone must be filled by a registered Democrat to satisfy state rules that require the appointee be a member of the same political party as their immediate predecessor.
According to district documents, candidates are eligible for the position if they have been registered as a Democrat for at least 90 days before being appointed to the board. The stipulation does not apply to first-time registrants who were not previously affiliated with a party.
The recent string of resignations began last fall with the departure of former Chairperson John Weldon, a Republican who resigned in November after clashing with other members during the search for a new superintendent. He was later replaced by fellow GOP member and longtime family counselor Akisha Cassermere.
In March, the body selected former teachers' union president Robert Traber to replace Erika Castillo, a Democrat who resigned due to disagreements with the board's leadership. And in April, the panel named David Gelin, a nurse manager at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, to fill the seat vacated by Republican member Joseph Lombard.
The search to replace Weldon and Lombard, who are both Republicans, drew just a few applicants. But the effort to fill Castillo's seat saw about a dozen candidates across Democrat-dominated Bridgeport put their name forward for the position.
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