Darien GOP Caucus Endorses McCammon & McNamara, Registrar Visi and 8 JPs

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Dorothy Jill McCammon 5-23-16

Dorothy Jill McCammon

Dorothy J. "Jill" McCammon, one of two GOP nominees for Darien Board of Education

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Dorothy J. “Jill” McCammon, who is ending her term as co-chairman of the umbrella organization of town parent-teacher organizations has been nominated by Republicans to fill an uncontested seat on the Board of Education.

Dorothy Jill McCammon 5-23-16

Dorothy Jill McCammon

Dorothy J. “Jill” McCammon, one of two GOP nominees for Darien Board of Education

McCammon joins board member Christa S. McNamara, who was nominated to run for re-election this year, and a Democratic candidate. Board members David Martens, a Republican, and Callie Sullivan, a Democrat, are stepping down. (McNamara was not at the caucus — she’s in Sri Lanka at a sailing event, according to caucus members.)

McNamara and McCammon, together with Republican Registrar John Visi will be on the ballot this November, together with eight candidates for justice of the peace: David Anthony Brown, Eugene F. Coyle, Janet F. Grogan, Cathy A. Hauck, Eric H. Joosten, Brian J. Rayhill, Jayme J. Stevenson, and state Rep. Terrie E. Wood.

“I think that our school system is in a tremendous amount of transition, and I want to be a part of that,” McCammon said after the brief GOP Caucus in Town Hall Monday night.

The caucus meeting itself, largely closed to the public, was a brief affair with only 11 Republicans present, although all registered Republicans in town were eligible to attend it. Since there were no challengers, the caucus’s only option was to endorse or not endorse the slate of candidates previously picked by the Republican Town Committee.

“There’s a lot that’s been done, but there’s a lot more to be done,” McCammon said. “There’s building out capacity in special education to educate our children appropriately, and because we want to reduce out-placement.”

By “out-placement” she referred to sending students out of town to programs in other school districts and elsewhere to get particular special education services that Darien Public Schools don’t provide.

Some of her other concerns are to make sure that back-office operations in the school district are transparent and subject to accountability. She also wants a more robust World Language Program.

McCammon, 40, is married to Jeff McMahon. The couple has four children — the youngest 9 months old, the others ages 5, 7 and 8, who are all in Tokeneke School, in the Early Learning Program, Grade 1 or Grade 2. The family has been in town for nine years (since 2007).

Along with Shelly Skoglund, McCammon has been a co-chair of the Council of Darien School Parents (CDSP), the umbrella organization of town parent-teacher organizations. McCammon’s term at the CDSP expires on June 30, and Skoglund will continue on with another co-chair afterward.

McCammon grew up in New Orleans, received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish literature and a master’s degree in food studies (an interdisciplinary degree) from New York University.

Before she became a mother, she worked in management consulting and in the food industry, in a job that involved account management, product development and customer service.

Republican Registrar John Visi said that with the departure of his Democratic registrar partner, Kathy Hamill, more of the burden of the office would fall on his shoulders, but he was “looking forward to another couple of years.

Christa McNamara

 

 

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