That was a great discussion so far.

Quote:

+1 Rorschach. Wahid and his friends have this strange idea that they are movers and shakers.

Riaz Wahid is a total fraud and a fool. He's getting his fifteen minutes of fame by posturing for a group of malcontents on facebook.

Those 3 board members are hard-working, contributing members of the Jersey City community. Wahid is just a bag of hot air with no proof to back up any of his ridiculous charges.

The case was dismissed, although Judge Bariso declined to award the Board its attorneys fees incurred in defending the lawsuit.

Jersey City man alleges three school board members have 'conflict of interest' in upcoming superintendent vote

June 26, 2012, 7:06 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Three Jersey City Board of Education members should not be permitted to vote to appoint a new schools superintendent because they received campaign cash from a hedge fund billionaire who backs controversial education reforms, a city man claims in a new court filing.

Riaz Wahid, 45, says in the filing that the contributions to the three BOE members ? Vidya Gangadin, Sangeeta Ranade and Marilyn Roman ? represent a conflict of interest that should preclude them from supporting Delaware woman Marcia V. Lyles, who sources say will become the city?s new schools superintendent.

Lyles is a graduate of the controversial Broad Superintendents Academy, and Wahid alleges that Livingston billionaire David Tepper ?directly? and ?indirectly? offers financial support for Broad. Tepper funds education-reform group Better Education for Kids.

Given Tepper?s $7,800 contribution to the three Jersey City school board members, and the $7,800 contribution from Jeffrey Kaplan, who runs Tepper?s hedge fund, the school-board trio should not be allowed to vote for Lyles? appointment, Wahid says.

?For me, it?s a clear conflict,? he said.

Wahid is set to appear in Hudson County Superior Court tomorrow to argue his case that Gangadin, Ranade and Roman should not be permitted to vote on Lyles? appointment at Thursday?s BOE meeting.

Ranade, who stressed that she speaks for herself and not for Gangadin or Roman, said she never met Tepper, and the trio only agreed to accept his donation after they stressed to his ?team? that they do not favor charter schools, school vouchers or public-school privatization.

As for Broad, which critics allege supports all those controversial items, Ranade said Lyles was very ?open? about her relationship with the academy.

?It was an opportunity for her to develop herself,? she said, adding that Lyles is ?an advocate of public education.?

Tepper spokesman Eric Shuffler said the charges are "a stretch."

There is a "broad" segment of the population that supports the reforms Tepper supports, Shuffler said, adding that it's "ridiculous" to allege that the BOE members can't support a Broad graduate because Tepper gave them financial support as candidates.

"Mr. Tepper's support and advocy for pro-education reform policies and candidates who benefit kids over the status quo are well known," he said. "These three candidates, in our opinion, are pro-education reform and they're pro-kids. Mr. Tepper was proud to support them."

Tomorrow?s hearing will begin at 3 p.m. in room 908 of the Hudson County Administration Building, 595 Newark Ave.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ty_man_alleges_three.html