Denver school board appoints Charmaine Lindsay to vacant seat after heated debate

Soon after a heated debate, Denver’s Board of Schooling voted Thursday to appoint Charmaine Lindsay, a relatives legislation lawyer, to a vacant seat on the board.

The vote followed many rounds of voting as board associates struggled to concur on who must switch director Brad Laurvick, a pastor, who resigned from the college board right after he was appointed to To start with United Methodist Church in Fort Collins.

“I can see in which we’re headed and I have shared with every single of you privately I’m seriously apprehensive about the health and fitness of our board,” said director Carrie Olson immediately after the board was unable to arrive at a determination after various rounds of voting.

Board president Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán nominated an additional applicant, Julie Bañuelos, who is a former bilingual instructor, noting she ran for the board in the 2019 election and is the only applicant who is Latina and a member of the LGBTQ local community.

But the vote unsuccessful and through a further try to examine Bañuelos’s candidacy, Gaytán and a different board member, Scott Esserman, argued. Esserman pointed out a Zoom meeting in between him, board vice president Tay Anderson and Bañuelos, who introduced an attorney to the conference.

Gaytán supported Bañuelos, expressing that “as a lady of color I understand (her steps). I understand when there is two guys who behave a certain way in an interview if you’re not absolutely sure if they are heading to appear at you some kind of way you’re likely to feel…”

“I will not be attacked by you in any remark,” Esserman stated. “I did not behave in any way inappropriately in any interview at any position, and I will not be advised I was.”

Anderson weighed in, expressing, “I just take good offense to that, as you painted me as an intense Black person trying to attack a woman.”

“I did not say that,” Gaytan explained. “Those are not my terms.”