Woman Not Chosen by Voters But Appointed Causes Stir

 

Backlash after Beverly residents question qualifications of city’s only Black school committee member

By Amanda Kaufman Globe Staff,Updated September 15, 2021, 3:08 p.m.

Stephen Moloney, who chimed in while Loiacano spoke to echo her line of questioning, then took to the microphone and said he was a parent of a child in the school system. Moloney also asked what McKenzie’s qualifications were for the position and if she will be on the ballot in the next election.

That’s when Beverly’s mayor, Michael Cahill, interjected.

“Neither you nor Ms. Loiacano are really showing any respect for Dr. McKenzie as a human being and as a member of our School Committee,” Cahill said. “I just want you to stop, Steve. Please.”

Loiacano and Moloney each invoked “critical race theory,” an academic concept that argues racism is systemic in American life, and one that Republicans seized on as a political rallying cry over the summer. Conservative anger over the issue has sparked similar scenes in school committee meetings around the country as some parents have demanded an end to such teaching, though the concept is largely studied in higher-education settings.

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