All In the Family, Even Across the Aisle

ENFIELD, CT — Election Day turned out to be an historic moment in the history of the Enfield Board of Education, as the top vote-getter was Republican Jon LeBlanc, a virtually unknown 22-year-old political newcomer who is still a college student. He is believed to be the youngest person ever elected to either the Enfield Town Council or Board of Education.

The landmarks do not stop there, however. His aunt, Board of Education secretary Tina LeBlanc, was elected to her fifth term, and for the first time, she was the leading vote-getter among Democratic school board candidates.

You read that right - the election of both LeBlancs means two members of the same family will be serving on the Board of Education, which is believed to also be a first. Being on the same panel from the same family, representing two different parties? There is no doubt that has not happened before, at least in Enfield.

Tina LeBlanc, daughter of Enfield sporting legend Eddie Lapponese, graduated from Fermi High School in 1992. Her nephew is a 2015 graduate of East Catholic High School, and is finishing his final courses to earn a Bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Norwich University.

A swearing-in ceremony for the Board of Education is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Enfield Town Hall Council Chambers.

The two sat around the dining room table with Enfield Patch Sunday to discuss the unique situation, including the hope that partisan politics will continue to lessen on the school board. Both agreed politics really has no place in making decisions that will affect the town's children.

Patch: How did you get involved in the political process?

Tina: I was an active member of the Stowe PTO during talk of redistricting the town's elementary schools into K-23 and 3-5. I was going to board meetings when there were a lot of cuts to teachers and zero increase in the school board budget. I decided once the schools were reorganized, I would like to get more involved, so I ran in 2011. When I decided to run, I had to pick a party, and at the time, the Republicans were in favor of consolidation and a zero budget increase, so I registered Democrat.

Jon: I started catching on to the whole political world back in high school. My belief system and values aligned more with the Republican side. It evolved from there; I was always watching the news. What high school kid watches the news? As I got older, I wanted to get more involved, so my aunt steered me to the Enfield Republican Town Committee.

Patch: Jon, what do you bring to the table that will make you an effective board member?

Jon: I bring a different perspective to it, which is part of why it became so important to me when the opportunity to run for the board arose. Being younger, it wasn't too long ago that I was in the school system. Even though I went to East Catholic, I grew up in Enfield public schools. I thought I could bring a unique perspective to it, and kind of connect with the kids a little better. I can listen to their concerns and perhaps relate to them a little more.

Patch: Being the young newcomer, how did you feel about your election chances?

Jon: I was cautiously optimistic the entire time, because in my opinion, we had a great team on my side. A lot of people guided me in the right direction and put me out in the light a little bit, including my aunt. She did a lot to promote me and get my name out there. I tried to go out as much as I could. Being the new guy, not a lot of people knew my name, and going to the doors, it was a welcome to them to see a younger person at their door who wanted to get involved in politics. I feel I connected to a lot of people.

Tina: After a huge party conflict over the summer, I had opted out of the race, and I had told Jonathan I'd do whatever I could to help him. It came down to [the Democrats] were going to just run four board candidates, so I decided to throw my hat back into the ring. I felt hugely guilty about that, because if I won and he didn't, then I've lost. I didn't want me being back in it to hurt him.

Patch: What was the reaction when you realized that not only had the nephew outpolled his aunt, but also every other school board candidate on the ballot?

Tina: When the numbers started coming in at headquarters, it was kind of a funny moment with me and [husband] Steve. I kept saying to Steve, 'He's beating me, he beat me at every place.' He worked extremely hard to get out there, he came to board meetings and met the residents. It's really good old-fashioned getting out into the community that wins elections.

Jon: I did not expect to be top vote-getter. I didn't even know I was until my aunt came over [to Republican headquarters] and told me. It was kind of cool not knowing until she told me.

Patch: Was there any static for either of you about helping someone from "the other side" of the aisle?

Tina: I think everyone understood it's family, and family and politics don't mix. Once the numbers were final, I went right over to see him. I was so proud of him.

Jon: We've been on different sides the entire time, but we respect each other's different opinions, which is good. It's never going to divide our family - family always comes before politics.

Tina: During my time on the board, and even on the town council the last few years, I feel that the aisle has generally gotten smaller. Having people on the council who had been on the board has been helpful. Also helping is the change of leadership with the new superintendent [Chris Drezek]. He works very well with [town manager] Chris Bromson, and when those two people work well together, everything kind of falls into place with the council and board. In my time on the board, we've also created a lot of joint committees, which is huge.

Patch: What do you see as a top priority for the board over the next two years?

Jon: I'd like to see continued growth and success of the Eagle Academy. It's a great thing for the town, and the possibilities through that are unlimited. One of the things on which I ran my campaign was increasing town pride and having the town back the school system. I want people to go to football, to go to field hockey games. Seeing the community come together will be really good. Enfield does have a lot to be proud of, especially in the school system. We all want the best for the kids, and there are a lot of veterans on both sides I can go to for advice.

Tina: Over the last few years, we've had some definite enhancements to the town of Enfield, like the Stowe Early Learning Center and the Eagle Academy. I'd like to see focus on enriching the town, and giving students and staff the best experience we can.

Jon: Regardless of party, there is unity among us all. I look forward to working with this solid group that was just elected to the Board of Education. I think the next two years will really go in a great direction.

Patch: And the family's take on all this?

Tina: Both sides of the family are really proud of us.

Jon: My grandmother's refrigerator door is covered with my aunt's bio, my bio - it's really cool to see. My aunt helped me a lot, and I'm not ashamed to say that. I'm proud that she's my aunt, and the LeBlanc name means a lot to both of us. Moving forward, this is going to be a fun time for us.