School Board Member Keeps Seat Despite ‘Anti-Islamic’ Post

By Holly Crocco

Not for the first time in recent years, residents of the Carmel Central School District were drawn to a school board meeting to address inflammatory comments made by a board member that seemingly attacked minority members of the community.

Following the Nov. 4 election of Zohran Mamdani as the first Muslim mayor of New York City, Trustee Michael Torpey posted a video on Facebook in which he stated: “So New York City, congratulations and thank you for doing your part in the Islamic takeover of western society.”

Torpey, who was elected in May, quickly issued an apology, saying he didn’t mean the remarks as an insult to the Muslim community.

The board of education and superintendent of schools quickly denounced the comments, but some community members say that’s not enough.

During the Nov. 18 school board meeting, residents showed up to be heard on the matter.

The very first speaker called for Torpey’s immediate resignation.

“The sentiments that Mr. Torpey expressed in his video absolutely convey Islamophobia, even if presented as condescending humor dripping with sarcasm,” she said. “I am outraged for the Muslim families in this school district who now have full confirmation that at least one of the elected officials intricately and powerfully involved in their children’s education holds such distain for their faith.”

Mike Fallon said he was shocked and disgusted over the video.

“These hateful comments reflect a person who is unfit to serve on the esteemed board,” he said. “Our kids deserve better than to have a board member who views them with fear and contempt, and talks trash about their culture or their spiritual beliefs, or that of their classmates.”

Not everyone who showed up at the recent meeting called for Torpey to step down.

John Maguire said a board of education meeting is not the place to debate one member’s personal viewpoints, no matter how offensive they may be.

“Anything that Jim (Wise, fellow trustee, who was under scrutiny last year for remarks he made at a pro-Palestinian rally at the Carmel Courthouse) or Mike says that frosts your cupcake, they have a First Amendment right to put that out there and you have a First Amendment right to express your displeasure,” he said. “But… this is not the forum for this debate… Now is not the time to come in here in this hall of education and crucify someone for their First Amendment speech.”

Maguire continued to say that “if somebody says something you don’t like… you can either laugh or you can express your outrage. I would rather laugh.”

These remarks shocked Ivonne Silva, who said the racists comments “continue” to come from board members because leadership tolerates it.

“There’s an arrogance in that – in a place of privilege – that is so ignorant and so lacking compassion that is outrageous,” she said. “What Mr. Torpey did was not simply free speech, it was hate speech. There’s a gigantic difference between the two.”

Following public comment, Torpey again apologized for the remarks he made in the video, saying they were “too broad.”

“I should have presented my view in a more nuanced manner,” he said. “As an elected official, I have an obligation to the people who checked that box next to my name on the ballot, to discharge the duties of my office faithfully under the Constitution of the United States.”

Further, he added: “I will not be expounding on my personal views or statements, as a school board meeting is not an appropriate venue to air grievances over personal politics. I have no hatred in my heart for anyone in this world who simply wants to live and let live in peace.”

Fellow Trustee Nicholas Magliano said a simple apology is not enough and asked Torpey to resign.

“We all know the First Amendment is freedom of speech, but it’s not freedom of consequence or liability,” he said. “I want to go on the record as having zero tolerance for behavior like this from the board of education… Mr. Torpey is a liability to the board and I feel there is no way we can make all students feel safe and welcome while he maintains a position on the board.”

Trustee Jordi Douglas supported Magliano’s request for Torpey to resign, which Torpey declined.

“I represent the people who did not check my box, who did check my box, and I think that’s important in any high-functioning organization – even the people who did not support us, we represent you,” Douglas told Torpey. “I cannot support your statements that you made on your Facebook page. I cannot support denigrating any group in any way, shape or form. I cannot support in any way shape or form making anyone feel unsafe.”

Wise said that while “every member of this board has an absolute right to express their own opinion outside of the context of the board and when not speaking as the board,” Torpey’s remarks were made on a social media page “which was used to campaign and speak of his position on the board.”

“When I look at the impact these statements have on our students, that they look at a member of the board saying ‘we on the board’ and then expressing these really ignorant and racist and Islamophobic statements, with that in mind I think that brings us into a position where it is our duty as a board to say no, this does not represent ‘we on the board,’” he said.

School Board President Melissa Orser called Torpey’s comments racist, xenophobic, and antimuslim, saying they target an entire cultural religious group as though it is a threat to western society. Beyond being discriminatory, she said remarks like that are disruptive to the functioning of the board and community, and breaks the public’s trust.

“Our students deserve a school board that focuses on their learning, their safety, and their growth, not one pulled away from its work to repair the damage caused by hurtful rhetoric,” said Orser.

Max, a student ex officio member of the school board, also asked Torpey to resign.

“We have been taught since day one to be accepting and respectful as students in the Carmel School District,” he said. “Trustee Torpey, you represent the board, you represent our district and our community. Urging for your resignation is not an opinion of people unaffected by you, it is a result of the fear you instilled in members of our community – most important the students you are expected to protect.”

The board went into executive session, seemingly to discuss Torpey’s position, and when the meeting reconvened, Torpey announced that he would remove himself from the policy committee but remain on the school board.

Magliano, citing a lack of support from the board to pursue Torpey’s ousting, and accepting his removal from the policy committee, withdrew his request for Torpey’s removal from the full board.

Hans Bernier called the inaction a disgrace.

“Aren’t you tired of this?” he asked the board. “Every quarter we have to talk about hate speech in Carmel… When it’s the kids, obviously it’s not OK… When it’s the adults, when it’s the people on the board spitting hate and we’re having a discussion about this – this is outrageous. This man should step down.”