Controversy continues to dog SW Town Council candidate Rick Balboni

SOUTH WINDSOR - Reports concerning social media activity related to the termination of South Windsor educators, as well as the posting of images connected to the Holocaust, have been linked to Rick Balboni, a 2023 GOP nominee for the South Windsor Town Council.

Revelations of these activities have raised doubts about Mr. Balboni's suitability as a candidate, his ability to continue his campaign and added to the scrutiny surrounding Mr. Balboni's candidacy.

After a failed campaign to serve on the Planning & Zoning Commission in 2021 and multiple failed nominations to boards or commissions in South Windsor, Mr. Balboni now seeks support on the GOP ticket. However, Balboni's alleged posts are similar to those that derailed the campaign of Adam Wood, a Republican candidate in South Windsor in 2021.

INVESTIGATING TEACHERS

Mr. Balboni allegedly demanded the investigation and termination of South Windsor teachers on social media without evidence, as noted in the images below, shared here for the first time.

"These posts are quite concerning. The individuals he is threatening are not just educators but also our friends and neighbors, who work tirelessly every day to serve our community with excellence, and they deserve our utmost respect and admiration," said a teacher from South Windsor who chose to remain anonymous due to fears of retaliation.

"It seems that Balboni is trying to create a divisive culture war with these posts, all of which come at the expense of the children of South Windsor," the teacher concluded.

ANTI-SEMITIC SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Other posts allegedly posted by Mr. Balboni have surfaced as well, including offensive and traumatizing content equating reasonable public health measures to the Holocaust, as noted in the images below, also shared here for the first time.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, comparing the two is: "not only an act of moral outrage but also represents an attempt to downplay the enormity of the Holocaust."

By posting anti-semitic tropes as he allegedly has done, one of which includes actual images of victims of the Holocaust, Mr. Balboni "stains the memory of the victims of the systematic murder by the Nazis of 6 million Jews, including 1.5 million children and millions of other innocents", according to the ADL.

Only Election Day will tell if voters in South Windsor if Mr. Balboni will elevate himself beyond the controversies of Mr. Balboni.