Bilak Loses Two Endorsements After Debate Scheduling Controversy

Board of Education candidate has lost two important endorsements since Patch reported Oct. 20 that an election debate had been canceled after Bilak emailed the Beverly Hills High School student who was organizing the event, claiming that she would of his decision to hold the event during the Sabbath.

Councilwoman , who won every district in the city when she ran for election earlier this year, pulled her endorsement of Bilak after reading the Patch story. Planning Commissioner also withdrew his endorsement of Bilak several hours after Bosse made her decision public on Patch. Bilak is one of four candidates running for three board seats in the Nov. 8 election.

"The Last Word: The Last Election Debate" had been planned for 6 p.m. on Nov. 4, four days before the election. It was organized by Max Schwartz, a BHHS senior who hosts a talk show on KBEV6, the high school’s student television station. 

Bilak, like her competitors , and , had agreed to participate in the debate. But when she realized the debate time conflicted with the Sabbath, she asked Schwartz to change the date or time. Although he tried to reschedule the event, Schwartz was unable to do so. 

In an Oct. 17 email to Schwartz, Bilak said that said she was “deeply disappointed” by his decision to keep the debate at its original date and time.

“I will be letting the newspapers know tomorrow as well as the synagogues know of your decision,” she wrote. “I had told them that I believed you would respect the Sabbath and everyone’s decision to have dinner with their families on the Sabbath.” 

The debate was subsequently canceled.

“When I read your Patch story, it broke my heart, particularly because Max Schwartz is an exemplary student and member of our community,” Bosse told Patch. “[Bilak] really crossed the line when she said, 'I am going to let the synagogues and the media know,' as though what he was doing was religiously motivated. It felt like bullying behavior, it was cruel and that is when I wrote her an email letting her know of my decision.” 

In Bosse’s comment to the Oct. 20 article, she asked that the candidate remove the councilwoman’s name from Bilak’s marketing materials for the remainder of the campaign unless the candidate made a public apology to Schwartz. Bosse said Friday that Bilak’s comments on Patch, in which she apologized to Schwatz, did not constitute a public apology and that her decision to withdraw support for Bilak was now final.

“It is one thing to get frustrated with fellow adults, but with kids—the children of this district—the number one thing you have to have is compassion,” Bosse said. “I am sure she has learned a lot from this experience. It has been a lesson for all of us who take endorsements seriously.”

Bosse noted that she originally had planned to avoid making endorsements in the Nov. 8 race. But when Margo decided to join as a write-in candidate, Bosse changed her mind because she said she knew how difficult a write-in campaigns can be and she believed Margo would make a good board member. At that point she decided to also endorse Bilak and incumbent Goldberg. Bosse still strongly supports Margo and Goldberg.

Planning Commissioner Brian Rosenstein came to a similar conclusion after Patch alerted him to the fact that Bilak was promoting his endorsement in media advertisements. Like Bosse, he has also endorsed Goldberg and Margo.

“I had assumed by tonight [Oct. 20] that I would have seen, or that you would have made, a public apology for the comments made to Max,” Rosenstein wrote in email to sent Bilak at 8:47 p.m. on Oct. 20. “What I saw on Patch was basically an 'I'm sorry you feel that way' message from you. That is not what I consider an apology and is not what Max and his family deserves or this community will find to be good enough.”

Rosenstein posted his entire email to Bilak on Patch about an hour later at 9:52 p.m.

At the time of this story’s publication, Bosse is still listed on Bilak’s website as being a supporter. Mayor Barry Brucker, who also endorsed Bilak, has not indicated that he plans to withdraw his support.

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