A by-election candidate has hit back at doorstep rumours over her time as a teacher at Brighton College.
Green candidate Marina Lademacher, 28, denied that she had been sacked by the independent school after working there for just a few months.
The press release announcing her selection as the candidate in the Queen’s Park by-election said that “Marina will … push back against Brighton College’s endless expansion.”
A party colleague denied claims of hypocrisy and said that this was a common thread in Green Party campaign literature going back many years.
A number of people have contacted Brighton and Hove News about her time at Brighton College – some of them angered by her stance towards the school where she used to work.
The parent of a Brighton College pupil said that she was sacked for using AI (artificial intelligence) to complete a reference for an Oxbridge applicant.
She denied the claim, with a fellow Green saying: “It’s a private matter between the school and Marina – but I understand that Marina resigned her position of employment there.”
A member of staff at the school said that it didn’t ring true, given the way that the application process tended to be handled.
Ms Lademacher, a Sussex University academic, hopes to win the vacant Queen’s Park seat on Brighton and Hove City Council, with voters due to go to the polls tomorrow (Thursday 18 September).
In a statement, she said: “I’m not sure where this story has come from as it’s the first time I have ever heard it.
“I totally reject the accusation and can only assume, with the timing of it being levelled, it is brought by someone attempting to sabotage my chances of becoming the councillor in Queen’s Park.
“I am proud of my track record in education, having been nominated for teaching awards and mentoring neurodivergent youth in the city.”
Another suggestion was that she objected to a planning application made by the school. While the council controversially redacts the names of objectors on the public planning register – unlike many other councils – objectors’ names are made available to the applicant.
When she was selected as the Green candidate, her party said: “Marina will speak up for every resident, fight for improvements to basics such as bin collections, social housing and playgrounds, push back against Brighton College’s endless expansion, call for rent controls to bring down spiralling rents, demand action on protecting trans and disabled rights and an end to complicity in genocide.”
One voter said: “Some of us like Brighton College and welcome the contribution it makes to our community and the values promoted by the school.
“I would have more faith in promises to push back against Brighton College if the Green candidate had said that she once worked there.
“It seems that even politicians tell the truth, it’s not necessarily the whole truth. And it’s that lack of openness and candour that corrodes people’s trust.
“Brighton College is not a bad neighbour, it is one of the biggest employers in the area and, while it is undoubtedly a place of some privilege, it quietly and without fuss gets on with a great many good deeds.”
Why are Greens always so posh! But it isn’t her ex-Charterhouse past or teaching at the £18k a term Brighton College that worries me about Marina (though when she poses as a radical socialist it makes me smile). No, as a Queen’s Park voter, what worries me are neighbours who think Marina is carrying out casework for them. Maybe its fine and the recent door knocking and offers of help are completely sincere (rather than dishonest electioneering) but already I know one resident in a terrible state with his council housing situation who met Marina a few weeks ago, outlined his dire situation, who now feels distressed that she hasn’t responded. I explained that Queen’s Park has a single councillor in place right now (the one who didn’t resign) who has certainly helped me. This resident had no idea.
The 4 page Election Newsletter that Green volunteers posted through our doors a few days ago includes a spread of Marina photos out doing good works for the last 12 months. I hope Queen’s Park residents can reassure me this is accurate. One thing on Election News that wasn’t accurate was the page on ‘Latest Data’. It states that Marina and her team have polled 2,097 residents in the ward asking their voting intentions and they confirm that Marina is beating Labour hands down. But Marina is making me smile again – because the bar chart of percentages of those polled adds up to 106 percent! Small point – I’m clumsy at maths too. And I suppose its a cheap shot to reference how the Green maths nearly bankrupted the city a few years ago.
Well I’ve met Marina and have been very impressed by her energy and enthusiasm. My daughter lives in a council flat in Craven Vale where the windows haven’t been updated in decades, I told Marina about this and she went over the next day to investigate so I know for a fact she’s already taking on case work. We are still in the campaign though mind, so I’m sure she’ll be very busy. Let’s see how she performs as councillor if she’s successful, which I for one hope she is.
That’s good to hear in one way Richard B but is it wise for a candidate to take on casework? In the lockdown we all found ourselves doing this for each other but in an election its important that Marina can follow-up with promises of help. What if she loses, will she carry on as a community advocate? I hope so – but this is quite an undertaking – and, right now, you can’t blame anyone for thinking this might be a campaign tactic. But you say you think it isn’t, so that’s noted.
But she’s not a councillor yet, so she can’t take up council casework properly until she is. It’s really not great for you to be going around painting out hypothetical situations to whoever you happen to meet. Base comments to your neighbours on fact and not exacerbating your their anxiety.
The responsible thing would have been to explain to your neighbour that until any candidate (irrespective of party) is elected, they are just that, candidates, and that hopefully when elected, any candidate (irrespective of party) will follow up on any conversations they had when canvassing and try and support them getting answers from the council.
If it is a council housing issue, I hope that you also pointed out that it’s a Labour council and a Labour government right now, and perhaps if they are having trouble getting the council to listen, they may want to think about placing their vote elsewhere if the Labour council and the Labour government aren’t helping them sort the problem.
You may also want to direct your neighbour to an organisation who can help them challenge the council on the failings they have made in their case. Brighton Housing Trust are pretty good.
Ellie B, my goodness re-read what I said (sorry if I was nor clear). We (my partner and I) absolutely did explain that Marina was not a councillor yet and really should not be offering help that gets confused as casework. The resident has had a troubled like and we couldn’t blame him for not understanding the difference between a candidate and a councillor – it was just a team at the door, with Marina, asking him how they could help. And so we told him about the existing Labour councillor and gave him her contact details. I know my partner has been in touch with him by email and doubtless mentioned BHT (my partner knows former CEO Andy Winter and we hold BHT in high esteem).
We are hoping our ward councillor quickly acts. We are aware of the ‘community trigger’ that alerts council/social workers with NHS and Police if ever a neighbour is in crisis (it happened last year when a neighbour – a single woman living alone – was having her windows smashed by another neighbour suffering severe mental health illness.
Well well…
The Greens really are unbelievable privileged charlatans. Marina choose to work at a private school take their money but then now says how she hates private schools so much…
Ridiculous!
Reading between the lines – not sacked but pushed!
No thanks Marina rather have anyone else, my kids go to state school and I’m proud of it.
The Greens, like Corbyn’s lot seem to have no understanding of what being a local councillor is.
If she thinks she can “end genocide”, poor poppet might want to check the job description, this is a second tier unitary authority, not the UN.
It’s unlawful to take on casework before being elected as a Councillor so this should disqualify her as a candidate if so. She sounds like a very confused woman if she enjoys privilege but derides it simultaneously. Like champagne Socialists, the Greens seem to believe that everyone except them should live at subsistence level – the excuse in this case being to save the environment. If she wants to ‘end Genocide’ becoming a Councillor would be the wrong role for her as this would fall outside her remit of serving the electorate.
Can you please elucidate how helping someone with an issue is illegal? I believe that is just your misguided assertion.
There’s nothing wrong with helping people, but in a private capacity. Marina is not a Councillor. Yet. So ‘casework’, she cannot do, until such time as she might be elected. Though I happen to agree with her that Brighton College is turning into a monster which must be resisted and dirty tricks pressure was applied to get all BC staff to support their planning applications.
Quod Erat Demonstrandum. (You can call it what you want, even casework!)
So it is, in fact, by your own words, your misguided assertion, Elaine.
ah yes sabotage which is exactly what lying liebour are doing to the uk the evidence is irrefutable
She’s against BC? I haven’t seen sight nor sound of her in any of the campaigns that have been running. Words without substance, that one.