Education Commissioner Resigns; Says He Saw ‘Handwriting On The Wall’
Less than 24 hours after abruptly resigning and saying that his job had become too stressful, Education Commissioner Mark K. McQuillan maintained that his decision to step down was something he had been considering for weeks.
McQuillan, 62, said two key points led to his decision. The retirement of his wife, Margaret, as principal of Button Ball Lane School in Glastonbury took effect Wednesday, he said, and Gov.-elect Dan Malloy had decided to embark on a national search for an education commissioner.
“I didn’t want to drag it out into March and then find out that the governor didn’t want to keep me on,” McQuillan said. “It makes sense to make the move now.” McQuillan’s resignation takes effect Jan. 5.
McQuillan, who was named commissioner in Jan. 2007, said there were no hard feelings about Malloy’s publicly stated intentions, just a recognition of the nature of politics.
“I’m supportive of what the governor wants to do,” he said. “When a new administration moves in, they have a right to appoint their own people. You have to see the handwriting on the wall.”
McQuillan, in a letter to employees Tuesday, said the “stresses of my job are more than they should be and more than I am willing to accept.” He sent the letter a day after a meeting at which, according to the CT Mirror website, he expressed irritation and frustration with participants and abruptly adjourned the meeting.
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