By a vote of 96 to 45 the House approved the nomination of World Wrestling Entertainment executive, Linda McMahon, to the state Board of Education Wednesday.
The Senate had approved her nomination earlier this month by a vote of 34 to 1.
The handful of lawmakers who stood on the floor of the House to oppose her nomination questioned the violence and sex appeal played out in the ring by the WWE’s wrestlers.
“I don’t doubt this woman’s credibility,” Rep. Jack Thompson, D-Manchester, said. But “people jumping off ropes onto other people, it’s just the wrong message.”
Rep. Bruce Morris, D-Norwalk, said when he met with McMahon he asked her about education policy and she told him she had a commitment to reading. “Clearly her depth of knowledge regarding education is lacking,” he said.
Rep. John Hetherington, R-New Canaan, said it may e good to have someone outside the education establishment on the board. He said the legislature would be going down a dangerous road if it disqualified people because of their professional backgrounds.
A vote tally should be available here shortly.