OttawaHerald.com -- Community News. Community Connections.

	Franklin County, Kansas, USA

2009-11-07

2009-11-04

2009-11-05

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Wednesday, April 08, 2009 11:26 AM

Newcomers oust veteran board member

By COURTNEY SERVAES, Herald Staff Writer

Just after 8:50 p.m., Jeanette Lowry and Brandon Jones stood silently in the Franklin County Courthouse waiting, watching.

Lowry, who has served on the Ottawa School Board since 1991, trailed newcomer Jones by just one vote, and votes for the final township finally had arrived.

Lowry, 619. Jones, 623.

As soon as the results were posted, Lowry congratulated Jones and walked out of the room. Lowry, who will finish up her 12th year on the school board, said she was trying to be philosophical about the situation but certainly was disappointed with the outcome.

“I feel good about it,” Lowry said. “Brandon will be a wonderful school board member.”

Jones, who is the Osage County attorney, said he wasn’t trying to challenge either of the two incumbents by running; rather, he was vying for the third open spot on the board.

“I’m excited,” he said. “But I hate to see Jeanette get beat.”

Now that Jones has been unofficially elected, he said he is eager to start helping the community.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “I want to keep thinking about what’s best for the kids.”

Jones and Lowry were battling for the last spot on the school board, while incumbent Marge Stevens sailed away with 761 votes and newcomer Darrell Bourque brought in 632.

“I think the voting public has spoken,” Bourque said. “It’s always difficult to defeat an incumbent.”

Bourque decided to run because of his experience in the Ottawa School District, where he taught biology and human anatomy for 38 years.

“I know a little bit about education,” he said.

Stevens, who was the lone incumbent to be re-elected, said she is happy to serve another term considering all of the budget cuts in store for the district.

“I’m concerned with the problems we may have in the future,” she said. “And with how to make cuts without hurting children.”

Even though Lowry walked out of the courthouse disappointed and defeated, she said she won’t rule out running again at some point.

“I’ve appreciated the opportunity to serve,” she said. “I’ll be following closely.”

With such a close outcome, it’s possible that the canvass, which will include provisional and write-in votes, could impact the outcome of the race. The canvass is scheduled for Friday.

In other area contested school board races, candidates, positions and votes included:

• Wellsville — Clyde Coons defeated Lou Meyer for Position 5 on the Wellsville School Board, with 257 and 192 votes, respectively.

• Central Heights — Jack Davis won over Doug Malone for Position 4, with 220 and 105 votes, respectively. With 235 votes, Angela Wiederholt toppled Shane Oram, who tallied 95 votes for Position 5.

• West Franklin — Thayne Bush, who brought in 348 votes for Position 6, won decisively over Marvin Zorn, who got 52 votes.

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article |
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.

Newcomers oust veteran board member

By COURTNEY SERVAES, Herald Staff Writer

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article | Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article |
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.