School Board Victors, Losers Debate Why

Some incumbents ousted in last week’s Lincoln County school board election blame a political coup, of sorts, for pitting voters against them. Others say people simply wanted a change.

“There were political insiders working hard against the school board as a whole,” said board Chairwoman Betty Lawing, who has held her seat for 20 years but lost it Tuesday to George Dellinger, a retired schoolteacher. “They touched a lot of people and said we hadn’t spent money wisely and didn’t buy text books. “

The hotly contested election transformed the makeup of the board, with three incumbents getting knocked out of office. Another incumbent chose not to seek re-election, and one member has had to leave the board because he moved. That means the seven-member board will have five new faces in December.

There were 12 candidates vying for four seats, with three candidates running in each of the four districts. Tony Jenkins, a Lincolnton firefighter, won the at-large seat vacated by Virginia Dellinger, who did not run for re-election and who is not related to George Dellinger. Tommy Houser, a former dairy farmer and convenience store owner, defeated incumbent Joe Miller, and Fred Jarrett, a Duke Power chemistry instructor and substitute teacher, won incumbent Robin Brown’s seat. They will be sworn in Dec. 6.

Joe Miller said he’s heard talk and received a few calls informing him of various political factions working against incumbents, but he’s not convinced it made a difference to voters.

“I hear rumors,” said Miller. “But I can’t say one way or another until I see more evidence. It’s over with and I wish Tommy all the best. I think it reflects the mood in Lincoln County. They wanted to overturn elected officials.”

Houser said the election results had less to do with politics and more with the board’s history.

“I believe voters elected us because the present board members weren’t doing their job and they were wasting money,” said Houser. “I talked about the things that were best for the students. And I just think voters wanted a change. It wasn’t going in the direction of what’s best for our students.”

Houser said all four newcomers made a pact not to behave like the current board. The pledge came after incumbents made a quick decision Wednesday to fill a vacancy with a friend of one of the outgoing members.

“I was flabbergasted,” said Houser, who showed up to the Wednesday meeting to learn more about board procedures. “It was embarrassing to the newcomers and embarrassing to Lincoln County to have people acting like that on their behalf.”

It was expected to be the last board meeting. But the person members appointed on a 4-2 vote, Jason Saine, declined the appointment because it conflicted with his political work. He is part of the conservative lobbying group Citizens for a Sound Economy.

Officials also discovered Saine would not qualify for the seat because he lives outside Howard’s Creek, the district he would have represented. Despite the controversy, the present board still plans to name a replacement before new members take over.

Winners agreed the new school board will face big challenges once it starts meeting in December. Members must choose a replacement for Superintendent Martin Eaddy, who retires in June. They also will have to battle to pay for a new school to house a growing population of students.

Houser wants to make sure every student has a book to take home. Jenkins promises to be “open-minded” and listen to all the issues before making a decision. Dellinger said the board needs to take a common-sense approach to issues, and invited feedback from students, teachers and administrators. Jarrett aims to find more money to fund resources in the classrooms.

Eaddy said the new board will spend some time getting caught up on the issues and programs approved by the former board.

“We don’t expect a tough transition,” said Eaddy. “Each of the individuals elected bring strengths to the table.”