Donna Williams, a Republican activist and opponent of the old diversity policy, filed today to run for the District 6 seat on the Wake County school board.
Williams is the founding president of the Northern Wake Republican Club, a group that campaigned for and backed the GOP school board majority that took office in December 2009.
Christine Kushner and George W. Morgan, both Democrats, have already filed to run for the District 6 seat.
Williams' candidacy means there will now be at least one Republican and one Democrat running in all five of the school board seats on the Oct. 11 ballot. School board races are officially non-partisan, but both political parties plan to be actively involved in the campaign.
Williams is the second person affiliated with the Northern Wake Republican Club to run for the school board. Williams' successor as the group's president, Heather Losurdo, is seeking the District 3 seat.
Williams has defended the school board majority's elimination of the diversity policy against critics such as the state NAACP who claim the change will lead to resegregation.
At a July 2010 meeting that resulted in the arrests of 22 NAACP protesters, Williams had organized a counterprotest by people who support moving to community schools.
"This has absolutely nothing to do with race, nothing to do with resegregation," Williams told CNN in an interview after the July 20 school board meeting. "It has to do with fixing what is not working,"
Williams had also pointed to how Wake's minority students were graduating at a rate much lower than average under the old diversity policy.
"When people get emotional, they get scared and afraid and believe whatever people are filling in their heads. What we need to do is come together to figure out what is best for our kids," Williams told CNN.
UPDATE
Click here for Williams' campaign announcement, in which she talks about her opposition to the old diversity policy. It also includes an endorsement from school board chairman Ron Margiotta.
“I want to make sure the policies of the past two years are continued and extended during the coming term,” Williams said in the announcement. “I believe I can work with all the members on the school Board to improve opportunities and academic achievement for all students, as well as operate the Wake County School System more efficiently and cost-effectively."
Williams on the old diversity policy: “I also believe parents should be given the choice of where their child attends school. This will allow the parents to be more active and become an empowered component of the school system, and I am opposed to the busing of children for socioeconomic purposes."
Margiotta's words of support for Williams: “Donna Williams is one of the most respected and hardest-working leaders on the Wake County political scene. She will be a tremendous asset to the Board, and I know she will wage an exceptionally vigorous and issue-oriented campaign. I look forward to serving with her in the years ahead.”
Williams, 56, no longer has school-age chldren. But she says all four of her grown children attended public schools in Wake.
Comments
BPulli9999
Fri, 08/12/2011 - 20:13 — BlogCopACORN OUT TROLLING
Psalm 2012 - bpulli9999
Fri, 08/12/2011 - 19:39 — BlogCopObama Is the shepherd I did not want.
He leadeth me
Beside the still factories.
He restoreth my faith in the Republican party.
He guideth me in the path of unemployment
For his party's sake.
Yea, Though I walk through the valley of the bread line,
I shall fear no hunger, for his bailouts are with me.
He has Anointed my income with taxes,
My expenses runneth over.
Surely, poverty and hard living will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will live in a mortgaged home forever.
I'm glad … I am American,
I am glad … that I am free,
But I wish … I was a dog,
And Obama … was a tree!
At least....
Sat, 08/13/2011 - 09:03 — bpuli9999give proper attribution, you plagiarist.
I never found the original souce bpuli9999
Sat, 08/13/2011 - 18:18 — BlogCopI would have given credit. It's like this one from a guy in the religious right:
A man died and went to heaven. As he stood in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him. He asked, "What are those clocks?" St. Peter answered, "Those are Lie Clocks. Everyone on Earth has a Lie Clock. Every time you tell a lie, the hands on your clock will move." "Oh," said the man, "whose clock is that?" "That's Mother Teresa's. The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie." "Incredible," said the man, "and whose clock is that?" St. Peter responded, "That's Abraham Lincoln's clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abe told only two lies in his life." "Where's President Obama's clock?" asked the man. "Obama's clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan."
First Heather Losordo, now
Thu, 08/11/2011 - 11:44 — CaryCurmudgeonFirst Heather Losordo, now Donna Williams -- looks like republican party officers are trying to cash in on the neighborhood schools movement in a big way to get themselves elected to political office. I went to one northern wake republicans meeting and ms. williams seemed far more concerned about fighting the threat of gay marriage than anything going on in our schools.
The entire republican agenda...
Thu, 08/11/2011 - 16:19 — bpuli9999can be summed up in three words - god, guns and gay marriage. They got nothing else.
Let's try that again:
Sat, 08/13/2011 - 10:28 — woodstockLet's try that again: 1. individual freedom 2. opportunity for all 3. personal responsibility
Now that is not fair bpuli9999
Fri, 08/12/2011 - 07:47 — BlogCopIt's like a Republican saying something like this:
We the People of the Democrat Party in Order to form a bigger oppressive government we can't afford, promote class warfare, insure domestic spending, provide for underfunding of defense, promote welfare dependency, and secure the Blessings of Liberty from the rich, do disdain the restrictions of and distort the Constitution of the United States of America in order stay in power.
How do you like that?
You must be....
Fri, 08/12/2011 - 17:26 — bpuli9999one of those edumacated elitist republicans. Who can't put together a coherent sentence. Good luck with your collection of AK47s, church meetings and ranting against gay marriage.
You really live in your own
Sat, 08/13/2011 - 10:30 — woodstockYou really live in your own little world, don't you? LOL!
"...looks like republican
Thu, 08/11/2011 - 15:22 — woodstock"...looks like republican party officers are trying to cash in on the neighborhood schools movement..."
I welcome them because we all sure has hell know that the Democrat Party and their spokespersons for education -- Barber, Brannon, Gatewood, Petty, Martin, Evans, Hill, Kushner etc. -- are not going to do it. They have made it very, very clear that they seek a return to the failed status quo policies and forced busing.
...
Thu, 08/11/2011 - 11:53 — SideburnsIf we all refer to you as King of the Neighborhood Schools Movement, will that make you feel better?
Do you really have nothing
Thu, 08/11/2011 - 12:06 — CaryCurmudgeonDo you really have nothing better than to blog-stalk me? You call yourself a democrat yet you have no problem with republican opportunism. Paul Stam wants to do away with the public school system, but you have no problem with him or his crowd.
Personally, I will fade back into my old life after this election. You, on the other hand, have shown that you will sacrifice friends, principles or whatever else is necessary to stay close to the center of power. If I call you the Queen of School politics will you STFU and go away?
Now, now. Temper, temper. If
Thu, 08/11/2011 - 19:12 — SideburnsNow, now. Temper, temper.
If a Democrat ran for the Board on the platform of choice, stability and community assignments, I would vote for them. So far, none have.
You've called me and my friends every other name in the book so Queen is fine with me. It won't make me go away though. Neither will calling Malone.
deleted...
Thu, 08/11/2011 - 16:42 — woodstockdeleted.... not worth it.