The Wake County Republican Party is crowing about tonight's school board election results.
It looks like the GOP's decision to target the school board races this year paid off big time.
Here's the press release:
Wake Republicans Score Big Victories
The Wake County Republican Party sent a strong signal it has rebounded from its disappointing year in 2008 in today’s voting in local races. The party endorsed nine candidates in races for Wake County School Board, Raleigh City council and the Cary Town Council.
Of the nine, five won election outright. Two additional candidates are expected to win after dominating their three way races.
“This is a terrific showing,” Wake County GOP Chairman Claude E. Pope, Jr. said. “Our candidates worked very hard, and effectively presented a message of fiscal conservatism, personal responsibility, the primacy of families and neighborhoods and government accountability.
“In addition, I want to thank the thousands of dedicated volunteers who worked hard to make these victories happen,” Pope added.
The outright Republican winners were, school board candidates; Chris Malone, Deborah Prickett and Debra Goldman, Raleigh City Council candidate John Odom and Cary Town Council candidate Jack Smith.
Republican-endorsed candidates John Tedesco for school board and Jennifer Robinson for Cary Town Council are expected to win, but may face runoffs. Both candidates finished far ahead in a three way race, but were not clearly across the 50% margin needed to declare victory.
Pope said the party organization would not rest on its laurels. “The elections on November 3, both the runoffs from today’s voting and town elections in various communities throughout the county, are our next focus,” he said. We will spare no effort in trying to elect each and every one of our endorsed candidates in those races,’ he said.
Pope said he was particularly pleased that all four Republican-backed candidates in the school board races had either won or were in the runoff. “That means we still have a chance to reverse the current policies of the status quo board."
Comments
The Wake County Democrat Party
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:08 — Jeff_morseThey Lined up behind the failed system. So Why are people Angry that the GOP lined up behind the group of candidates that seem to want to fix the failed system?
Maybe some parents should be second guessing their affillation with the Democrat party.
Don't start already...
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:09 — petehsusing the hard work of these candidates and all of their supporters to push your political platform. Not on this blog, anyway. How convenient to jump on the bandwagon now.
The GOP stepped up in a big
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:55 — woodstockThe GOP stepped up in a big way for the students, families, and other citizens of Wake County. I applaud them. However, I am absolutely appalled at the Democrats who were willing to support status quo candidates that supported policies that hurt students and families, tried to hide at-risks students behind the veil of "healthy schools," and discriminated against minority students. It is clear that a vast majority of the voters were also appalled.
This election was a resounding mandate for change.
This Was a massive effort of many different factions
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:19 — Jeff_morseThis Was a massive effort of many different factions to bring about Change in the WCPSS. They all Helped with the Vote that was just cast. We are not 100% there. Looks like we still have to defend the 5th seat of reason. Vote John Tedesco.
Democratic turn off the
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:17 — JonesSausageDemocratic
turn off the radio once in a while and think for yourself, bud.
___________________________________________
don't you think the anti-WCPSS candidates would (or even should) have won regardless of the support of the Wake GOP? I think so...seems like they're trying to take credit for someone else's work, which was my implied point to begin with.
Pardon my subtlety.
truly the ones that made
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 09:13 — AngelaWtruly the ones that made this about party politics was the MEDIA and the "parties" themselves.....WSCA started as and remains a DIVERSE group of NON-PARTISAN PARENTS...
I don't think Republicans won, parents won
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 09:08 — Voice_of_Reason_I was at a polling place yesterday and talked to many people, only two said they voted because of Party for our candidate, six told me they were voting Democrat no matter what.
Republicans typically oppose
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 08:32 — user12345Republicans typically oppose diversity which is why they are slowly becoming more irrelevant …
If You Look Through The History Books!
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 11:52 — JanisTangoLook in the history books...let me give you a few famous republican names....I don't think any of them opposed diversity!
Abraham Lincoln
Charles Evers older brother of Medgar Evers!
Abe is a long way to have to
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:43 — user12345Abe is a long way to have to reach back.... Remember these are the guys who celebratesChicago
Any right-minded American would
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 20:54 — Bob_SconceHas nothing to do with Obama. Getting the Olympics is generally an economic catastrophe for the host city. They get a short-term spike, but then have a huge overhang of debt from all of the facilities that were constructed and then go unused. Heck, a good portion of the people of Chicago didn't want it.
wow. your knowledge
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:00 — JonesSausagewow.
your knowledge of political history is blistering.
political parties change and evolve, especially on race, and especially the Democratic and Republican parties...the Democratic party went from being the white supremacy party to the civil rights party in the span of the 40s-1964, with the signing of the CR Act of that year.
conversely, the GOP abandoned that cause by the mid 60s, and was in full swing to pick up the white supremacy vote that the Democrats lost with the 68 campaign, the southern strategy, and the thinly veiled appeals to "law and order".
regardless. i'm sure Bro. Lincoln would be right on your side.
Play It Again Sam
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 20:17 — TrailerParkGirlI posted this once before for user12345 who apparently suffers from memory loss, but will post again for you, user, and the rest of the misinformed and uninformed.
The Civil Rights vote was split by REGION, not political party.
Vote totals for Civil Rights Act of 1964
By party
The Senate version
The Senate version, voted on by the House
By party and region
The Senate version:
Can You Buy A Clue?
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:19 — JanisTangoBrother...you don't have a clue. It's people like you that want to make this a divisive and partisian issue. The nice thing about the WSCA is we are a group of people made up of all party affliations. The day children become registered republicans or democrats is the day it becomes a partisian issue!
pardon me trying to learn
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:37 — JonesSausagepardon me trying to learn you some history. in the new wcpss, we'll only learn the history of our neighborhoods anyway, right?
show me where I denigrated the wsca. In fact, I've gone out of my way multiple times in the last 18 hours to do anything but and indicate that I have no ire for them.
They don't "oppose
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 11:30 — woodstockThey don't "oppose diversity," they value individual rights and freedoms.
and why do they care who won
Tue, 10/06/2009 - 22:02 — JonesSausageand why do they care who won the non-partisan school board races?
why did they choose to support some candidates over others?
what dog do they have in this fight?
I understand their involvement and support of city/local gov't races, but the schools races?
please.
Interesting...
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 05:46 — Bob_SconceWhy not ask the same question of the Democrats? They've been equally, if not more, involved.
And, for that matter, why not the school board races? Why is education so magical that neither party can have a belief about how it should be run? Heck, the current and former Presidents ran, in part, on education -- why is it OK for the national parties to push for those policies, but not local parties?
because the GOP's chosen
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 05:57 — JonesSausagebecause the GOP's chosen candidates won and are crowing about it.
I'm asking a question out of honest curiosity. Thanks for skirting it.
I tried..
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:24 — Bob_SconceI tried to answer in the second part of my response. But, I'll try again.
I don't know of any reason why either party SHOULDN'T be involved. Why say it's ok for parties to be concerned about who's running for the General Assembly, but not for the school board?
Or, more directly answering your question: because the GOP (like the democrats) has ideas about how the schools should be run. I suspect that one of those ideas is that the schools should support families. And, under the old board, they didn't.
LOL , sure when
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 11:33 — woodstockLOL , sure when party-endorsed candidates win, they keep quite it about it. That happens all the time. You need to get a clue, sausage.
I was going to say the same
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 05:54 — jenmanI was going to say the same thing, Bob. I'm even a Democrat and I agree that they have been involved more in school board politics than the Republicans in the 12 years I've been here.
I do agree that I wish the BOE races were truly bi-partisan because neither party 'owns' education.
Non-partisan elections are
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 11:34 — woodstockNon-partisan elections are a fantasy.
The proof will be in the
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 06:54 — SDR256The proof will be in the pudding. I am iron-clad confident that this group of candidates will immediately focus on education, not politics. Afterall, its the parties which are talking about partisanism, not the candidates. How this board functions will be the most important thing.
This group of candidates
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 10:23 — jeannie84This group of candidates will arrive in January ready to implement their own, individual agendas...hardly the approrpriate behavior for Board members who should be representing ALL children and families in the county...mark my words and watch closely...Prickett will lobby to convert both Leesville elementary and middle back to a traditional calendar immediately, regardless of how many families that will uproot, because that's what her supporters want....so what happens to those families who do not want manadatory TRADITIONAL schools? and I'm sure all the other candidates will do the same...Mr. Hui: I hope you'll be watching and helping us to hold them accountable for the inevitable consequences of their actions.
OK!?!?! Now, how is this
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 19:16 — dryeraseuserOK!?!?! Now, how is this (what you just said) any different from the board members we currently have along with the ones that "chickened" out early last year?
I Agree The Problem Will Be Wanting It Both Ways!
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:47 — JanisTangoThe problem is going to be people wanting it both ways and there are going to be unhappy people either way. Of course if choice is given the unhappiness is going to be much less than it is today! The problem is there are people that want my calendar and I want this specific school.
In the Leesville area there is an underutilized YR school right down the road. If they offer the option of a YR and traditional school in the same area then people are going to have to choose. I want this school that is YR or I want YR which happens to be this school. The same will hold true for traditional options!
Jeannie--My guess is that
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 12:37 — jenmanJeannie--My guess is that people who actually WANT yr schools will be able to get in instead of being told they aren't the right demographic. Same with people who want traditional.
I hope you're right. of
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 13:43 — jeannie84I hope you're right. of course, the "underutilized" YR school (Sycamore Creek) has just enough room to accommodate for future growth (which is coming). If Leesville no longer offers a YR option, I think SC will fill up fast with the applicant students currently at Leesville -- and that's assuming SC stays YR. Sounds like Prickett wants to abolish all YR schools and there will go any choice. Hello, mandatory TRADITIONAL!
Mandatory Traditional Is Already Here!
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:45 — JanisTangoMandatory traditional is already here. There are plenty of people that want in YR that can't get in. There are plenty of people that want out of YR, but chose it because it's treated like magnet status and they have stability. Let's just study the data and see what's possible! Something this current regime refused to do. They spent too much time studying everything but the Wake county situation!
"Sounds like Prickett wants
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 14:03 — AngelaW"Sounds like Prickett wants to abolish all YR schools and there will go any choice. Hello, mandatory TRADITIONAL"
you are so full of it, your eyes are bleeding brown goo....Deborah is about CHOICE and VOLUNTARY YR
of the 200 YR "applicants" @ LES, Sycamore Creek now stands @only about 700 students after being BUILT for YR, 900 students on a YR is still "underutilized" therefor wasting many tax dollars, but at least it is a CHOICE.
and the MYR Middle school saw no gains in students...and cost plenty to convert
get a clue....
we'll see where Prickett
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:41 — jeannie84we'll see where Prickett really stands soon enough
yes, indeed we will
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:48 — AngelaWyes, indeed we will
You make claims of
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 11:54 — woodstockYou make claims of caring about children, yet you have not mentioned the low-income students that have been ignored and ill-served by the current status quo administration (54% graduation rates) and the minority students that have been discriminated by being denied access to advanced math classes (SAS EVASS report). These things are an embarrassment to OUR school system.
When the school board moves forward with members that value data-driven solutions and parental input, the "inevidible consequences" will be something we can all be proud of. I have tremendous confidence in our newly elected board members.