Hill Wins Runoff; Democrats Control Wake School Board (Take Back from Teabaggers in Raleigh NC))

[Hissyspit]

Source: The News & Observer (Raleigh NC)

Hill wins runoff; Democrats control Wake school board

Published Tue, Nov 08, 2011 07:50 PM
Modified Tue, Nov 08, 2011 08:07 PM

BY T. KEUNG HUI AND THOMAS GOLDSMITH

Incumbent Wake County school board member Kevin Hill defeated challenger Heather Losurdo in a runoff tonight to complete a Democratic election sweep that knocks Republicans out of power after a turbulent two-year reign.

Hill’s victory in District 3 ended a half-million-dollar, high-profile battle over control of Wake County’s 146,000-student system. The nationally publicized fight for the school board had become a proxy for political control of the county and perhaps beyond.

In unofficial election totals with all precincts reporting, Hill had 52.28 percent of the vote in a runoff that was triggered when he fell 51 votes shy of a majority in the Oct. 11 general election. Coupled with the election victories of four Democratic-backed candidates last month, the win creates a new 5-4 Democratic majority.

- snip -

The new Democratic majority will now chart Wake’s direction on challenging issues such the role of diversity in the new student assignment plan, dealing with a tight budget next year and planning for the next bond referendum.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/11/08/1629462/wake-school-board-runoff.html

[Liberal Veteran]

1. I'm on the other side of country, but YAY!!! - nt

[Hissyspit]

2. It's a big deal. The right-wingers threw out the effective diversity school assignment plan.

[southernyankeebelle]

7. It is a big deal for all of us in a way. Remember TXass orders the most

school books. They have been doing alot of rewritting history.

[Deep13]

3. Well that's good. nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Where is this, my dear hissyspit?

I did not spot any location!

However, it is good news, wherever it is.

[Magoo48]

5. Very good news...

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Does anybody have a reading of the mood in Koch Mansion tonight?

Dear Dave and Charlie, How does it feel to flush all that money down the toilet?

[GentryDixon]

8. Yes!!

I live in Utah but have roots & family in Harnett County, North Carolina. This is wonderful.

:bounce: :bounce:

[Neurotica]

9. Reason has prevailed

So happy to hear this

[frazzled]

10. Best news of the night

It signals a turn to sanity that hopefully can be replicated in communities all over the country. (Though I must say, this kind of money and effort should not have to be put into school board elections!)

[onehandle]

11. Fantastic. Bad night for the teafuckers.

Hopefully 2012 will bring more of the same.

[SoapBox]

12. Exactly what I've been saying for weeks...time to take back positions at all levels of government.

From School Boards to the White House...Time for "Occupy" Candidates
to take back America for the 99% from the 1%, GOPBaggers and Haters.

This is a great win.

[0rganism]

13. winning back local school boards and town councils is essential

The GOP necrophiles have infiltrated government at every level, intent on its corruption. The infested school boards often fly under the radar, enacting awful policies that adversely affect humans of all ages within a district, with little-to-no media coverage.

So... huge victory today in Wake County, hopefully one of hundreds more to come. :woohoo:

[auburngrad82]

14. Hill defeats Losurdo in bid to keep Wake school board seat

Source: WRAL

Kevin Hill, the Democratic incumbent for the school board's District 3 seat, defeated his Republican opponent, Heather Losurdo, receiving 10,672 votes, or 52.28 percent. Losurdo received 9,740 votes.

Five seats were up for grabs in this year. Last month, Democratic-backed candidates won four other races.

Hill's win means that Democrats have gained control of the currently Republican-majority school board, which worked to overturn the school system's student assignment policy of busing students for diversity in favor of a policy that gives parents more input in where their children go to school.



Read more: http://www.wral.com/news/education/wake_county_schools/story/10354584/

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I'm heartened by this. The Democrats won all five school board seats in a county that the Koch Brothers were rumored to have poured their money into winning.

It's small off-year elections that show great potential for next year's elections and show a doomsday scenario for the GOP.

All is good in Raleigh this morning. :)

[barbtries]

15. yes it is

:thumbsup:

[sinkingfeeling]

16. As an ex-Raleigh resident, 'way to go'!

[MineralMan]

17. Here in Minnesota, we had a similar result.

All four DFL-endorsed school board candidates in Saint Paul were elected, unseating a couple of incumbents in the process. The conservative candidates all lost. That was despite a low, low 15% turnout for the election. It was an excellent result.

[CRK7376]

18. Well done Raleigh and Wake County residents.

I'm from west of Raleigh so I didn't have a dog in the fight other than being pissed off at Rethug/TeaPartys and how they corrupt school boards across my state, elsewhere too. NC has enough difficulty with education as is. Now if we could just get rid of Senator Burr and my rep, Virginia Foxx(batshit crazy R)....