C. Ballard Scearce, Jr.
C. Ballard Scearce, Jr. was a candidate for the District 6 seat on the Hamilton County Board of Education in Tennessee up for general election on August 7, 2014. He lost the election to Joe Galloway.
Biography
C. Ballard Scearce, Jr. is a resident of Hamilton County, Tennessee. Scearce earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Millsaps College and a J.D. degree from Samford University. He spent 13 years working as an associate and partner at an AmLaw 100 law firm before he founded The Scearce Law Firm, PC.[1]
Elections
2014
The general election in Hamilton County featured five seats up for election on August 7, 2014. Greg Martin won re-election in District 3 against Jim Watson. Karitsa Mosley won the open District 5 race against fellow newcomers Richard K. Bennett, Samuel Blakemore, Patrick D. Hampton, Cynthia Stanley-Cash, Jacqueline A. Thomas and Yashika Ward. Incumbent Joe Galloway won re-election, defeating newcomers Oscar Brock and C. Ballard Scearce, Jr. in District 6. The District 8 race was won by incumbent David Testerman, who defeated challenger Samevelyn Morgan Rock. Newcomer Steve Highlander won the open District 9 seat, defeating Karen Farrow, Larry Lewis, Dean Moorhouse and Tim White.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Joe Galloway Incumbent |
35.3% | 1,604 | |
| Nonpartisan | Oscar Brock | 33.5% | 1,526 | |
| Nonpartisan | C. Ballard Scearce, Jr. | 30.7% | 1,398 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.5% | 22 | |
| Total Votes | 4,550 | |||
| Source: Hamilton County, TN - Election Commission, "Official Results - August 7th, 2014 - State Primary & County General," accessed February 23, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Scearce reported no contributions or expenditures to the Hamilton County Election Commission during the election.
Endorsements
Scearce received endorsements from the Chattanooga Times and the Chattanooga Free Press.[2][3]
Campaign themes
2014
Scearce published a list of his priorities on his campaign website:
| “ | Ballard is committed to the improvement and advancement of our school system through a three point program - “TIC”
Technology Technology is imperative to moving our schools forward in the coming years. Whether it be through the utilization of tablets or other advancements in hardware, the use of cloud based or other emerging software technologies, or through the use of social media platforms, we have to make technology in our schools the highest priority. We are uniquely positioned within Hamilton County as the current wave of technology based investment continues to grow right here in our own backyard. We are very fortunate to have the GIG, CoLab, Chattanooga Technology Council, The Enterprise Center and similar organizations focusing on current and future technologies. Hamilton County should position itself on the crest of that building wave, and our schools need to be partnering with these organizations to reap the benefits of their certain successes. Investment High levels of non-financial investment produce high caliber students. While integral to our schools, Ballard believes that the most powerful tools for improving our schools are not financial resources or facilities but are the non-financial investments that are made in our schools and our children on a daily basis. Investment comes in many forms including student investment, parental investment, teacher investment and community investment. By and large children do not care about or understand the financial aspects of education (nor should they), but they do understand when a parent, a teacher, or some other person invests in them through their time and attention, and those simple investments bring about systemic change. We have to do a better job of convincing communities and others that investing in our children, and their education specifically, can and will produce returns and I believe that the School Board can play a vital role in that process. Communication Communication is the foundation of any good relationship. Generally, people want to feel that they are informed. When it comes to the single largest line item in the Hamilton County budget (Hamilton County Department of Education), people should demand full, accurate and timely information. The lines of communication between students, teachers, parents, administrators and the community have to be open lines, and Ballard believes that this must begin with a top down approach. When you increase communication, you increase cooperation. When you increase cooperation, you increase collaboration. When you increase collaboration, you bring about systemic change.[4] |
” |
| —C. Ballard Scearce, Jr. campaign website (2014)[5] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Ballard + Scearce + Hamilton + County + School + District"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballard Scearce, "Meet Ballard," accessed August 7, 2014
- ↑ Chattanooga Times Free Press, "Times picks for District 3, District 5 and District 6," July 18, 2014
- ↑ Chattanooga Times Free Press, "Free Press picks for District 3, District 5 and District 6," July 18, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballard Scearce, "Platform," accessed August 7, 2014
