Dennis R. Mercier
Dennis R. Mercier was a candidate for at-large representative on the Lowell Public Schools school board in Massachusetts. Mercier was defeated in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Mercier previously ran for a seat on the board and was defeated in the general election was on November 3, 2015.[1]
Elections
2017
- See also: Lowell Public Schools elections (2017)
Six seats on the Lowell Public Schools School Committee in Massachusetts were up for general election on November 7, 2017.[2] In their bids for re-election, incumbents Andre Descoteaux, Jackie Doherty, Robert J. Hoey Jr., and Connie A. Martin faced former candidates Dominik Hok Y Lay and Dennis R. Mercier and newcomers Timothy Blake, Noelle Creegan, Gerard Nutter, and Daniel J. Shanahan IV.[3] All four incumbents won re-election, and Hok Y Lay and Nutter won the other two seats on the ballot.[4]
All seven seats on the school committee were up for election. The seventh seat was held by the mayor of Lowell, but was not covered by Ballotpedia as the city fell outside of municipal elections coverage.[5][6]
Results
| Lowell Public Schools, At-large General Election, 2-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jacqueline Doherty Incumbent |
12.19% | 6,385 |
| Robert J. Hoey Jr. Incumbent |
11.55% | 6,054 |
| Connie A. Martin Incumbent |
11.54% | 6,047 |
| Dominik Hok Y Lay |
10.61% | 5,558 |
| Andre Descoteaux Incumbent |
9.77% | 5,117 |
| Gerard Nutter |
9.19% | 4,817 |
| Dennis R. Mercier | 9.02% | 4,727 |
| Noelle Creegan | 8.94% | 4,684 |
| Timothy Blake | 8.63% | 4,520 |
| Daniel J. Shanahan IV | 8.39% | 4,396 |
| Write-in votes | 0.17% | 88 |
| Total Votes | 52,393 | |
| Source: City of Lowell, "Election Summary Report: Official Results," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
Funding
The Lowell Election & Census Office does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
2015
- See also: Lowell Public Schools elections (2015)
Six of the seven seats on the Lowell School Committee were up for election on November 3, 2015. All six seats were at-large and voted on by eligible voters in Lowell. The seventh seat was held by the city's mayor, but was not covered by Ballotpedia.[5]
Incumbents Stephen J. Gendron and Connie A. Martin won re-election, while newcomers Jackie Doherty, Robert J. Hoey Jr., Robert James Gignac, and Andre Descoteaux joined the board. They defeated challengers Patrick William Farmer, Kamara Kay, Dominik Hok Y Lay, Dennis R. Mercier, Benjamin T. Opara, and Christopher N. Roux. Gendron and Martin were the only incumbents to file for re-election.[7]
Results
| Lowell School Committee, At-large, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Stephen J. Gendron Incumbent |
12.17% | 4,790 |
| Jacqueline Doherty |
10.67% | 4,200 |
| Connie A. Martin Incumbent |
10.51% | 4,137 |
| Robert J. Hoey Jr. |
9.88% | 3,889 |
| Robert James Gignac |
9.70% | 3,820 |
| Andre Descoteaux |
9.62% | 3,789 |
| Dennis R. Mercier | 9.25% | 3,640 |
| Benjamin T. Opara | 6.12% | 2,409 |
| Christopher N. Roux | 5.79% | 2,278 |
| Kamara Kay | 5.71% | 2,249 |
| Patrick William Farmer | 5.30% | 2,087 |
| Dominik Hok Y Lay | 5.02% | 1,978 |
| Write-in votes | 0.26% | 104 |
| Total Votes | 39,370 | |
| Source: Lowell Election Commission, "Municipal Election: Official Results," November 30, 2015 | ||
Funding
Mercier reported $5,960.00 in contributions and $5,389.45 in expenditures to the Lowell Election Commission, which left his campaign with $570.55 as of October 28, 2015.[8]
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify any official endorsements for Mercier in the election.
Campaign themes
2017
Mercier answered the following five questions from the Lowell Sun as part of a series for the newspaper. The questions provided by the newspaper appear bolded, and Mercier's answers follow below.
Should the Lowell Public School district return to neighborhood schools or retain its two-zone, citywide schools model?[9]
| “ | Yes, it is time to go back to neighborhood schools. Every election year this issue is discussed and supported then brought to the superintendent where it is pushed aside. I would ensure that neighborhood schools are kept on the front burner and push the administration to bring forward a proposal to the committee where hopefully it would be approved and implemented.[10] | ” |
| —Dennis R. Mercier (2017)[9] | ||
What solutions would you propose to ensure the district can reliably provide adequate services to students within its budget?[11]
| “ | The current budget should not have been approved on anticipated funding. I realize the state funding approval process is lengthy but the administration should be budgeting for the lower amount. Should additional funds be allocated the budget could be revisited. Every line item in the budget needs to be reviewed for waste and duplicated services. In addition, all administration position descriptions should also be reviewed with an eye towards consolidating positions through attrition and retirements. Funds need to be allocated to the teaching professionals -- which benefits the student directly.[10] | ” |
| —Dennis R. Mercier (2017)[11] | ||
Would you have voted to give Superintendent of Schools Salah Khelfaoui a new four-year contract?[12]
| “ | I would not have voted a new contract in its current form. Although I am a strong proponent of contracts, I feel the contract should not be extended beyond three years, and the superintendent raises are not tied to any evaluation process. A contract should be beneficial to both parties; I do not feel this contract is beneficial to the citizens of Lowell. This is not a negative reflection on Dr. Khelfaoui's performance; I feel a shortened, less lucrative contract should have been negotiated.[10] | ” |
| —Dennis R. Mercier (2017)[12] | ||
What is the most pressing capital improvement project facing the School Department, besides the high school, and how do you propose to pay for it?[13]
| “ | Repairs to our schools need to be a top priority of the city and school administration. Because of past neglect this will be costly. We need to reach out for state or federal grants/funding -- it's unlikely but trying will not hurt. At a minimum a set amount needs to be budgeted each year in the city budget to complete emergency and general repairs to get the schools back in good condition. Hopefully, the City Council and School Committee can work on this issue together. In addition, maintenance personnel should be employed by the school department for day-to-day repairs.[10] | ” |
| —Dennis R. Mercier (2017)[13] | ||
What is your opinion on standardized testing? Do public schools do too much, too little, or just enough?[14]
| “ | I believe standardized testing measures students' progress and teachers' accountability as mandated by the state. The Lowell public school system is complying with state educational requirements.[10] | ” |
| —Dennis R. Mercier (2017)[14] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Dennis R. Mercier Lowell Public Schools school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Lowell Public Schools, Massachusetts
- Lowell Public Schools elections (2017)
- Lowell Public Schools elections (2015)
- Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
- What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Lowell, "Lowell Election Commission Posts 2015 Candidates," August 18, 2015
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Eda Jane Matchak, City of Lowell," January 31, 2017
- ↑ Lowell Sun, "City Council field set for preliminary," August 10, 2017
- ↑ City of Lowell Election & Census, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lowell Public Schools, "2016-2017 School Committee," accessed August 9, 2017 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "board" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Lowell Sun, "Preliminary city election set as 23 candidates qualify for council race," August 9, 2017
- ↑ Lowell Election and Census Office, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed March 6, 2015
- ↑ Lowell Election Commission, "Campaign Finance Reports-2015," accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lowell Sun, "Lowell School Committee candidates answer questions on the issues," October 11, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lowell Sun, "Lowell candidates offer solutions on school budget issues," October 12, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lowell Sun, "Lowell school candidates split on superintendent's contract," October 13, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lowell Sun, "Building maintenance, special ed cited as top Lowell school needs," October 14, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lowell Sun, "Lowell school candidates weigh in on standardized tests," October 15, 2017
| 2015 Lowell Public Schools Elections | |
| Middlesex County, Massachusetts | |
| Election date: | Primary election: September 22, 2015 General election: November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Stephen J. Gendron • Incumbent, Connie A. Martin • Andre Descoteaux • Jackie Doherty • Patrick William Farmer • Robert James Gignac • Robert J. Hoey Jr. • Kamara Kay • Dominik Hok Y Lay • Dennis R. Mercier • Benjamin T. Opara • Christopher N. Roux |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
