Flint City School District elections (2014)
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Flint City School District Genesee County, Michigan ballot measures Local ballot measures, Michigan |
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Three seats on the Flint City School District Board of Education were up for general election on November 4, 2014.
Incumbents Betty Ramsdell and Blake Strozier and challenger Kenyetta V. Dotson defeated Leon A. El-Alamin, Aron Gerics, Alexis A. Love, DeWaun Robinson, Joseph W. Whiteside and Kirk Whitmore Sr. for the seats. Whitmore informally withdrew from the race in September 2014, but since the withdrawal deadline had already passed on July 25, 2014, he still appeared on the ballot.[1] Board member David Davenport did not file for re-election.[2][3]
About the district
- See also: Flint City School District, Michigan
Flint City School District is located in Genesee County, Michigan. The county seat is Flint. Genesee County is home to 415,376 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[4] In the 2011-2012 school year, Flint City School District was the 19th-largest school district in Michigan and served 10,114 students.[5]
Demographics
Genesee County underperformed compared to the rest of Michigan in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 19.0 percent of Genesee County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 25.5 percent for Michigan as a whole. The median household income for Genesee County was $42,730 compared to $48,471 for the state of Michigan. The percentage of people below poverty level for Genesee County was 19.9 percent while it was 16.3 percent for the state of Michigan.[4]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Voter and candidate information
The Flint Board of Education consists of nine members elected at-large to six-year terms. There was no primary election, and the general election was held on November 4, 2014. Three seats were up for election in 2014.[2]
School board candidates had to file with their county elections department during the candidate filing period, which ended on July 22, 2014. The deadline to withdraw was on July 25, 2014. Write-in candidates had to file by October 24, 2014. To vote in the 2014 general election, voters had to register by October 6, 2014.[7]
Elections
2014
Candidates
At-large
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Election results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Kenyetta V. Dotson |
20.8% | 9,177 | |
| Nonpartisan | Blake Strozier Incumbent |
16.6% | 7,308 | |
| Nonpartisan | Betty Ramsdell Incumbent |
15% | 6,587 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alexis A. Love | 11.7% | 5,156 | |
| Nonpartisan | DeWaun Robinson | 9.4% | 4,123 | |
| Nonpartisan | Leon A. El-Alamin | 8.5% | 3,740 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kirk Whitmore Sr. | 7.3% | 3,205 | |
| Nonpartisan | Joseph W. Whiteside | 6.8% | 2,973 | |
| Nonpartisan | Aron Gerics | 3.4% | 1,502 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.6% | 251 | |
| Total Votes | 44,022 | |||
| Source: Genesee County Election Division, "Summary Report," accessed December 29, 2014 | ||||
Endorsements
Incumbents Betty Ramsdell and Blake Strozier and challenger Kenyetta V. Dotson each received endorsements from The Flint Journal and the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee.[8][9]
Campaign finance
Candidates reported $2,747.38 in contributions and $863.14 in expenditures during the election, according to the Genesee County Election Division.[10]
In Michigan, candidates are prohibited from receiving contributions from corporations or labor organizations. Within 10 days of becoming a candidate, candidates must form a candidate committee. Following the creation of the committee, candidates have an additional 10 days to register the committee with the school district filing official by filing a statement of organization. A candidate committee that does not expect to receive or spend more than $1,000 during the election cycle is eligible to receive a reporting waiver, which allows that committee not to file pre-election, post-election and annual campaign statements without legal penalty.[11]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betty Ramsdell | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Blake Strozier | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Kenyetta V. Dotson | $2,747.38 | $863.14 | $1,884.24 |
| Leon A. El-Alamin | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Aron Gerics | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Alexis A. Love | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| DeWaun Robinson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Joseph W. Whiteside | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Kirk Whitmore Sr. | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Issues in the election
October 13 candidate forum
Six of the nine candidates who ran for school board appeared at a candidate forum hosted by The Flint Journal on October 13, 2014, to debate issues confronting the school district. The possibility of an emergency manager in the district was the primary issue up for discussion, along with student retention and the performance of interim Superintendent Larry Watkins.
All six candidates agreed that an emergency manager was not needed in the district, but Leon A. El-Alamin was the only candidate who expressed an unwillingness to work with an emergency manager if one were appointed. Incumbents Betty Ramsdell and Blake Strozier and challengers Kenyetta V. Dotson, Aron Gerics and DeWaun Robinson disagreed with El-Alamin on that point and stated that they could work alongside a hypothetical emergency manager. Both Ramsdell and Strozier called for taking measures to reduce the district's $20 million deficit in order to prevent an emergency manager from being appointed.
The question of how to reverse declines in student enrollment also arose during the forum. Gerics suggested lobbying the state government to prevent more charter schools from being built in the area, while Strozier recommended increasing "door-to-door" outreach to former students in order to bring them back into the district. Ramsdell argued that the district's negative reputation harms student retention, and that increasing positive media attention for the district is an essential step.
Ramsdell expressed strong support for interim Superintendent Larry Watkins' performance, while fellow board member Strozier emphasized the importance of communication between the superintendent and the board. Challengers El-Alamin and Gerics both approved of Watkins' overall performance but criticized what they considered the inadequate return the district has received for recent sales of its property.
Challengers Alexis A. Love and Joseph W. Whiteside were not present at the candidate forum. Kirk Whitmore Sr., who unofficially withdrew from the race in September 2014, also did not attend.[12]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Flint City School District election in 2014:[7]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 22, 2014 | Last day for candidates to file nomination documents |
| July 25, 2014 | Last day for candidates to withdraw |
| October 6, 2014 | Last day to register to vote in the general election |
| October 24, 2014 | Last day for write-in candidates to file nomination documents |
| November 4, 2014 | General election day |
Additional elections on the ballot
This election shared the ballot with general elections for a U.S. House seat, U.S. Senate seat, Michigan state executive offices, Michigan House of Representatives seats and Michigan State Senate seats. It also shared the ballot with county, municipal and judicial elections.[13]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Flint + City + School + District + Michigan"
See also
- Michigan
- Flint City School District, Michigan
- Michigan school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Genesee County, Michigan ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Michigan
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Mlive, "List of candidates for Flint school board whittled to 8 as Kirk Whitmore Sr. steps down," September 8, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Flint City School District, "FBOE," accessed August 30, 2014
- ↑ Genesee County Election Division, "2014 School Board Candidates," accessed September 1, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 United States Census Bureau, "Genesee County, Michigan," accessed July 24, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Secretary of State - Department of State, "Previous Election Information," accessed August 1, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Secretary of State - Department of State, "2014 Michigan Election Dates," accessed September 1, 2014
- ↑ Mlive, "Flint Journal endorsement: Our choices for Flint Board of Education," October 19, 2014
- ↑ East Village Magazine, "FGCC endorses candidates, millages," October 14, 2014
- ↑ Genesee County Election Division, "Genesee County," accessed October 24, 2014
- ↑ Genesee County, "Filing Requirements under Michigan's Campaign Finance Act," February 7, 2014
- ↑ Mlive, "Flint school board candidates make their cases at Flint Journal forum," October 13, 2014
- ↑ Genesee County Elections Division, "November 4, 2014 General Election - Unofficial List of Candidates," accessed September 1, 2014
| 2014 Flint City School District Elections | |
| Genesee County, Michigan | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Betty Ramsdell • Incumbent, Blake Strozier • Kenyetta V. Dotson • Leon A. El-Alamin • Aron Gerics • Alexis A. Love • DeWaun Robinson • Joseph W. Whiteside • Kirk Whitmore Sr. |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
