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Gary Desper
Gary W. Desper was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Carroll County Board of Education in Maryland. He lost election against seven other candidates in a primary election on June 24, 2014.
Biography
Desper earned a B.A. in English from Brigham Young University. He later received a J.D. from the Catholic University of America. Desper has been the principal attorney at the Law Offices of Gary W. Desper since 2011. He and his wife have four children.[1]
Elections
2014
The June 24, 2014, primary ballot included incumbent Virginia R. Harrison along with challengers Gary W. Desper, George E. Harmening, Mary Kowalski, Bob Lord, Charles "Bud" Nason, Jim Roenick and Devon Rothschild. Board members Gary Bauer and Barbara Shreeve did not file for re-election. Harmening, Lord, Nason, Roenick, Rothschild and Harrison faced off in the general election on November 4, 2014. Harmening, Nason and Roenick ran as a slate opposed to Common Core.
Harrison, Rothschild and Lord won the general election.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Virginia R. Harrison Incumbent |
19.2% | 13,203 | |
| Nonpartisan | Devon Rothschild |
16.8% | 11,561 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bob Lord |
14.1% | 9,676 | |
| Nonpartisan | George E. Harmening |
11.4% | 7,821 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim Roenick |
11.4% | 7,813 | |
| Nonpartisan | Charles "Bud" Nason |
11.1% | 7,609 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary Kowalski | 10% | 6,866 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gary W. Desper | 6% | 4,108 | |
| Total Votes | 68,657 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Carroll County," July 16, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Desper reported $150.00 cash contributions, $1,572.46 in-kind contributions and $150.00 in expenditures to the Maryland State Board of Elections as of August 19, 2014.[2]
Endorsements
Desper did not receive any official endorsements in this election.
Campaign themes
2014
Desper explained his themes for the 2014 race in a series of interviews with the Carroll County Times:
| “ |
Capital projects Aging schools cannot be ignored as they only become more costly in the long run. Charles Carroll Elementary, William Winchester Elementary and East Middle School are among our top schools requiring immediate attention. I will advocate to our County Commissioners and State officials the state of our schools and needs of our children in securing funding for needed capital projects. Common Core The Common Core standards are a framework and the curriculum is set on a local level by each school system. Most school systems, including ours, are struggling with the required rushed implementation of Common Core. Curriculums had to be assembled too fast and I support our CCPS curriculum team working with parents through appropriate forums to have input in continuing to develop and refine our local curriculum here in Carroll County that will enable our children to meet the standards. District fund balance The surplus fund amounts to a rainy day fund and I support maintaining a rainy day fund as financially prudent and necessary. No one knows when a situation may arise that requires immediate funds and it is smart to have savings on hand to rely on. I think the amount currently held in surplus by our schools is not excessive and it appears to me that the money is appropriately being used so the fund is not depleted to low levels that would be dangerous. Teacher salaries Our excellent schools are a primary reason many chose to live in Carroll. It's not the bricks that make a school, it's the quality of the teachers and staff inside. We are continually slipping in teacher salaries and losing valuable talent to neighboring school systems. Maintaining appropriate teacher salaries is critical to our children continuing to receive a quality education here in Carroll. I'm committed to going through the school budget line by line to identify funds that could be used to improve compensation to our teachers. If sufficient funds can't be freed in the budget, I will advocate to our county commissioners the state of our schools and needs of our children in retaining and attracting talented teachers and how it impacts our county as a whole if we don't. |
” |
| —Carroll County Times, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Gary + Desper + Carroll + County + Public + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Law Offices of Gary W. Desper, "About Gary W. Desper," accessed June 9, 2014
- ↑ Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, "View Filed Reports," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Carroll County Times, "Board of Education candidates weigh in on Carroll County Public School fund balance," May 16, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Carroll County Times, "Board of Education candidates weigh in on Carroll County Public School fund balance," May 16, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Carroll County Times, "Carroll County Board of Education candidates discuss how to inform parents about Common Core," May 13, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Carroll County Times, "Candidates for Board of Education discuss teacher salaries," May 15, 2014 (dead link)
| 2014 Carroll County Public Schools Elections | |
| Carroll County, Maryland | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Gary W. Desper • George E. Harmening • Virginia R. Harrison • Mary Kowalski • Bob Lord • Charles "Bud" Nason • Jim Roenick • Devon Rothschild |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
