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George E. Harmening
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George E. Harmening was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Carroll County Board of Education in Maryland. He advanced from a primary election on June 24, 2014, to face five other candidates for three available seats in the general election on November 4, 2014. Harmening, Charles "Bud" Nason and Jim Roenick ran as a slate. George E. Harmening lost the general election on November 4, 2014.
Biography
Harmening earned a B.S. in animal science from the University of Maryland-College Park. He later received a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Virginia Tech. Harmening is the president and CEO of an equine sports medicine practice. He is also an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America, serving as an assistant scout master and review board member. Harmening and his wife, Kim, have two 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
General
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Virginia R. Harrison Incumbent |
21.4% | 29,854 | |
| Nonpartisan | Devon Rothschild |
19.4% | 27,004 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bob Lord |
15.5% | 21,596 | |
| Nonpartisan | George E. Harmening | 13.9% | 19,456 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim Roenick | 14.8% | 20,665 | |
| Nonpartisan | Charles "Bud" Nason | 14.7% | 20,494 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.3% | 418 | |
| Total Votes | 139,487 | |||
| Source: Carroll County Board of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 20, 2014 | ||||
Primary
| 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
Harmening reported $4,370.84 cash contributions, $200.00 in-kind contributions and $2,921.01 in expenditures to the Maryland State Board of Elections as of August 19, 2014, which left his campaign with $1,449.83 on hand.[2]
Endorsements
Harmening was endorsed by Parents Choice of Maryland.[3]
2010
| Carroll County Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Virginia R. Harrison Incumbent |
23% | 26,533 | |
| Nonpartisan | Barbara Shreeve Incumbent |
22.4% | 25,803 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gary Bauer Incumbent |
22.4% | 25,754 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim Doolan | 17.5% | 20,098 | |
| Nonpartisan | George E. Harmening | 14.4% | 16,579 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 403 | |
| Total Votes | 115,170 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2010 Gubernatorial General Election results for Carroll County," accessed June 9, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2014
Harmening explained his themes for the 2014 race in a series of interviews with the Carroll County Times:
| “ |
Capital projects We would have to look at all the needs in the CCPS and determine which take priority. This could be done by forming a committee and that committee should include parents, teachers, administrators, and citizens. Common Core Common Core takes the control of education away from parents and local officials. The parents’ rights to guide their children’s education is upheld by the Supreme Court decision (Meyer and Pierce) especially in the area of education. We need to make sure the parents remain their children’s primary and most influential teacher. District fund balance The surplus is the county’s tax payers money. Time and time again I have heard this board of education refer to the money as “our money,” it’s not their money it’s the tax payers money. CCPS is a taxpayer funded government entity. Why do they need a surplus of taxpayers money. In cases of emergencies they can request additional funding. If the CCPS would show fiscal responsibility then they would have no trouble receiving additional money. Teacher salaries First of all you have to have a board of education and union that has the will to honor the teachers' contract. This board of education and union do not. That's why the teachers have not had a raise in five or more years and only four of the 10 step increases have been given, all while sitting on a $15.5 million surplus. One may ask why the union and board will not give raises. I'll tell you why, because if they give the raises the union and school board would no longer be able to use it as a speaking point to manipulate public perception that the school system isn't getting enough money to give raises. |
” |
| —Carroll County Times, (2014) | ||
Harmening, Nason and Roenick provided the following statement on their slate campaign website:
| “ | Common Core will only be defeated after all three of us are elected. There are five seats on the school board and three of them are up for election. All the other candidates vying for one of the three available seats SUPPORT COMMON CORE as do the two seats not up for election.
To abandon Common Core we need a majority of the school board (3 of the 5 seats) willing to stand up to the opposition and wage the battle it will take to get this out of our schools. We are the only three candidates running who can create that majority. We can't foretell the outcome of November's election but we hope you will help make something happen, by helping us get onto the school board. We pledge to you our commitment, once elected, to focus our action on removing Common Core from our schools.[9][4] |
” |
| —Harmening, Nason and Roenick's campaign website (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "George + Harmening + Carroll + County + Public + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Friends of George Harmening, "Bio," accessed June 9, 2014
- ↑ Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, "View Filed Reports," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ Parents Choice of Maryland, "Voting Guide for Carroll County," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 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)
- ↑ FedUpWithCommonCore.com, "Fed Up With Common Core Yet?" accessed October 20, 2014
| 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 |
