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John F. Thomas (Georgia)
John F. Thomas was the District 2 representative on the Muscogee County Board of Education in Georgia. He advanced from the general election on May 20, 2014 to defeat incumbent John Wells in the runoff election on July 22, 2014. He did not run for re-election in 2018.
Biography
Thomas earned his B.A. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He later received an M.A. from the University of Iowa. As of 2014, Thomas worked as a revenue agent with the Internal Revenue Service.[1]
Elections
2014
John F. Thomas ran against John Wells, John "Bart" Steed and Victor Morales in the general election on May 20, 2014. Thomas defeated Wells in the runoff election on July 22, 2014.
Results
Runoff election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  John F. Thomas |
79.7% | 1,980 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Wells Incumbent | 20.3% | 503 | |
| Total Votes | 2,483 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "Official County Results," accessed June 10, 2015 | ||||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | John F. Thomas |
35.3% | 1,450 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Wells Incumbent |
27.6% | 1,134 | |
| Nonpartisan | John "Bart" Steed | 26.6% | 1,093 | |
| Nonpartisan | Victor Morales | 10.4% | 429 | |
| Total Votes | 4,106 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "Official County Results," accessed June 10, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Thomas reported $2,700.00 in contributions and $2,641.53 in expenditures to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, leaving his campaign with $58.47 prior to the election.[2]
Endorsements
Thomas received no official endorsements in this election.
Campaign themes
2014
Thomas explained his themes for the 2014 campaign in an interview with the Ledger-Enquirer:
| “ |
Should the school district divide into three regions -- east, west and central -- as proposed by the superintendent? Superintendent Lewis feels that his zone plan for administration will be more efficient, more economical, more equitable, and above all, more responsive for every school in the system. I support any changes in the administrative system that can provide services for the schools in these ways as long as administration is not becoming more top-heavy at the expense of the classroom experience for teachers and students. I will never support furloughs and layoffs for teachers while simultaneously expending more of the school district budget on Central Administration personnel. If a new organizational chain of command gets the job done better at no additional cost to the district, then yes, I do support his plan. Should every school have the exact same resources? This question brings to mind an old cliché, "If every problem were a nail, all you would need is a hammer." There is no justification to allocate the "exact same" resources to every school; it wouldn't be equitable. Each school has its own set of needs and problems, and in order to address those needs and problems, priorities must be set and resources must be allocated accordingly. A school building that is 40 years old is likely going to have more maintenance issues than a building that is 2 years old. Underperforming schools may have different academic challenges and may require greater resources. A holistic approach to resource allocation based on student needs should raise the question: "Should every student have the exact same opportunity to get a quality education in Muscogee County Schools?" and the answer to that of course, is absolutely "Yes!" Was the school board right to vote against then-superintendent Susan Andrews' appointments in May 2012? In recent public meetings, Superintendent Lewis noted the challenges the execution of his vision for the future would face. He cited trust issues and problems with the board as barriers the district faces in being perceived in a positive way in the community. The incident this question references helped foster the ongoing lack of trust in the school board, but it is important to remember that it was an act done deliberately and spitefully. The sitting members of the board who were behind that vote, including my opponent John Wells, should be ashamed of putting a personal agenda above the best interests of the schools. Citizens of Muscogee County deserve to feel that the education of the county's children will not take a back seat to petty politics, personal vendettas, and spiteful retaliation among adults who should be responsible enough not to abuse the power of their office. If elected, will you support another special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST)? When elected, I want to focus my efforts on ensuring that expenditures are being made as effectively as possible. Budget concerns played a significant factor in my decision to seek the office. I believe there are efficiencies to be found in the allocation of financial resources. I have specific ideas on how to save money and address the budget shortfalls and funding cuts we face, and I don't believe the answer is to simply throw money at the problem. The community does not trust the board now, and the board has a lot of ground to make up with the community -- money, power, and personnel issues have all contributed to that in the past. I want to get the board back on track with trust, integrity, and respect in the community. I will not support another SPLOST until I have proven to be a worthy steward of the taxpayer-funded budget. Should the school district open up the bidding process for law firms? Yes, the school district should open up the bidding process for law firms, but I do not think the issue stops there. All services should be up for bid. It's only common sense: We have to run the school district within the parameters of a budget, and in principle it's no different than running your household on a budget. If you want to get the most impact from the money you lay out, it simply makes sense to weigh your options and shop for the best value at the best price. |
” |
| —Ledger-Enquirer, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "John + Thomas + Muscogee + County + Schools + Georgia"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ledger-Enquirer, "Q&A with Muscogee County School Board District 2 candidates," April 21, 2014
- ↑ Department of the Columbus, Georgia Consolidated Government, "Campaign Finance Disclosures," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2014 Muscogee County School District Elections | |
| Muscogee County, Georgia | |
| Election date: | May 20, 2014 |
| Candidates: | District 2: • Victor Morales • John "Bart" Steed • John F. Thomas • John Wells District 4: • Naomi Buckner |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
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