John Michael Hartman
John Michael Hartman
was
a candidate for the District 3 seat on the Palm Beach County School Board in Florida. He
faced
Karen Brill and David Benoit Mech in the general election on August 26, 2014. Brill, the incumbent, won the election.
Biography
Hartman earned his B.A. in history and philosophy and played basketball on an athletic scholarship at West Virginia Wesleyan College. He later earned an M.A. in European history from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Hartman operated a personal training business in Washington, D.C. before moving to Florida. At the time of his candidacy, Hartman was attending law school at St. Thomas University.[1]
Elections
2014
The August 26, 2014, general election in Palm Beach County featured four seats up for election. Only three of the races were decided in the general election. The general election determined if candidates for each seat could garner a majority of the vote total. Because no candidate received 50 percent plus one of the general election votes in District 4, the top two vote recipients advanced to the runoff election on November 4, 2014.
The District 4 race included newcomers Justin Katz, Larry F. Rosensweig, Thomas G. Sutterfield and Erica Whitfield. Whitfield advanced to the runoff election in first place. A recount was held to determine whether Sutterfield or Katz would advance to the runoff election in second place. Sutterfield's lead held and he advanced over Katz to the runoff election. Rosensweig, however, was defeated in the general election.
District 3, 6 and 7 races were determined in the general election. Karen Brill won re-election in District 3 against John Michael Hartman and David Benoit Mech. Incumbent Marcia Andrews defeated newcomers Carla Donaldson and Joe Moore in District 6. The District 7 race featured incumbent Debra L. Robinson who defeated challenger Piaget "Peppi" Hendrix.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Karen Brill Incumbent |
80% | 15,802 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Michael Hartman | 15.5% | 3,062 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Benoit Mech | 4.5% | 891 | |
| Total Votes | 19,755 | |||
| Source: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 Primary Election Official Results," accessed September 9, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Hartman reported $7,810 in contributions and loans and $5,759.78 in expenditures to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, as of July 21, 2014.[2]
Endorsements
Hartman received no official endorsements in the election, as of July 21, 2014.
Campaign themes
2014
Hartman's campaign website listed the following themes for the 2014 race:
| “ |
Why I am running for School Board? Although the position of a school board member is often overlooked by the public in comparison with some of the other, flashier political positions, there is no doubt that the right person on the board can do great things to ensure the continued improvement in our nation’s education. Our nation was built upon the brilliant minds of great individuals like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Edison. What did these three people have in common? They all received an excellent education that taught them the skills and knowledge they needed to go on to achieve the things that helped make the great society we live in today. I am running for Palm Beach County School Board in District 3 because I understand the importance education has in the lives of the youths of America and I want to ensure that the same Judeo-Christian values and beliefs that have sustained America continue to shape the brilliant leaders of tomorrow. Unfortunately, my opponents do not place the same emphasis on upholding the morals and traditional values that have propelled America to the great heights of success. One of my opponents, David Mech, has a background in adult entertainment. The other, Karen Brill, supports mandatory sexual education in middle school and high school with no option for parents to request their child be opted out. Such legislation would mean that parents lose complete control of their children’s sexual education and will be unable to prevent their child from learning whatever the state deems fit to learn. I am a proponent of providing parents with the power to choose whether or they want their child learning such matters; the same choice that parents for decades have had in their children’s education. We live in a world today marked by conflict, financial difficulties, and inequality. As America has shifted its attention to financial and foreign affairs, the education system has unduly suffered. My goal as a member of the Palm Beach County School Board in District 3 is to make educating the future leaders of America a priority once again. By instilling strong morals and traditional values through education, our youths today can become the innovators of tomorrow. Please elect me, John Hartman, if you share my vision for a greater America. Common Core Many, including myself, object to the idea of common core because we see it as the federal government removing something (education) that should be controlled at the state level. This is, however, only a minor reason why one should reject common core; more severe reasons will threaten our entire society. When you look at education, it is no doubt the most important issue that will impact the future. Many have long championed this issue, believing the idea of education will appeal to the masses. While they have preached education, their plan to socialize and even communize our society has been well implemented. Of course, this plan is in danger because many have woken up to a portion of their intentions with the term common core. One of the major problems our trust giving society makes is the inability to see an agenda. Common core, no doubt, is a step in a greater agenda to dumb down our masses and have a society that puts all faith and love in government. In order to see this agenda, we must examine who created common core. Common core owes its inception to two men, Bill Gates and David Coleman. Bill Gates, who needs no introduction, was the financial muscle behind common core. David Coleman, however, was its creator. Coleman has no background in education, but rather he is a researcher. Coleman's main push has been two things: create a standards based educational system and change the SAT exam so that more students of all backgrounds can attend college. On the outside, to the unsuspecting person, both goals would seem noble. However, when one does research on this standards based educational system, he will find that its origins are in Soviet Russia. Standards based education is designed to do one thing: quantify learning. So if education is going to be quantified, is it possible that we can begin to see the connection to our good friend, Bill Gates? By quantifying education, and implementing common core, education will begin to transition to computers. Of course, everyone, those who cannot see the agenda, embrace technology for how it can improve the quality of our lives. States will be obligated to buy the software and hardware to make this transition. Be assured, Bill Gates will profit even more on this situation. The real danger, though, is that computers will begin to be the teacher. The psychologist BF Skinner predicted that computers would become the ultimate teacher. And if computers are the teacher, would it not be easy to phase out critical thinking and the ideas that formed our democracy? Make no mistake, common core is a huge step in the ultimate goal of breaking down the concepts of freedom and liberty. If the origins of standards based education are in Soviet Russia, what does that say about the common core? It is refreshing to see educated people begin to awake to how important education is. History has shown that society can be shaped, for the good or bad, through education. It is the ultimate tool of indoctrination. We must make a stand, now, not just on common core, but on the assault of all things pertaining to concepts that our nation was founded on. I Do Believe in Our Charter Schools But the charter movement needs to be scrutinized and regulated. Charter schools are given federal and state money, and budgets must be transparent. My principles include the idea of fiscal responsibility and accountability. Frank Biden, our Vice President's brother, is the founder of a local charter school, "Mavericks." Mavericks is in multiple locations and has had substantial amounts of money go missing. This is the concern that we must have with charter schools. Palm Beach County alone has lost close to half a million dollars on charter schools that have closed. When charter schools succeed the county succeeds. So let's keep Charter schools accountable and keep them going strong for our children and for school choice, which is vital! |
” |
| —John Michael Hartman's campaign website, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "John + Michael + Hartman + Palm + Beach + County + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Hartman for School Board, "Meet John Hartman," accessed July 21, 2014
- ↑ Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, "Candidate Finance Reports," accessed July 21, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Hartman for School Board, "Issues," accessed July 21, 2014
| 2014 School District of Palm Beach County Elections | |
| Palm Beach County, Florida | |
| Election date: | August 26, 2014 |
| Candidates: | District 3: • Karen Brill • John Michael Hartman • David Benoit Mech District 4: • Justin Katz • Larry F. Rosensweig • Thomas G. Sutterfield • Erica Whitfield |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
