Katy McElwee-Stevens
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Katy McElwee-Stevens is the former at-large representative on the South Washington County Schools school board in Minnesota. McElwee-Stevens was initially appointed to the position in 2012. McElwee-Stevens lost a re-election campaign in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
McElwee-Stevens previously served on the board before her appointed in 2012. She served from 2006 to 2008.
Biography
McElwee-Stevens earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota. She also pursued post-graduate studies there in the fields of psychology and human resources. During her career, McElwee-Stevens served as an accountant for the University of Minnesota and spent seven years as a member of the City of Newport Planning Commission.[1] She spent 11 years employed in the school district as a paraprofessional in Newport Elementary School.[2]
Elections
2017
Five of the seven seats on the South Washington County Schools school board in Minnesota were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. Four seats were up for general election to regular four-year terms, and the fifth seat was up for special election to a two-year term due to a vacancy on the board.[3] In the race for the four-year terms, at-large incumbents Tracy Brunnette, Katie Schwartz, and Sharon H. Van Leer won re-election. Incumbent Katy McElwee-Stevens did not win re-election, as Patricia Driscoll won the fourth seat. Challengers Thor Halverson, Alexandra Hedberg, Douglas Hoffman, David Pyrz, and William Thurmes were defeated in that race. Heather Hirsch won the two-year term, defeating Wael Abdelkader, Sean Brown, Duane Girard, and Steve Lagoon.[4][5]
Results
| South Washington County Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Patricia Driscoll |
11.96% | 4,353 |
| Katie Schwartz Incumbent |
11.07% | 4,031 |
| Tracy Brunnette Incumbent |
10.92% | 3,977 |
| Sharon H. Van Leer Incumbent |
10.91% | 3,970 |
| William Thurmes | 10.04% | 3,656 |
| Alexandra Hedberg | 9.84% | 3,582 |
| Katy McElwee-Stevens Incumbent | 9.53% | 3,471 |
| Douglas Hoffman | 9.19% | 3,345 |
| David Pyrz | 8.97% | 3,267 |
| Thor Halverson | 7.01% | 2,553 |
| Write-in votes | 0.55% | 199 |
| Total Votes | 36,404 | |
| Source: South Washington County Schools, "School Board Meeting Minutes November 16, 2017," accessed December 8, 2017 | ||
Funding
The South Washington County Schools does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
2013
Katy McElwee-Stevens, Tracy Brunnette, Katie Schwartz, and Sharon H. Van Leer defeated ten other candidates to win four at-large seats with four-year terms in the general election on November 5, 2013.
Results
| South Washington County Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2013 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Katie Schwartz |
11.5% | 3,239 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tracy Brunnette Incumbent |
10.6% | 2,990 | |
| Nonpartisan | Katy McElwee-Stevens Incumbent |
9.4% | 2,648 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sharon H. Van Leer |
8.7% | 2,464 | |
| Nonpartisan | Molly Lutz | 8.7% | 2,458 | |
| Nonpartisan | David G. Kemper Incumbent | 8% | 2,267 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Thissen | 6.7% | 1,900 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael P. Edman | 6.7% | 1,880 | |
| Nonpartisan | Raj Gandhi | 6.4% | 1,803 | |
| Nonpartisan | Frederick E. Hess | 5.9% | 1,679 | |
| Nonpartisan | Leilani Holmstadt | 5.5% | 1,567 | |
| Nonpartisan | Wayne A. Johnson | 5.5% | 1,541 | |
| Nonpartisan | John P. Griffin, II | 4.7% | 1,323 | |
| Nonpartisan | Safiyyah Cummings | 1.2% | 339 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.6% | 163 | |
| Total Votes | 28,261 | |||
| Source: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 833 - South Washington County," accessed December 18, 2013 and South Washington County Bulletin, "Recount confirms Van Leer District 833 School Board victory," November 22, 2013 | ||||
Funding
McElwee-Stevens reported no contributions but $136.15 in expenditures to South Washington County Schools, which left her campaign with $136.15 in debt in the election.[6]
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify any official endorsements for McElwee-Stevens in the election.
2009
| South Washington County Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2009 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | David G. Kemper |
13.8% | 1,614 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tracy Brunnette Incumbent |
13.5% | 1,579 | |
| Nonpartisan | Laurie Johnson |
12.4% | 1,453 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marsha C. Adou Incumbent |
11.9% | 1,391 | |
| Nonpartisan | Edward Nowak | 11.6% | 1,356 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alberder Gillespie | 10.1% | 1,184 | |
| Nonpartisan | Katy McElwee-Stevens | 9.4% | 1,100 | |
| Nonpartisan | Walt Lyszak | 6% | 707 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Thissen | 5.1% | 599 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gina Taft | 2.9% | 341 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 3.4% | 401 | |
| Total Votes | 11,725 | |||
| Source: Washington County, Minnesota, "Election Summary Report," accessed October 22, 2013 | ||||
Campaign themes
2017
McElwee-Stevens participated in the following survey conducted by the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. The survey questions appear bolded, and McElwee-Stevens' responses follow below.
What qualifies you to hold this position?
| “ | My qualifications are my experiences in District 833 as a parent, resident, volunteer, former employee, and now as a School Board member. I have been part of creating 833’s strategic plan and ATPPS, the middle school change over, boundary changes, budget cuts, referendums, new construction, the celebrations and the hard situations.[7] | ” |
| —Katy McElwee-Stevens (2017)[8] | ||
What would your top priorities be if elected?
| “ | Finances are always at the top of the list in a public school system. We continue assessing of all aspects of our District looking for possible inefficiencies and savings. Hiring and retaining highly qualified staff is also at the top of my list. Study after study shows one of the biggest determinants in student success is the teacher.[7] | ” |
| —Katy McElwee-Stevens (2017)[8] | ||
What do you think is the primary role of government?
| “ | The primary role of government is basic protections i.e. fire – police – laws/ordnances for the overall health and well being for its citizens, provides support for its residents i.e. utilities and roads, and, when able provides spaces for public use i.e. community centers – parks[7] | ” |
| —Katy McElwee-Stevens (2017)[8] | ||
2013
In a survey with United for MN School District 833, Katy McElwee-Stevens provided the following campaign themes:
| “ | Concerns I will continue to work on are transportation walking distances, keeping community schools in the community, keeping our communities informed and excellence in education for each of our students at all of our schools.[7] | ” |
| —Katy McElwee-Stevens (2013)[9] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Katy McElwee-Stevens South Washington County Schools school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- South Washington County Schools, Minnesota
- South Washington County Schools elections (2017)
- South Washington County Schools elections (2013)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Vote Katy McElwee-Stevens, "Home," accessed October 22, 2013
- ↑ Scott Wente, Woodbury Bulletin, "Candidate profile: Katy McElwee-Stevens," October 15, 2013
- ↑ South Washington County Bulletin, "Candidacy Filing Notice," June 26, 2017
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 833 - SOUTH WASHINGTON COUNTY," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings: 2017 Municipal and School District Elections," accessed August 16, 2017
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through e-mail from the Communications department of South Washington County Schools on January 3, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "Minnesota elections: South Washington County school board candidates," October 24, 2017
- ↑ United for MN School District 833, "Katy McElwee-Stevens," accessed October 22, 2013
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