Mary Lynch
Mary Lynch was an independent District 11 representative on the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board in Louisiana. She was appointed to the board in May 2014 following the death of board member Randy Lamana (R).[1] Due to redistricting, she ran for the District 1 seat in the general election on November 4, 2014, where she was defeated.
Biography
Lynch was born in Los Angeles, California, and graduated from the Los Angeles Unified School District. She earned a degree in atmospheric sciences from the University of Missouri in Columbia and worked as a meteorologist for 20 years. From 2007 until her appointment in May 2014, Lynch worked as a long-term certified substitute teacher. She is employed as a part-time office assistant.[2]
Lynch's family includes her husband, John, and their two children. One of their children graduated from Baton Rouge Magnet High School, and the other is still in high school. Lynch is a parishioner of St. Thomas More Catholic Church.[2]
Elections
2014
Nine seats on the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board were up for election in 2014. Three of the seats advanced to a general election on December 6, 2014, as no candidate earned 50 percent plus one of the primary election votes in Districts 1, 5 and 8.
Prior to this election, the school board was comprised of 11 members. However, in July 2014, the board voted to accept a redistricting plan that reduced the number of board members to nine. The 2014 election was the first election for the new district boundaries. Due to the redrawing of district boundaries, some incumbents ran in new districts and against one another. District 1 incumbent David Tatman (R) was the only incumbent to have no challengers file against him, and he was automatically elected to the District 9 seat.[3]
Mary Lynch (I), incumbent for the former District 11, ran for re-election to the District 1 seat against newcomers Mark Bellue (R) and Jennifer Andrews (D). Andrews and Bellue advanced to a general election. District 5 incumbent Evelyn Ware-Jackson (D) faced District 9 incumbent Jerry Arbour (R), as well as Patty Merrick (D) and W.T. Winfield (D). Ware-Jackson and Arbour advanced to a general election.[4]
The remaining races did not include redistricted incumbents. District 2 incumbent Vereta Lee (D) ran to retain the same seat against challenger Daniel Banguel (D). Rachel Allmon (D) also filed to run in District 2, but later withdrew from the race. Tarvald Smith (D), the District 4 incumbent, sought re-election against Robert Maxie Sr. (D). Anthony Nelson (D) challenged District 7 incumbent Barbara Freiberg (R). District 8 incumbent Connie Bernard (R) faced multiple challengers as Christopher Bailey (R), Charles "Obie" O'Brien (R) and Joan Wallyn (R) all ran to unseat her. Bernard and Bailey advanced to a general election.[4]
Eugene Weatherspoon (D) withdrew from the race in District 3 against incumbent Kenyetta Nelson-Smith (D), allowing her to be automatically re-elected. Tiffany Perkins (R) and District 10 incumbent Jill Dyason (R) both filed to run for the District 6 seat. However, a court ruling found that Perkins did not legally reside within the boundaries of District 6 and could not run for the seat. This left Dyason unopposed and automatically elected to her new seat.[4][5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Mark Bellue |
48.5% | 6,229 | |
| Democratic | Jennifer Andrews |
31.5% | 4,043 | |
| Independent | Mary Lynch Incumbent | 20% | 2,564 | |
| Total Votes | 12,836 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed November 6, 2014 | ||||
Recent news
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- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- East Baton Rouge Parish School System, Louisiana
- East Baton Rouge Parish School System elections (2014)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Mary Lynch, substitute for East Baton Rouge schools, appointed to board seat," May 2, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 East Baton Rouge Parish School System, "Mary Lynch, District 11," accessed October 7, 2014
- ↑ The Advocate, "EBR School Board agrees to downsize to 9 members," July 25, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Candidate Inquiry," accessed September 3, 2014
- ↑ The Advocate, "Judge rules School Board candidate not a resident of district," September 10, 2014
