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Clay County District Schools elections (2014)
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Three seats on the Clay County School Board were up for general election on August 26, 2014. The general election determines 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 the District 1 and 5 races, the top two vote recipients advanced to the runoff election on November 4, 2014.
Janice Kerekes faced a challenge from Kenny Leigh and Amber Harmony Shepherd in District 1. Kerekes and Leigh advanced to the runoff election, where Kerekes defeated Leigh.
The District 3 race featured incumbent Tina Bullock and challenger Betsy Condon. Condon unseated Bullock effectively ending her hopes for a full four-year term.
Sandra Dunnavant, Ashley Gilhousen and Brian Graham ran to replace Lisa Graham, who did not file for re-election in District 5. Dunnavant and Gilhousen advanced to the runoff election, where Gilhousen defeated Dunnavant.
About the district
- See also: Clay County District Schools, Florida
Clay County District Schools is based in Green Cove Springs, the county seat of Clay County, Florida. Clay County is home to 161,096 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[1] Clay County District Schools was the 22nd-largest school district in Florida, serving 35,659 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[2]
Demographics
Clay County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Florida in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 23.5 percent of Clay County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 26.2 percent for Florida as a whole. The median household income in Clay County was $59,649 compared to $47,309 for the state of Florida. The poverty rate in Clay County was 10.1 percent compared to 15.6 percent for the entire state.[1]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Voter and candidate information
The Clay County School Board consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Each member represents a specific geographic district. There was a general election on August 26, 2014 and the runoff election took place on November 4, 2014, for the races where no candidate received 50 percent or more of the general election vote.
Candidates for the school board filed for the election by June 20, 2014. The county's elections office hosted early voting for the general election at various locations from August 16, 2014, to August 23, 2014. The early voting window for the runoff election ran from October 25, 2014, to November 1, 2014. The last day to request a mailed absentee ballot in the general election was August 20, 2014, and the runoff election deadline was October 29, 2014.
Elections
2014
Candidates
District 1
- Janice Kerekes
- Incumbent
- Kenny Leigh
- Graduate, University of North Florida and Nova Southeastern University
- Attorney
- Veteran, United States Marine Corps
- Amber Harmony Shepherd
- Graduate, Trinity Theological College and Seminary
- Director of career services, Fortis College
District 3
- Tina Bullock
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Jacksonville University and University of North Florida
- Retired teacher
- Betsy Condon
- Graduate, University of Georgia
- Former environmental health analyst
District 5
Election results
Runoff election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Janice Kerekes Incumbent |
54.5% | 34,002 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kenny Leigh | 45.5% | 28,357 | |
| Total Votes | 62,359 | |||
| Source: Clay County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 General Election Official Results," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Ashley Gilhousen |
55.9% | 34,091 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandra Dunnavant | 44.1% | 26,892 | |
| Total Votes | 60,983 | |||
| Source: Clay County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 General Election Official Results," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Janice Kerekes Incumbent |
42.1% | 9,449 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kenny Leigh |
36.6% | 8,223 | |
| Nonpartisan | Amber Harmony Shepherd | 21.3% | 4,783 | |
| Total Votes | 22,455 | |||
| Source: Clay County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 Primary Election Official Results," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Betsy Condon |
52.4% | 11,614 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tina Bullock Incumbent | 47.6% | 10,562 | |
| Total Votes | 22,176 | |||
| Source: Clay County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 Primary Election Official Results," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Ashley Gilhousen |
39.3% | 8,720 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandra Dunnavant |
31.2% | 6,917 | |
| Nonpartisan | Brian Graham | 29.5% | 6,529 | |
| Total Votes | 22,166 | |||
| Source: Clay County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 Primary Election Official Results," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
Endorsements
In the District 5 race, Sandra Dunnavant earned endorsements from the Northeast Association of Realtors and the Clay County Education Association.[4][5] Fellow candidate Brian Graham received endorsements from former board member Carol Vallencourt, Former Congressman Allen West (R) and State Rep. Janet Adkins (R).[6] Ashley Gilhousen received an endorsement from the Personhood Florida ProLife PAC.[7]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $267,715.68 and spent a total of $91,880.43 by July 23, 2014, according to the Clay County Supervisor of Elections.[8]
In the District 1 race, candidates raised a total of $151,590.93 and spent a total of $47,082.03.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| Janice Kerekes | $25,904.84 | $1,819.34 |
| Kenny Leigh | $104,926.00 | $37,969.29 |
| Amber Harmony Shepherd | $20,760.09 | $7,293.40 |
In the District 3 race, candidates raised a total of $40,912 and spent a total of $18,806.93.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| Tina Bullock | $12,862.00 | $4,060.85 |
| Betsy Condon | $28,050.00 | $14,746.08 |
In the District 5 race, candidates raised a total of $75,212.75 and spent a total of $25,991.47.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| Sandra Dunnavant | $12,839.94 | $6,463.77 |
| Ashley Gilhousen | $24,370.28 | $8,854.79 |
| Brian Graham | $38,002.53 | $10,672.91 |
Past elections
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2012
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What was at stake?
Issues in the district
Debate over superintendent selection process
School board members approved placement of a measure on the November 4, 2014 ballot that will determine whether the superintendent is elected or appointed in the future. The measure debate at the July 17, 2014 board meeting stems from an ongoing debate between Superintendent Charlie Van Zant, who was elected by the public in 2012, and board members who want to appoint future superintendents. Supporters of an appointed superintendent believe that school board members are best qualified to determine future leaders of district schools. A group of citizens countered during the July 17 meeting that an elected superintendent is accountable to local residents.[9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the school board election in 2014:[10]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| June 20, 2014 | Last day of candidate filing period |
| August 16, 2014 | First day of early voting in general election |
| August 20, 2014 | Last day to request mailed absentee ballot for general election |
| August 23, 2014 | Last day of early voting in general election |
| August 26, 2014 | General election day |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Florida elections, 2014
Area residents voted on county and statewide races on November 4, 2014. Residents of Clay County voted on races for county commission and county judge seats. Voters decided on a statewide ballot measure to amend the state constitution to allow the use of medical marijuana. The November 4, 2014, ballot included races for state legislature, state executive and U.S. House seats.
See also
- Florida
- Clay County District Schools, Florida
- Florida school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Clay County, Florida ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Florida
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Clay County, Florida," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ Clay County Supervisor of Elections, "Home," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Sandra Dunnavant Campaign," July 14, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Sandra Dunnavant Campaign," July 9, 2014
- ↑ Brian H. Graham for School Board, "Endorsements," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ Personhood Florida ProLife PAC, "Personhood Florida ProLife PAC Endorses Over 60 Candidates for the 2014 Primary and General Election," July 23, 2014
- ↑ Clay County Supervisor of Elections, "Active Candidates and Committees," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ ActionNewsJax.com, "Voters to decide if Clay school superintendent will be elected or appointed," July 17, 2014
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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| 2014 SClay County District Schools Elections | |
| Clay County, Florida | |
| Election date: | August 26, 2014 |
| Candidates: | District 1: • Janice Kerekes • Kenny Leigh • Amber Harmony Shepherd District 3: • Tina Bullock • Betsy Condon |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
