School District of Palm Beach County elections (2014)
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Four seats on the Palm Beach 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 District 4, the top two vote recipients advanced to the runoff election on November 4, 2014.
Karen Brill won re-election in District 3 against John Michael Hartman and David Benoit Mech. 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, and Sutterfield's lead held. In the runoff election, Whitfield defeated Sutterfield.
Incumbent Marcia Andrews faced and 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.
About the district
The School District of Palm Beach County is based in West Palm Beach, the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida. Palm Beach County is home to 1,372,171 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[1] The School District of Palm Beach County was the fifth-largest school district in Florida, serving 176,901 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[2]
Demographics
Palm Beach County outperformed the rest of Florida in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 32.5 percent of Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach County was $52,806 compared to $47,309 for the state of Florida. The poverty rate in Palm Beach County was 14.0 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 Palm Beach County School Board consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Each member is elected to a specific geographic district. There was a general election on August 26, 2014, and the runoff election took place on November 4, 2014.
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 3
- Karen Brill
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Palm Beach Atlantic College
- Realtor, The Keyes Company
- John Michael Hartman
- Graduate, West Virginia Wesleyan College and University of North Carolina-Greensboro
- Law student, St. Thomas University
- David Benoit Mech
- Graduate, Michigan State University and Arizona State University
- Owner, Happy/Fun Math Tutor Company
District 4
- Thomas G. Sutterfield
- Graduate, Georgia Institute of Technology
- IT administrator, South Florida Water Management District
- Erica Whitfield
- Graduate, University of Florida and Emory University
- District wellness coordinator
Candidates defeated in the general election:
- Justin Katz
- Graduate, Florida Atlantic University
- Teacher, Park Vista High School
- Larry F. Rosensweig
- Graduate, Harvard University and University of Michigan
- Museum consultant
District 6
- Marcia Andrews
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Florida Atlantic University and Nova University
- Former district principal and human resources officer
- Owner, Up Front Consulting, LLC
- Carla Donaldson
- Office manager, JMD Engineering
- Joe Moore
- Former chief financial officer and chief financial officer for district
District 7
- Debra L. Robinson
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Michigan State University and Howard University
- Physician, West Palm Beach Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- Piaget "Peppi" Hendrix
- Graduate, Faulkner University and Alabama A&M University
- Elementary school teacher in district
Election results
Runoff election
District 4
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Erica Whitfield |
56.9% | 30,256 | |
| Nonpartisan | Thomas G. Sutterfield | 43.1% | 22,872 | |
| Total Votes | 53,128 | |||
| Source: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
General election
District 3
| 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 | ||||
District 4
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Erica Whitfield |
32.2% | 4,962 | |
| Nonpartisan | Thomas G. Sutterfield |
25% | 3,850 | |
| Nonpartisan | Justin Katz | 24.6% | 3,796 | |
| Nonpartisan | Larry F. Rosensweig | 18.3% | 2,816 | |
| Total Votes | 15,424 | |||
| Source: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 Primary Election SCHOOL BOARD DIST. 4 - RECOUNT," accessed September 10, 2014 | ||||
District 6
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Marcia Andrews Incumbent |
57% | 7,200 | |
| Nonpartisan | Joe Moore | 32.4% | 4,087 | |
| Nonpartisan | Carla Donaldson | 10.6% | 1,335 | |
| Total Votes | 12,622 | |||
| Source: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 Primary Election Official Results," accessed September 9, 2014 | ||||
District 7
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Debra L. Robinson Incumbent |
71.7% | 8,971 | |
| Nonpartisan | Piaget "Peppi" Hendrix | 28.3% | 3,538 | |
| Total Votes | 12,509 | |||
| Source: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 Primary Election Official Results," accessed September 9, 2014 | ||||
Endorsements
District 3
Karen Brill received endorsements from the Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association, the Palm Beach County School Administrators Association and the Palm Beach County-Treasure Coast AFL-CIO [4]
District 4
Thomas G. Sutterfield earned endorsements from the Business Political Action Committee of Palm Beach County (BIZPAC), Boynton Beach Mayor Jerry Taylor and former Boynton Beach Mayor Woodrow Hay.[5] Erica Whitfield received endorsements from Associated Builders and Contractors, the Palm Beach County chapter of the National Women's Political Caucus of Florida and State Sen. Jeff Clemens (D).[6]
District 6
Marcia Andrews received endorsements from the Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association, the Palm Beach-Treasure Coast AFL-CIO and State Rep. Dave Kerner (D).[7] Joe Moore earned endorsements from the PBC School Administrators Association, the Business Political Action Committee of Palm Beach County (BIZPAC) and former board chairs Tom Lynch and Monroe Benaim.[8]
District 7
Debra L. Robinson received endorsements from the Florida Now PAC, the AFL-CIO and the PBC District Staff Association.[9] Piaget "Peppi" Hendrix earned endorsements from the Palm Beach County Teachers Association, the Fraternal Order of Police and Riviera Beach Mayor Thomas Master.[10]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $344,374.47 and spent a total of $14,847.08 as of October 28, 2014, according to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections. The contribution totals here include monetary contributions, in-kind contributions and loans.[11]
District 3
In the District 3 race, candidates raised a total of $37,302.88 and spent a total of $14,847.08.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| Karen Brill | $23,871.60 | $22,646.27 |
| David Benoit Mech | $4,116.28 | $4,040.00 |
| John Michael Hartman | $9,315.00 | $9,028.42 |
District 4
In the District 4 race, candidates raised a total of $174,189.10 in contributions and spent a total of $131,339.83.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Katz | $35,748.00 | $34,242.92 |
| Larry F. Rosensweig | $33,808.00 | $31,697.76 |
| Thomas G. Sutterfield | $48,366.95 | $24,643.66 |
| Erica Whitfield | $56,266.15 | $40,755.49 |
District 6
In the District 6 race, candidates raised a total of $99,003.41 and spent a total of $89,170.38.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| Marcia Andrews | $39,550.28 | $35,299.13 |
| Carla Donaldson | $23,555.11 | $22,683.38 |
| Joe Moore | $35,898.02 | $31,187.87 |
District 7
In the District 7 race, candidates raised a total of $33,879.08 and spent a total of $25,193.92.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| Piaget "Peppi" Hendrix | $9,710.61 | $8,712.20 |
| Debra L. Robinson | $24,168.47 | $16,481.72 |
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2012Note: Districts 2 and 5 were unopposed and elections in those districts were canceled.
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What was at stake?
Issues in the election
Former adult film star on the ballot
David Benoit Mech attracted national attention for his candidacy because of his previous career as an adult film star. The candidate, known as Dave Pounder in his films, changed careers in 2010 after 13 years and more than 100 movies. Mech opened Happy/Fun Math Tutor Company in Palm Beach County and provided math tutoring services to district students until 2013. District parents found out about Mech's adult film career that year and demanded that district schools remove banners advertising his tutoring services. Administrators also instructed principals to remove Happy/Fun Math Tutor Company from their list of preferred tutoring services. Mech filed a lawsuit against the district in 2013, seeking compensation for the downturn in business due to the district's decision. The lawsuit has not been resolved, as of July 21, 2014.[12]
Mech campaigned to improve classroom technology, expand sex education and add condom receptacles in district schools. He unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Karen Brill, who was best known for her April 2014 proposal for stricter dress codes for parents attending district functions. Brill's proposal to ban sweatpants and pajamas from school events was rejected by fellow board members after only 12 minutes of debate.[12]
July 8 candidate forum for District 3
The Palm Beach County Tea Party hosted a forum for all three candidates in District 3 on July 8, 2014. Karen Brill, John Michael Hartman and David Benoit Mech demonstrated clear differences in their views on term limits, data mining and Common Core standards. Brill and Hartman expressed support for term limits on school board members, and Mench expressed mild opposition while noting that he hasn't thought much about the issue. Brill and Hartman also shared their opposition to the idea of mining student data to anticipate student struggles. Mench supported data mining for predictive purposes. When asked about Common Core, Mech and Brill voiced their support for the standards with Hartman advocating strongly against their implementation.[13]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the school board election in 2014:[14]
| 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 |
| October 25, 2014 | First day of early voting in runoff election |
| October 29, 2014 | Last day to request mailed absentee ballot for runoff election |
| November 1, 2014 | Last day of early voting in runoff election |
| November 4, 2014 | Runoff 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 Palm Beach County voted on races for seats on the county commission, county courts and special districts. The November 4, 2014, ballot included races for state legislature, state executive and U.S. House seats.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Palm + Beach + County + Schools + Florida"
See also
- Florida
- School District of Palm Beach County, Florida
- Florida school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Palm Beach County, Florida ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Florida
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Palm Beach County, Florida," accessed June 17, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed June 17, 2014
- ↑ Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, "Home," accessed June 17, 2014
- ↑ Re-elect Karen Brill, "Endorsements," accessed July 21, 2014
- ↑ Tom Sutterfield for School Board, "Home," accessed July 21, 2014
- ↑ Erica for Schools, "Endorsements," accessed July 21, 2014
- ↑ Marcia Andrews for School Board, "Endorsements," accessed July 21, 2014
- ↑ Vote Joe Moore, "Endorsements," accessed July 21, 2014
- ↑ Re-elect Debra Robinson, "Endorsements," accessed July 21, 2014
- ↑ Elect Piaget "Peppi" Hendrix for School Board District #7, "Endorsements," accessed July 21, 2014
- ↑ Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, "Candidate Finance Reports," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Palm Beach Post, "Former porn star running for Palm Beach County school board," June 17, 2014
- ↑ Examiner, "Palm Beach County candidate's answers from Boca Raton forum," July 9, 2014
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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| 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 |
