Thomas Fineran
Thomas Fineran was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Racine Board of Education in Wisconsin. He sought election to the board in the general election on April 1, 2014 but withdrew from consideration on March 24. His name still appeared on the ballot.[1]
Biography
Fineran earned a B.S. in secondary education and economics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He later received master's degrees in administrative leadership and industrial labor relations from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Fineran worked for 22 years as a high school teacher at Milwaukee Public Schools. He later served as executive director of the Southwestern Education Association for 11 years. Fineran and his wife, Jennifer, have two adult children.[2]
Elections
2014
Thomas Fineran ran against six other candidates for four available seats during the general election on April 1, 2014.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Melvin Hargrove Incumbent |
18.6% | 4,326 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dennis Wiser Incumbent |
17.2% | 3,996 | |
| Nonpartisan | Pamala Handrow Incumbent |
17% | 3,954 | |
| Nonpartisan | Wally Rendón Incumbent |
14.4% | 3,355 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jacqueline Pinager | 12% | 2,795 | |
| Nonpartisan | Henry Perez | 12% | 2,790 | |
| Nonpartisan | Thomas Fineran | 8.2% | 1,915 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 95 | |
| Total Votes | 23,226 | |||
| Source: Racine Unified School District, "Canvass Committee Report," April 8, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Fineran was exempted from filing a pre-election campaign finance report to the school district clerk by the March 24, 2014 deadline.[3] State law allows candidates to claim exempt status from campaign finance reporting if contributions and expenditures do not exceed $1,000 during a calendar year.[4]
Endorsements
Fineran received the following endorsements in 2014:[5]
- Racine Education Association/Racine Educational Assistants Association
- AFL-CIO of Racine County
- Democratic Party of Racine County
Campaign themes
2014
Fineran's campaign website listed his major themes for 2014:
| “ |
Great schools place students in classrooms that work and depend on great teachers and staff. Wisconsin's great schools did not become great by accident, and their quality cannot be maintained and improved without strong, active, pro-public education school boards. Parental and community involvement and support are essential to school quality, as well as a local school board that puts the needs of great schools and children first. School boards are a large part of the system of laws and policies that have a great deal of influence over the work and livelihoods of school employees and the future of Wisconsin’s schoolchildren. It is the duty of everyone who cares about public schools to remain active in their local schools. One way of fulfilling this duty is by running for school board or becoming actively involved in the campaign of a school board candidate you support. I care deeply about public education and public schools. I have spent my entire adult life involved with public education. Having recently retired, I have decided to run for a position on the Racine Unified School District Board of Education. School boards should be full of people who understand education, education issues, and see the needs of schoolchildren as paramount to Racine and the villages that encompass Racine Unified School District’s success in the future. Great schools place students in classrooms that work and depend on great teachers and staff. When school boards support measures that improve the lives and working conditions of school employees, they do so because these measures encourage talented and skilled people to work, and continue working, in Racine Unified classrooms. School boards need members who are concerned with the future of our great schools rather than short-term goals. These contrasting missions are a big part of why some school board elections become contentious. Three top areas to be addressed:
|
” |
| —Thomas Fineran's campaign website (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Thomas + Fineran + Racine + School + District"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Journal Times, "Fineran drops out of Unified board race," March 26, 2014
- ↑ Vote Tom Fineran, "About Tom Fineran," accessed February 6, 2014
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through e-mail from Patricia Meyer on March 25, 2014.
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Campaign Finance Overview: Local Candidates," May 2010
- ↑ Vote Tom Fineran, "Endorsements," accessed March 25, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Vote Tom Fineran, "Issues," accessed February 6, 2014
| 2014 Racine Unified School District Elections | |
| Racine, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 1, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Thomas Fineran • Pamala Handrow • Melvin Hargrove • Henry Perez • Jacqueline Pinager • Wally Rendón • Dennis Wiser |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
