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William Thurmes
William Thurmes was a candidate for at-large representative on the South Washington County Schools school board in Minnesota. Thurmes was defeated in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
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.[1] 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.[2][3]
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.
Endorsements
Thurmes was endorsed by the United Teachers of South Washington County.[4]
Campaign themes
2017
Thurmes participated in the following survey conducted by the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. The survey questions appear bolded, and Thurmes' responses follow below.
What qualifies you to hold this position?
| “ | I am an active community member. I have served as the Treasurer on a PTA as well as on the Middle School Boundary Committee when East Ridge High School was created. I also bring Board experience as I am currently serving on the Greater Saint Paul Building Owners and Managers Association. I was Chairperson of that Board from 2013-2015.[5] | ” |
| —William Thurmes (2017)[6] | ||
What would your top priorities be if elected?
| “ | The simplest way I can explain it is that I want to ensure that every student regardless of background or school has the chance to receive an outstanding educational experience. It is also my position that Teachers need a more prominent voice on our School Board. Teachers are trusted with educating and molding our youth and young adults.[5] | ” |
| —William Thurmes (2017)[6] | ||
What do you think is the primary role of government?
| “ | As it relates to school districts, the primary role of government is funding for our schools. This is an area that not been done well over the past decade. Schools are continually asked to do more with less. It is time that government starts becoming part of the solution instead of making the educational process for our children harder.[5] | ” |
| —William Thurmes (2017)[6] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms William Thurmes South Washington County Schools school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 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
- ↑ United Teachers of South Washington County, "Home," accessed October 26, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "Minnesota elections: South Washington County school board candidates," October 24, 2017
