It’s the 12 Days of Ballotpedia! Your gift powers the trusted, unbiased information voters need heading into 2026. Donate now!
Michael Daugherty
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This board member is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
Michael Daugherty holds an at-large seat on the Harrison County school board in West Virginia. He won election to the board on May 13, 2014.
Biography
Daugherty is a Clarksburg Police Officer, Prevention Resource Officer, DARE Officer and Children’s Pastor. He works with the Juvenile Drug Court, Harrison County Prevention Partnership, Children’s Justice Task Force, Drug Endangered Children Task Force and is in charge of the Clarksburg Neighborhood Watch program. Daugherty is also a co-founder of We Take A Stand, an anti–bullying program that has received local, state and national awards. He was previously a clown with Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus, where he worked as a comedian for nine years on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.[1]
Elections
2014
- See also: Harrison County Schools elections (2014)
Michael Daugherty challenged Allen Gorrell, David M. Sturm, Kristin Messenger and Frank Devono Jr. for an at-large seat in the general election on May 13, 2014.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Frank Devono Jr. |
25.2% | 6,567 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael Daugherty |
22.5% | 5,867 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kristin Messenger |
21.5% | 5,598 | |
| Nonpartisan | Allen Gorrell Incumbent | 15.8% | 4,128 | |
| Nonpartisan | David M. Sturm Incumbent | 15% | 3,922 | |
| Total Votes | 26,082 | |||
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," accessed June 23, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Daugherty did not report any campaign contributions or expenditures to the Harrison County Clerk.[2]
Endorsements
Daugherty did not receive any official endorsements for his campaign.
Campaign themes
Daugherty's campaign website listed the following campaign themes for 2014:[3][4]
Transparency
|
"I would like to have the latest minutes available on the harcoboe.com/ website. Why does it seem like the school board is a secret society, and no one is allowed to know what truly is going on? The school bonds have been declined the last two times they were proposed. The people want to know where their money is going. If we’re going to ask the people for money then we need to have a more detailed, itemized list for the taxpayers. Before we even propose a new bond we should reach out to the people as well. Create an online survey for the schools and community of things they would like to see and post the results." |
Equality
|
"We are all equal and need to be treated as such. Parents and teachers have shared they feel as if certain people and schools do not get treated the same as others. Some schools appear to receive perks and funding, while others are passed over year after year." |
Safety
|
"I know first hand as a Prevention Resource Officer how important it is to have Law Enforcement in the schools. We are fooling ourselves to think a violent act would never happen here. Up until last year, there was never a school shooting at a school with an officer present because the shooter knew someone would be there to stop them. Having a school officer helps foster a good relationship between law enforcement and the students. No longer do we see students afraid of reaching out to police for help, whether it was for in school or at home." |
Drugs
|
"I know that drugs are flooding our community and coming into our schools. I would like to have more drug education brought in for all of our schools. This problem is not going away. If you think your child would never do it, you might be fooling yourself. I deal with parents of teens in Juvenile Drug Court every week who believed the same. Students are being influenced so much by media, music, and other states legalizing marijuana. We have to take back our community, and it starts with the students." |
Accountability
|
"As a police officer I am held to a different standard. I am held responsible for my actions. I have to follow the law. Everything is black and white. I want it to be the same within the schools. Right is right and wrong is wrong. Everyone, including the board, needs to follow the policies already put in place. This will bring back trust." |
Year Round Schooling
|
"I’m not for it at all. There are countless businesses and people that would be affected by the change negatively. First off, I think we all can agree that teachers do not get paid enough. Many depend on finding other work in the summer time just to survive. Second, during the summer months throughout the community there are numerous activities that are held that would be affected such as 4-H and church camps, family vacations and students working summer jobs to help out their families, ect. Now some may argue that they are for it because kids throughout the county depend on the school provided food. Programs like Project ISAAC, Energy Express, and Parks and Recreation help in these matters. Not only are students learning throughout the summer but are being fed as well." |
Social Media Politics
|
"The past few years, people in the schools have been harassed by comments made to a school board member and the school board member posting all about it on social media before knowing all the facts or even without talking to the other parties involved. By doing this, it gives the teacher or school a bad reputation when they may not have done anything wrong. Then, when learning about the truth, little is said, and no apology is given. I am all for people approaching board members with their complaints or worries, but we do not do so through social media. What I would like to see is whenever a complaint is brought to the board's attention, we make sure it has gone through the proper chain of command. You have to give the teacher and school administration a chance to fix whatever the problem may be. If someone damaged my property, I wouldn't call a judge and tell them first. I would call out the police, and then if it didn't get taken care of, I would then go to the shift supervisor, deputy chief, and finally chief. To put things on Social Media without knowing all the facts is careless. Let the people who are in leadership roles do their jobs." |
The People's Voice
|
"The past few weeks have been disgraceful. We were told the actions by the board over the past few weeks were not politically motivated. Whether you like or dislike Susan Collins, I think we all can agree she was mistreated. And then to replace her so quickly and not listen to the communities outcry about waiting and doing a detailed search was just a slap in the face. Dr. Manchin may still have been the best candidate but to try to push Susan out and get him in so quickly seemed very shady." |
Bullying
|
"Bullying is such a problem not only in our county and state but all across the United States. I traveled to meetings all over the state about bullying, and I encountered the same thing. Everyone is talking about bullying, but no one has a clear plan on how to solve it. I watched the schools spend thousands to bring in speakers year after year to do school assemblies yet nothing changed. I heard over and over these speakers tell kids that to stop being bullied they need to get involved in sports. Thats sound fine but doesn't solve the problem. I sat down with Officer Jamie Hamrick from Bridgeport PD and Officer Josh Skiviat with Clarksburg PD, and together we came up with the WeTakeAStand.com anti-bullying program. It has received local, state, and national awards. The program is 100% free - saving the county thousands. It empowers the student, the parents, and the schools with a program that works. The program has been implemented in several school across WV and is going so well that it is being looked at as the recommended anti-bullying program by NASRO (National Association of School Resource Officers). Check out the website for more information at WeTakeAStand.com" |
Note: The above quote is from the candidate's website, which may include some typographical or spelling errors.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Michael + Daugherty + Harrison + County + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Mike Daugherty for Harrison County Board of Education, "Home," accessed February 27, 2014
- ↑ Harrison County, "Election 2014
- ↑ Mike Daugherty for Harrison Board of Education, "Goals," accessed February 27, 2014
- ↑ Mike Daugherty for Harrison Board of Education, "Where I Stand, accessed February 27, 2014
| 2014 Harrison County Schools Elections | |
| Harrison County, West Virginia | |
| Election date: | May 13, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • David M. Sturm • Allen Gorrell • Michael Daugherty • Kristin Messenger • Frank Devono Jr. |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
