Michael R. Hitchings
Michael R. Hitchings was a candidate for the District F seat on the Harford County Board of Education in Maryland. He advanced from a primary election on June 24, 2014, losing to incumbent Thomas Fitzpatrick in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Biography
Hitchings earned a bachelor's degree in biology from St. Mary's College. At the time of his candidacy, Hitchings was completing a master's degree in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Hitching has worked as a project and program manager at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. He and his wife have three children.[1]
Elections
2014
The June 24, 2014, primary ballot included primaries for Districts B, C, D, E and F with the top two vote recipients in each primary advancing to the general election on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Robert "Bob" Frisch and challenger Laura Runyeon defeated Greg Johnson in District B. District C incumbent Alysson L. Krchnavy and challenger Joseph L. Voskuhl advanced to the general election by defeating John Anker. Nancy Reynolds faced challenger Mike Simon in her bid for another term in District D after defeating challengers Chris Scholz and Tishan D. Weerasooriya in the primary. The primary race for District E resulted in board member Arthur Kaff and newcomer Rachel Gauthier defeating Stephen Eric Macko and Barney Michel. Macko dropped out of the race after the withdrawal deadline which meant his name still appeared on the ballot. District F incumbent Thomas Fitzpatrick and Michael R. Hitchings squared off in the general election after defeating Joe Fleckenstein in the primary.
The District A race advanced to the general election without a primary as newcomers Frederick A. Mullis and Jansen M. Robinson were the only candidates to file for the seat.
In the general election Jansen M. Robinson won District A, incumbent Robert "Bob" Frisch was returned to District B, challenger Joseph L. Voskuhl defeated incumbent Alysson L. Krchnavy for District C, incumbent Nancy Reynolds won District D, newcomer Rachel Gauthier defeated incumbent Arthur Kaff for District E and incumbent Thomas Fitzpatrick won another term in District F.
This was the first time that county voters selected members for these seats on the Harford County Board of Education. Board members were appointed by the governor prior to a 2009 state law that turned six of the nine board seats into elected positions. There were board elections for two-year terms in Districts A, B and D in November 2010. Victorious candidates in the general election took office in July 2015 along with three newly appointed members.[2]
Results
General
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Thomas Fitzpatrick Incumbent |
52.7% | 5,934 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael R. Hitchings | 46.7% | 5,260 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.7% | 74 | |
| Total Votes | 11,268 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for Harford County," accessed December 20, 2014 | ||||
Primary
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Thomas Fitzpatrick Incumbent |
39.9% | 1,881 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael R. Hitchings |
38.2% | 1,801 | |
| Nonpartisan | Joe Fleckenstein | 21.9% | 1,033 | |
| Total Votes | 4,715 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Harford County," July 17, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Hitchings reported $895.00 in contributions and $7.55 in expenditures to the Maryland State Board of Elections, leaving his campaign with $887.45 on hand as of June 10, 2014.[3]
Endorsements
Hitchings was endorsed by the Harford County Education Association (HCEA), The Aegis and The Baltimore Sun.[4][5]
Campaign themes
2014
Hitchings explained his themes for the 2014 race on his campaign website:
| “ |
Platform Position #1: I will advocate on behalf of families, teachers, and communities to ensure each school is provided with the resources needed to place Harford County at the forefront of Maryland school systems. Platform Position #2: Seek opportunities to provide students with the education and resources needed to not only prepare them for the next stage in their education journey, but keep them on top of the competitive pool. Platform Position #3: Build on existing programs to enhance the school-day experience through supportive peer relationships & development, not detrimental peer pressure (i.e., bullying). Platform Position #4: Research national and international studies to advocate for the best way to structure HCPS curriculum standards, not just follow trends.[6] |
” |
| —Michael Hitchings' campaign website, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Michael + Hitchings + Harford + County + Public + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Vote 4 Michael Hitchings, "About Michael Hitchings," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Five Harford school board members run for election; four don't," February 26, 2014
- ↑ Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, "View Filed Reports," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ HCEA Impact, "Endorsed Candidates," October 2014
- ↑ The Aegis, "Robinson, Runyeon, Voskuhl, Simon, Kaff, Hitchings for Harford School Board," October 17, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Vote 4 Michael Hitchings, "Platform Positions," accessed June 10, 2014
| 2014 Harford County Public Schools Elections | |
| Harford County, Maryland | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | District A: • Frederick A. Mullis • Jansen M. Robinson District B: • Robert "Bob" Frisch • Greg Johnson • Laura Runyeon |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
