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Tom Baek
Tom Baek was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Howard County Board of Education in Maryland. He lost election against 12 other candidates in a primary election on June 24, 2014.
Biography
Baek and his family moved from South Korea to Ohio in 1974. He earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton University. At the time of his candidacy, Baek was working as a technical writer. He and his wife have three children who have attended district schools.[1]
Elections
2014
The June 24, 2014, primary ballot included incumbents Sandra H. French and Cynthia L. Vaillancourt as well as challengers Bess I. Altwerger, Corey Andrews, Tom Baek, Zaneb K. Beams, Olga Butler, Allen Dyer, Maureen Evans Arthurs, Dan Furman, Leslie Kornreich, Christine O'Connor and Mike Smith. French, Vaillancourt, Altwerger, Beams, Dyer, Furman, O'Connor and Smith faced off in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Cynthia L. Vaillancourt Incumbent |
13.5% | 15,851 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandra H. French Incumbent |
12.5% | 14,688 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bess I. Altwerger |
10.9% | 12,733 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dan Furman |
10.1% | 11,880 | |
| Nonpartisan | Zaneb K. Beams |
8.6% | 10,042 | |
| Nonpartisan | Christine O'Connor |
7.2% | 8,477 | |
| Nonpartisan | Allen Dyer |
6.6% | 7,724 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Smith |
5.7% | 6,730 | |
| Nonpartisan | Leslie Kornreich | 5.4% | 6,388 | |
| Nonpartisan | Olga Butler | 5% | 5,849 | |
| Nonpartisan | Maureen Evans Arthurs | 4.9% | 5,752 | |
| Nonpartisan | Corey Andrews | 4.9% | 5,744 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tom Baek | 4.7% | 5,482 | |
| Total Votes | 117,340 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Howard County," accessed October 18, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Baek reported $16,642.44 in contributions and an equal amount in expenditures to the Maryland State Board of Elections.[2]
Endorsements
Baek did not receive any official endorsements in this election.
Campaign themes
2014
Baek explained his themes for the 2014 race on his campaign website:
| “ |
COMMON PRIORITIES
A PROPOSITION More internship opportunities -- in fields both public and private -- for more students throughout the county, including study of the feasibility of a Congressional Internship Program for High School Graduates during the summer before entering college or the U.S. Armed Forces. AN IDEA "The Howard County Public Schools' Annual Vocabulary Bee." Language, from ages 2 and 3, shapes and molds our perception of everything and everyone. It is what we use to see, feel, dream, create, understand, and believe. English is what we use to learn every subject. Words are the building blocks as well as the tools of language. Like the instruments and knowledge used by a surgeon -- or the codes and knowledge used by a technician -- the more words we know, the more we are able to comprehend and express with discernment and clarity what we read and hear. The results: 1) A better chance to learn with a richer appreciation of an array of subjects; 2) A love for learning can blossom; 3) The ability to think critically begins to germinate. And with each pupil, eager to learn and empowered to learn, our schools must respond with respect and alacrity. A COMMON OBJECTIVE Our high schools graduate more students than most districts. We should be proud of our state and national standing. Still, 7 out of 100 seniors do not graduate. That's about 20 per high school. We should care about these 20 students. All of our students deserve the opportunity to earn a college degree -- 4-year or 2 -- or to pursue a career path of their choice that may or may not include college. As a community and country, we should endeavor to graduate more students every year. Test scores are important. Grades are important. A diploma is valuable. |
” |
| —Tom Baek's campaign website, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Tom + Baek + Howard + County + Public + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Clarksville resident seeks Howard school board seat," May 14, 2014
- ↑ Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, "View Filed Reports," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Tom Baek for Howard County Board of Education, "Priorities," accessed June 5, 2014
| 2014 Howard County Public Schools Elections | |
| Howard County, Maryland | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Bess I. Altwerger • Corey Andrews • Tom Baek • Zaneb K. Beams • Olga Butler • Allen Dyer • Maureen Evans Arthurs • Sandra H. French • Dan Furman • Leslie Kornreich • Christine O'Connor • Mike Smith • Cynthia L. Vaillancourt |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
