BOE election candidates 2024

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Rolling Stone has taken notice of the Bethany Mandel campaign:

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/bethany-mandel-conservative-school-board-1234968716/

This is just click-bait.

She's not running as a Democrat. It's a nonpartisan race. She's registered as a Democrat because in this county it's the only way to have an impact on the primary race. I wish MD had open primaries.

Signed,
Stewart supporter

Someone should let Stewart it’s a nonpartisan race.

Signed,
A Democrat who voted for Jawando and Mink

When one of your opponents is Bethany Mandel, I don't think it's possible to campaign without mentioning partisan political issues.

It’s not the issues that bother me. It’s the “Vote for me because I’m a leader in the women’s democratic club” that bothers me.”

It's a relevant part of her background, no? Do you think she just shouldn't mention it?

Vote for her, don't vote for her, it's your decision not mine, but I do think it's interesting how the vast majority, like 90% of posts, on this thread are about one candidate, as though nobody else were running for BoE. It's also interesting how apparently this one candidate is bad both because she hides her background and also because she doesn't hide her background.

+1 I didn't come into this conversation as a huge Stewart fan and in fact, am the first person who said that I wasn't inclined to vote for her because she seemed like a nice white lady who is reluctant to ask difficult questions.

However, the addition of Mandel to this race changes everything for me. She is someone who has a stated platform of making life difficult for families like mine. That overrides any less significant concerns I have about Stewart.

Moreover, the thing about being a Democratic party official seems like a nothing burger. I don't think it makes the race partisan, and I see it as just signaling that she is politically engaged beyond school stuff. That's fine and normal, particularly in this area.

Same here in terms of being on the fence before Mandel entered the race. Now that she's running, I feel like we need to do everything we can to make sure she doesn't win. With Shebra Evans proving she can win a couple elections already, I'm inclined to vote for her again. I'm worried that a vote for Laura Stewart is a vote for Mandel, since it will split the reasonable vote and empower Mandel going into the general. I don't love any incumbent in this race, but given their track record of getting elected, I'd rather put my chips on someone who has proven they can win already rather than run the risk of letting a crazy person get a seat on the boe.

The first time Shebra ran, she faced Jill Ortman-Fouse, and Shebra lost. The next two times she ran, Shebra has not had significant competition. In fact, Shebra may not have had any opponent in 2020. I can't find that information online. So, in terms of Shebra being the more likely to be reelected because she is the incumbent, I don't know I put much belief in that. Especially this year, after the problems this last year with MCPS.

Shebra Evans defeated Steve Solomon in 2020. She received 273,000 votes, the most out of any candidate that ran in any BOE race that year.

Steve Solomon likes to run for office without bothering to learn anything about the issues. I am not surprised that Shebra Evans beat him handily, as the incumbent. This year, being an incumbent may prove to be a liability for Evans and Laura Stewart is a highly competent candidate who understands both policy and fiscal issues and who has worked for years on education issues.

Yes, we get it. Laura Stewart is an insider and has helped make MCPS what it is today.

Which is why I’m voting for Mandel. Time for new blood on the BoE even if they have different points of view. Tired of the BoE rubber stamping whatever the super and CO says

Ms. Mandel, You have zero experience with public schools as you home-school your children. You are in no way ready or capable of the responsibility of oversight for a $3.16 billion public school enterprise.

Any taxpayer is entitled to run for BOE and give oversight. Maybe if there were more dissenting opinions the BOe would actually discuss and question things from the super and CO. A one party board is not good.

It's a non-partisan job.

The election is non-partisan in that there aren't separate party primaries for it (the primary is only to winnow the field to 2 for the general election). The job is non-partisan in that sense. Anyone elected certainly can have their own political leanings, and, as PP suggested, one-party hegemony tends to produce undesirable results.

That said, a bitterly partisan opposition in a deliberative body can be as disruptive to the common good, bogging things down, as that hegemony might be inefficient, failing to address non-partisan needs and/or allowing effective graft. I don't think Mandel would add productively to the discussion, but I don't think she has much of a chance in the general, anyway. A centrist/true independent would offer a better chance, both of being elected and of getting better results with reasoned dissent to the partisan bloc.

The country has shifted so far to the right these past decades,that we basically have two parties: the conversation party and the completely bonkers MAGA party.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Rolling Stone has taken notice of the Bethany Mandel campaign:

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/bethany-mandel-conservative-school-board-1234968716/

This is just click-bait.

She's not running as a Democrat. It's a nonpartisan race. She's registered as a Democrat because in this county it's the only way to have an impact on the primary race. I wish MD had open primaries.

Signed,
Stewart supporter

Someone should let Stewart it’s a nonpartisan race.

Signed,
A Democrat who voted for Jawando and Mink

When one of your opponents is Bethany Mandel, I don't think it's possible to campaign without mentioning partisan political issues.

It’s not the issues that bother me. It’s the “Vote for me because I’m a leader in the women’s democratic club” that bothers me.”

It's a relevant part of her background, no? Do you think she just shouldn't mention it?

Vote for her, don't vote for her, it's your decision not mine, but I do think it's interesting how the vast majority, like 90% of posts, on this thread are about one candidate, as though nobody else were running for BoE. It's also interesting how apparently this one candidate is bad both because she hides her background and also because she doesn't hide her background.

+1 I didn't come into this conversation as a huge Stewart fan and in fact, am the first person who said that I wasn't inclined to vote for her because she seemed like a nice white lady who is reluctant to ask difficult questions.

However, the addition of Mandel to this race changes everything for me. She is someone who has a stated platform of making life difficult for families like mine. That overrides any less significant concerns I have about Stewart.

Moreover, the thing about being a Democratic party official seems like a nothing burger. I don't think it makes the race partisan, and I see it as just signaling that she is politically engaged beyond school stuff. That's fine and normal, particularly in this area.

Same here in terms of being on the fence before Mandel entered the race. Now that she's running, I feel like we need to do everything we can to make sure she doesn't win. With Shebra Evans proving she can win a couple elections already, I'm inclined to vote for her again. I'm worried that a vote for Laura Stewart is a vote for Mandel, since it will split the reasonable vote and empower Mandel going into the general. I don't love any incumbent in this race, but given their track record of getting elected, I'd rather put my chips on someone who has proven they can win already rather than run the risk of letting a crazy person get a seat on the boe.

The first time Shebra ran, she faced Jill Ortman-Fouse, and Shebra lost. The next two times she ran, Shebra has not had significant competition. In fact, Shebra may not have had any opponent in 2020. I can't find that information online. So, in terms of Shebra being the more likely to be reelected because she is the incumbent, I don't know I put much belief in that. Especially this year, after the problems this last year with MCPS.

Shebra Evans defeated Steve Solomon in 2020. She received 273,000 votes, the most out of any candidate that ran in any BOE race that year.

Steve Solomon likes to run for office without bothering to learn anything about the issues. I am not surprised that Shebra Evans beat him handily, as the incumbent. This year, being an incumbent may prove to be a liability for Evans and Laura Stewart is a highly competent candidate who understands both policy and fiscal issues and who has worked for years on education issues.

Yes, we get it. Laura Stewart is an insider and has helped make MCPS what it is today.

Which is why I’m voting for Mandel. Time for new blood on the BoE even if they have different points of view. Tired of the BoE rubber stamping whatever the super and CO says

Ms. Mandel, You have zero experience with public schools as you home-school your children. You are in no way ready or capable of the responsibility of oversight for a $3.16 billion public school enterprise.

Any taxpayer is entitled to run for BOE and give oversight. Maybe if there were more dissenting opinions the BOe would actually discuss and question things from the super and CO. A one party board is not good.

It's a non-partisan job.

The election is non-partisan in that there aren't separate party primaries for it (the primary is only to winnow the field to 2 for the general election). The job is non-partisan in that sense. Anyone elected certainly can have their own political leanings, and, as PP suggested, one-party hegemony tends to produce undesirable results.

That said, a bitterly partisan opposition in a deliberative body can be as disruptive to the common good, bogging things down, as that hegemony might be inefficient, failing to address non-partisan needs and/or allowing effective graft. I don't think Mandel would add productively to the discussion, but I don't think she has much of a chance in the general, anyway. A centrist/true independent would offer a better chance, both of being elected and of getting better results with reasoned dissent to the partisan bloc.

The country has shifted so far to the right these past decades,that we basically have two parties: the conversation party and the completely bonkers MAGA party.

Both parties are echo chambers. You happen to like the sound of one of the echoes.

[Anonymous]

MCEA endorsements are out, all for challengers:

https://moco360.media/2024/03/07/county-teachers-union-endorses-three-challengers-over-incumbents-in-school-board-race/

[Anonymous]

Brenda Diaz is an anti-vaxxer running as an "independent".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCEA endorsements are out, all for challengers:

https://moco360.media/2024/03/07/county-teachers-union-endorses-three-challengers-over-incumbents-in-school-board-race/

So for the primary this could very well mean that the top two finishers in each race are the incumbent and the Apple Ballot candidate, who would face off against each other in November.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brenda Diaz is an anti-vaxxer running as an "independent".

It's a non-partisan position, though candidates might belong to any political party (or none).

[Anonymous]

So much for the Laura Stewart = Lynne Harris comments. MCEA is for Stewart over the incumbent Evans, but against Harris (also incumbent).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCEA endorsements are out, all for challengers:

https://moco360.media/2024/03/07/county-teachers-union-endorses-three-challengers-over-incumbents-in-school-board-race/

I thought Melissa Kim would gain some traction, but she seems unable to mount any sort of campaign.

[Anonymous]

Rita Montoya says the right things, but I'm concerned about her background as a pro-marijuana advocate and pro-juvenile justice advocate. We need consequences and discipline back and someone with that background is more likely to continue MCPS on its current no-consequences trajectory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rita Montoya says the right things, but I'm concerned about her background as a pro-marijuana advocate and pro-juvenile justice advocate. We need consequences and discipline back and someone with that background is more likely to continue MCPS on its current no-consequences trajectory.

Concerned about her pro-marijuana stance? Its 2024, not 1955.

[Anonymous]

Mandel is the only candidate for district 4?! That is super concerning. She is a lunatic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mandel is the only candidate for district 4?! That is super concerning. She is a lunatic.

She's not, there are three total but the article had mentioned them earlier so they weren't listed in "other candidates"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rita Montoya says the right things, but I'm concerned about her background as a pro-marijuana advocate and pro-juvenile justice advocate. We need consequences and discipline back and someone with that background is more likely to continue MCPS on its current no-consequences trajectory.

Agreed. Rita Montoya is a real miss by MCEA. Geez, Montoya is at the anti-CRT candidate forum tonight with the $10 fee. 70 voters are there. It will cost her way more votes than that.

The union is throwing out all the BOE members with the bath water. I don't think that's a smart move. Do you really think that Montoya can get up to speed on what we need done, and then have her personal views being a problem as well? If the union thinks that ALL BOE members should be tossed because of the various McKnight and Beidleman issues, then they don't realize that McKnight would still be super if it hadn't been for the work of a few BOE members to move us forward toward a new superintendent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So much for the Laura Stewart = Lynne Harris comments. MCEA is for Stewart over the incumbent Evans, but against Harris (also incumbent).

MCEA probably wanted to take a stand against incumbents and realized that displacing Harris from at-large while installing Stewart in District 2 would be a wash because Harris and Stewart are basically the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much for the Laura Stewart = Lynne Harris comments. MCEA is for Stewart over the incumbent Evans, but against Harris (also incumbent).

MCEA probably wanted to take a stand against incumbents and realized that displacing Harris from at-large while installing Stewart in District 2 would be a wash because Harris and Stewart are basically the same.

I'll wait and see what they put on the Apple ballot. They usually sort it out for me.