Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories about contested races in the August county general election. Check upcoming editions of East Hamilton Weekly for a roundup of other area candidates. Early voting runs July 18-Aug. 2. The last day to register to vote was July 8.
With five hopefuls and no incumbent, candidates in the District 9 School Board race are campaigning to differentiate themselves from one another and secure votes for the August election.
Incumbent Mike Evatt, who was elected in 2010 and has served as the board’s chairman since 2011, announced in February that he would not run for re-election, leaving the field wide open for newcomers.
The only female in the race, Karen Farrow, ran for the office in 2010 but lost to Evatt. Working as a police officer for the last 36 years, she said school safety will be her No. 1 priority if elected.
“I want to work on the bullying issue in the schools,” she said. “I plan to spend one day a month in two to three of my schools.”
Candidate Steve Highlander said safety is a big priority for him too, specifically secured entrances to the schools, stricter checkout procedures for students leaving early and making the most of school resource officers.
For the last 42 years, he has been a teacher in both Hamilton County and North Georgia. Another of his priorities is creating more vocational opportunities for students who aren’t college-bound.
“We have to go have our kids ready for the job market when they walk out the door, and right now they’re not ready,” said Highlander.
Another of the candidates, Dean Moorhouse, said vocational opportunities are also a priority of his. However, the retired businessman from the private sector said his best asset is his financial background.
“I’m the only candidate on the ballot used to looking at and dealing with a multi-million-dollar budget,” said Moorhouse. “My primary focus would be to make sure our tax dollars wind up in the classroom and cut down on inefficiencies.”
Candidate Larry Lewis also comes from the private sector as an applications administer for McKee Foods. He said the problem solving skills and logic he uses every day at work will be an asset for the board, but he also wants to improve communication efforts.
“I want to increase the communication between students, educators and the school board itself,” he said. “I want to be available so that anyone should feel free to call me up and talk to me about a situation with their child.”
Candidate Tim White was unavailable for comment at press time despite repeated requests.