BACK BAY – Two candidates in the Rose Hall District School Board special election were represented in brief remarks during the candidates forum at the Creeds Ruritan Community Complex on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Joel McDonald, a former member of the School Board, was the only candidate who attended the forum. McDonald represented the district until he was removed from office earlier this year after acknowledging living outside the district amid his term. He moved back.
Among the candidates he faces is School Board Member Jessica Owens, who was appointed to fill the district seat until the result of the special election. The two other candidates in the races are Stephen Johnston and Robert Dean.
“For the last six years, I’ve had the honor and responsibility of serving you on your School Board,” McDonald said.
“I’m so proud of the progress we’ve made in the six years I’ve been on the board,” he added, citing “records for on-time graduation” to “expanding access to instructional technology,” among other things.
Dean was unable to attend the forum due to a prior commitment in Sandbridge, but City Councilmember John Moss spoke on his behalf. “His life has been one of public service,” Moss said of Dean, a former member of the City Council. Moss said Dean would bring a “sense of fiscal discipline” to the School Board, and he said Dean knows “the job of education is to prepare people for work.”
All candidates in the race responded to questions posed by The Independent News as part of the 2019 Voter Guide, available at this link.
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