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Two Baltimore County school board candidates appeared headed to victory late Tuesday while candidates in two other races were locked in tough fights, with tens of thousands of mail-in ballots yet to be counted.
In District 1, social worker Robin Harvey received about 68% of the vote in her race against scientist Cory Koons, according to early voting returns and with all precincts reporting. In District 2, former county schools educator Jane Lichter led retired Baltimore city schools psychologist Rebecca Chesner by a 3-2 margin.
The other two contested races were too close to call. District 3 candidate Maggie Litz Domanowski, an administrative assistant who stressed conservative values, led retired city and county schools teacher Diane Jean Young, 54% to about 45%.
The District 4 race was even closer. Retired educator Brenda Hatcher-Savoy led law student Samay Singh Kindra by fewer than 200 votes out of more than 22,400 votes counted as of late Tuesday.
Harvey, Lichter and Kindra all had the backing of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County, the Education Support Professionals of Baltimore County and County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. Domanowski was endorsed by conservative-leaning groups.
Whether Domanowski’s or Hatcher-Savoy’s leads hold up remained uncertain.
The county elections board counted 14,000 mailed ballots over the weekend, but won’t begin tallying more than 49,000 additional mail-in ballots until Thursday, according to Baltimore County Board of Elections attorney Andrew “Drew” Bailey.
Tuesday did finalize who will hold three seats. Chair Julie Henn in District 5, Vice Chair Rod McMillion in District 7 and PTA council member Christina Pumphrey in District 6 each faced no opposition in their respective bids.
The contests played out similarly to school board races across the country. While more conservative candidates opposed teaching about the LGBTQ+ community and other topics in the classroom, other candidates supported classroom discussions about race and gender. The conservatives also opposed mask requirements, although most districts are no longer requiring them as the threat from COVID-19 has apparently lessened.
The Children 1st PAC, a conservative-leaning group, endorsed Koons, Chesner, Domanowski and Henn.
In District 4, Theo Sutton of Randallstown picked Kindra when he voted at the Liberty Senior Center on Tuesday morning. Sutton, 25, said he liked that Kindra was from the area, as well as his ideas on better mental health support and prioritizing school infrastructure.
Janay Jacobs, 31, also voted for Kindra, listing diversity as one factor. She was joined by Jordan, who did not want to give her last name. Jordan was torn between the two candidates, but picked Hatcher-Savoy “because she had more experience.”
“People really think I can do the job,” Hatcher-Savoy said at Windsor Mill Middle School on Tuesday morning, adding that she was confident about winning based on her showing in the primaries. “But not so confident that I haven’t been doing the work.”
Unlike Kindra, Hatcher-Savoy was not endorsed by the teachers union, yet she appeared to receive the most votes in the primary.
Over in District 3, the apple ballot — which lists the candidates endorsed by the teachers union — influenced the decisions of some voters, like Tami Soul of Cockeysville. She said she didn’t know a lot about the school board race until she was handed one. So, she picked Young.
“Whoever the teachers want, hey, that’s probably who I should vote for,” the 48-year-old said at a Cockeysville community center.
One of those teachers was Jason Dagenhart, who teaches at Perry Hall High School. He showed up to vote for Young.
“Anyone that’s more pro-teacher is going to get my vote,” he said.
Sarah White, who’s also a Cockeysville resident, said she also picked Young because she agreed with her opinion on education issues. White, 35, said Domanowski had “rhetoric but not much substance.”
James Henderson of Education Support Professionals of Baltimore County was there handing out apple ballots to voters.
“For the same reason why I don’t let my mechanic take care of my health, is the same reason why I want someone who is an educator to be on the school board,” he said.
Not all voters were guided by the apple ballot. Kim Bateman, who voted at the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department, said she was picking Koons in District 1.
“I think he’s for the kids,” she said. Bateman, 50, has known him for a long time and believes he’s the best candidate for the job.
Riley Griffith, 21, said she picked Koons because he stands out.
“He seemed to have a very different approach,” she said.
Koons, the District 1 candidate, rolled by the fire station in his red pickup truck with his campaign logo on the side. Asked how the race was going, he replied, “We’ll wait and see.”
The current board, which has had personality clashes spill out into the open in court hearings, has followed guidance requiring seven votes to approve many agenda items. Tuesday’s election will help determine whether a working majority emerges as the board weighs questions such as the renewal of Superintendent Darryl Williams’ contract, which is up next year.
As the terms of the four appointed members expire at the end of the year, the board could be down to seven people. Democrat Wes Moore, who was elected governor on Tuesday, will be responsible for appointing their replacements.
On Tuesday morning, Moore’s campaign bus pulled up to Windsor Mill Middle School, where he addressed supporters outside a polling place. He was joined by Olszewski and Council Chair Julian Jones. Moore said that if he were elected, he looks forward to working with local leaders to talk about the process of appointments of school board members “but also multiple appointments that will be back on our desk come January.”
Jones said it’s the first time he’s heard of a possible dilemma and something he will look into. In the meantime, he suggested the new board hold off on deciding controversial questions but do what’s needed to keep operations running.
kristen.griffith@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Kristen Griffith is an education reporter covering Baltimore County.
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