Incumbents in Fayetteville and Rogers were among the winners of Tuesday’s school board elections in Northwest Arkansas.
Tim Hudson, the Fayetteville School Board’s Zone 5 representative, won a fourth term by defeating challenger Dwight Gonzales. Hudson received 410 votes (94%) to Gonzales’ 25 votes (6%), according to unofficial results from the Washington County Election Commission.
Fayetteville’s Zone 5 is a small section of the southwest part of the district between Interstate 49 and South College Avenue, including downtown and the high school. There are 7,813 people registered to vote in the zone, according to the Washington County clerk’s office.
In Rogers’ Zone 4 race, Amy Horn beat challenger Aaron Cash 110 votes (85%) to 20 votes (15%), according to unofficial results from the Benton County Election Commission.
Zone 4 covers a southwest portion of the Rogers district. There are 8,594 people registered to vote in the zone, according to the Benton County clerk’s office.
Hudson, 56, is the senior member of Fayetteville’s board. He served as board president from 2012 to 2016. He’s executive director of the Washington Regional Medical Foundation.
Hudson said he knocked on 350 doors during the campaign and had good conversations with the people he met. He attended the district’s adult education graduation ceremony Tuesday night and said he was inspired by the stories he heard there.
“I’m happy to have another five years to do my part to make sure we keep providing those opportunities for achievement,” Hudson said.
Gonzales, 39, said he was recruited to run for the board seat by a group of 15 to 20 parents who were upset because they felt they didn’t have a voice in board decisions.
Horn, 37, faced competition for the first time in an election after running unopposed for her Rogers School Board seat in 2014.
“It’s an honor to be elected,” Horn said. “It’s different to be elected in a contested race, because I feel like it means a little bit more. I feel I had a lot of support from friends and community members and it makes me want to do a better job these next five years."
Horn, a Conway native, was a kindergarten teacher before becoming director of His House Preschool in 2010. She has been president for four years of the parent-teacher organization at Darr Elementary School, where her two children are finishing third and fifth grade. She plans to continue working for parent organizations next year at Fairview Elementary School and Elmwood Middle School.
Cash, 31, is an Oklahoma native who has lived in Rogers for five years. He expressed concern about the board’s spending priorities during his campaign.
Winners of most board races received five-year terms taking effect immediately, unless they were running to fill an unexpired term. School board members aren’t paid for their work.
In other Northwest Arkansas school board races Tuesday:
• In Prairie Grove, there was a three-way race between Matt Hargis, Harley Hunt and Brian Walker for the Position 3 seat. Hargis led the candidates with 118 votes (49.6%), while Walker and Hunt received 61 votes (25.6%) and 59 votes (24.8%), respectively. Jennifer Price, Washington County’s election commissioner, said two outstanding overseas absentee ballots could impact the results and whether there’s a runoff election.
• In Elkins’ Position 2 race, Bryan Delozier received 47 votes (56%) to Donnie Warren’s 37 votes (44%). Delozier, the board president, has served since 2004.
• In West Fork’s Position 2 race, Amanda Harderson received 114 votes (68%) to Duchess Allen’s 53 votes (32%).
• In Siloam Springs, Travis Jackson received 11 votes (58%) to Bobby Reed’s eight votes (42%). Jackson was appointed to the board in August to fill the Zone 5 seat left vacant when Brent Butler resigned.
• In Pea Ridge, Mindy Cawthon received 354 votes (67%) to John Dye’s 173 votes (33%) in the Position 4 race. Dye is the board’s president.
• In Gentry, there were races for the Position 6 and Zone 1 seats. In Zone 1, incumbent Gary Dunlap received 23 votes (64%) to Michael Battenfield’s 13 votes (36%). For Position 6, a three-person race, Melissa Holland had 85 votes (55%), incumbent Coye Cripps had 58 votes (38%), and Larry Scribner had 11 votes (7%).
This story was updated with the final results of the Benton County election.
NW News on 05/22/2019