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Run-off elections for the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board of Education District V and Bellaire City Council seats were held Dec. 11.
Brian Witt came out with a victory for the fifth position on the Bellaire City Council. Witt, who has 20 years of experience in finance and real estate, garnered 52.68% of the vote, against his opponent Andrea Ehlers.
The HISD election saw two conservative candidates, Pastor Kendal Baker and former PTO President Bridget Wade, win seats on the board.
“School board races are nonpartisan for a reason, and here we saw particular vitriol being thrown by both parties in an attempt to grab power, and saw real diversion away from actual education issues,” Jasmine Jenkins, executive director for Houstonians for Greater Public Schools, told the Houston Chronicle, which reported a noticeable focus on national politics in local education.
According to a report by the Community Impact Newspaper, Baker defeated District 6 incumbent Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca while Wade beat current District 7 officeholder Anne Sung.
Board of Education District V incumbent Sue Deigaard also secured re-election, defeating challenger Caroline Walter. The Community Impact Newspaper states Deigaard, a former HISD school board president who graduated from Rice University, won the race with approximately 64% of the vote.