Crowded field competing in Wicomico school board primaries
When the state legislature approved Wicomico County voter’s request to switch the longtime state-appointed Board of Education to a popularly elected body, one concern was too few people would …
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Crowded field competing in Wicomico school board primaries
By Greg BassettWhen the state legislature approved Wicomico County voter’s request to switch the longtime state-appointed Board of Education to a popularly elected body, one concern was too few people would want to run for one of the seven available seats.
Given the final list of candidates who filed by Friday’s election deadline, however, lots of people would seem interested in a school board seat.
Though the board races are non-partisan, the July 19 primary will be used to narrow the contenders so that just two candidates for each position appear on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Running for two at-large seats are:
- George M. Demko, Salisbury.
- Bonnie H. Ennis, Salisbury.
- Donald Lee Fitzgerald, Salisbury.
- Aaron Guy, Salisbury.
- Kristin N. Hazel, Salisbury.
- Darren J. Lombardo, Salisbury.
- Michael G. Murray, Salisbury.
- Lavonzella "Von" Siggers of Salisbury.
Fitzgerald and Murray are the two at-large incumbents, both elected in the board’s inaugural balloting in 2018. Both men had also been appointed previously to serve on the school board.
Siggers is a former Salisbury City Council President who last held elective office in 2009.
In District 1, only Luc Angelot of Salisbury has filed to run against incumbent Allen C. Brown of Salisbury, so the two men will face-off in November,
Four people have filed in District 2. Fred Connolly, Kimberley Annette Groves, Gene Malone and Karin Miller, all of Salisbury, will compete in July, with the two top ballot-total receivers advancing to November.
Malone now serves as the school board’s chairman.
District 3 has three candidates, Leonard Arvi of Salisbury, Susan W. Beauchamp of Salisbury and incumbent Tonya Laird Lewis of Willards.
The top two vote-getters of the three will advance.
A rematch of sorts from the 2018 race will occur in District 4, but with a third candidate added. David Plotts of Salisbury lost to incumbent Ann Brittingham Suthowski, also of Salisbury, but Rob Figliozzi will be in the primary this time.
District 5 also has just two candidates, Jake Blank of Salisbury and incumbent John Palmer of Delmar.
