By Liz Holland

During summer and fall campaigning, the most-intense battles for Board of Education seats involved the at-large contests, where four people vied for two seats.

Two contenders are leaders in the somewhat controversial Delmarva Parent Teacher Coalition, while the other two are teaching and academic figures.

Bonnie H. Ennis and Kristin N. Hazel were ahead with 5,434 and 4,632 votes, respectively.

The other candidates are George M. Demko with 3,813 votes and Darren J. Lombardo with 4,026 votes.

Ennis retired this year after 44 years as a classroom teacher and administrator with Wicomico County Public Schools.

Hazel is a small-business owner who lives in Salisbury. She is the mother of a child on the Autism Spectrum, and seeks to serve as an advocate for students with special needs.

Demko is the former Director of Microbiology at TidalHealth, who now teaches English as a Second Language at Wor-Wic Community College.

Lombardo of Salisbury has more than 30 years of Information Technology and business administration experience.

The Wicomico County Board of Election will begin canvassing mail-in ballots on Thursday, Nov. 10.

District 1

 In Wicomico’s minority-majority district, incumbent Allen C. Brown was leading over challenger Luc Angelot in the district that includes north and west Salisbury. Brown had 1,265 votes and Angelot had 623.

Brown was first appointed to the Board of Education in 2017 and elected to serve a four-year term in 2018. After 40 years of service to Wicomico County Public Schools, he retired as Assistant Superintendent for Student Services. He was a teacher, vice principal, pupil personnel worker, and Director of Student Services prior to his last position.

Angelot was born and raised in Salisbury. He graduated from Wicomico High School in 2021. A job at the Horizons Summer Program made him realize he had a passion for schools. He is the son of Pastor Samuel Angelot of Ebenezer Baptist Church and Marie Angelot, both immigrants from Haiti.

 District 2

 Gene Malone of Salisbury, who currently serves as Board Chairman, led with 1,546 votes against challenger Karin Miller of Salisbury, who netted 991 votes.

Malone was appointed to the Wicomico County Board of Education in 2016 and elected to serve a four-year term in December 2018. He is a Vice President with First Shore Federal Savings and Loan Association.

Miller, who has volunteered in the schools and served as a PTA officer, has 9 years experience teaching in Wicomico County at the elementary and middle school level.

 District 3

 Susan W. Beauchamp was leading with 1,421 votes, followed by Leonard Arvi with 677 votes.

Beauchamp has been a business owner and practicing accountant for 35 years. Arvi is the chair of the Department of Economics & Finance and Professor of Finance at Salisbury University.

 District 4

 David Plotts was leading Ann Brittingham Suthkowski, 449 votes to 281 votes.

Plotts works for the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, currently as Controller. In 2019, he was appointed as the parent liaison to the school board's Parent Advisory Committee, from Pinehurst Elementary School.

Suthowski was elected to the school board in 2018. For 31 years, she worked for the Laurel School District, including 10 years as a reading, English and journalism teacher and 21 years as a secondary reading specialist.

 District 5

 Incumbent school board member John Palmer of Delmar was in the lead against challenger Jake Blank of Salisbury, 1,475 votes to 1,000.

Palmer was first appointed in 2015. Palmer had a 21-year career in the U.S. Navy, ultimately becoming a Master Chief. He recently retired from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, where he was the Facility Supervisor for the campus physical plant.