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School board races attract new faces

 
Candidates for Hillsborough County School Board at a recent meeting of the Tiger Bay Club: From left: Stacy Hahn, Sally Harris, Scott Hottenstein, Robert Pechacek, Bill Person, Mitchell Smithey, Kelso Tanner. Not shown: Melissa Snively, Steve Cona, Rod Mayhew, LaShonda Davison, Shake Washington. MARLENE SOKOL | Times
Candidates for Hillsborough County School Board at a recent meeting of the Tiger Bay Club: From left: Stacy Hahn, Sally Harris, Scott Hottenstein, Robert Pechacek, Bill Person, Mitchell Smithey, Kelso Tanner. Not shown: Melissa Snively, Steve Cona, Rod Mayhew, LaShonda Davison, Shake Washington. MARLENE SOKOL | Times
Published June 17, 2018

TAMPA — When long-time Hillsborough County School Board member Susan Valdes resigned this month from the board to run for the State House of Representatives, the decision affected more than just her seat in west Hillsborough's District 1.

It also could change the countywide race in District 6 where one candidate is now considering a run for the the single-member district seat Valdes is vacating.

Much can happen between now and June 22, the deadline for qualifying.

Here is a primer on how the race for School Board in the nation's eighth-largest district is shaping up.

School Board members serve four-year terms. The current board fired Superintendent MaryEllen Elia in 2015 by a 4-3 vote and soon afterward cast the same vote to hire her successor, Jeff Eakins.

But a once close-knit bloc of four votes has splintered, with no clear alliances any more.

Issues they have dealt with include the dismal financial state of the district, a decision to end busing for students within two miles of their schools, and the prospect of bringing in an out-of-state operator to manage schools that repeatedly have fallen below the state's academic standards.

Based on the most recent information available online, the seven Republicans and five Democrats running for the board have campaign accounts ranging from $300 to $54,000.

District 1

Northwest Hillsborough

Steve Cona III, 43, is executive director of the Associated Builders and Contractors Florida Gulf Coast Chapter. While school board races are nonpartisan, Cona is a registered Republican and Gov. Rick Scott's appointee to the Hillsborough Community College District Board of Trustees.

District 2

South Tampa, SouthShore

Stacy Ann Hahn, 51, is Republican. Hahn, who has run previously, is director of professional development and partnerships for the University of South Florida's College of Education.

Sally Harris, the incumbent, is 68 and Republican. She is also owner and operator of the Circle C early childhood center in South Tampa.

Rod Mayhew, 64, comes from a career in mortgage banking and marketing. He is a registered Republican.

District 4

Valrico, Lithia, Plant City

LaShonda Davison, 40, is a Democrat and an event planner.

Melissa Snively, 47 and Republican, is the incumbent. She operates a State Farm insurance agency. Snively has raised the most in campaign contributions by far, at $54,430.

District 6

Countywide

Scott Hottenstein, 47, was listed as a Republican. He teaches social studies at Barrington Middle School in Riverview.

Robert Pechacek, 36, is a Democrat and a social studies teacher at Coleman Middle School in South Tampa.

Bill Person, 67, is a Democrat who worked for the school district as a teacher, principal and district administrator. He came within 1.3 percentage points of defeating Valdes for re-election in 2016, and was last week considering a move to the District 1 group.

Mitchell Smithey, 45, is a Democrat. He is the cafeteria manager at Steinbrenner High School in Lutz.

Kelso Tanner, 43, is a Plant City Republican. He has a political consulting firm.

Henry "Shake" Washington, 69, is a Democrat. He is retired after working for the school district for close to 40 years, most recently as an area superintendent.

Contact Marlene Sokol at (813) 226-3356 or msokol@tampabay.com.