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Politics & Government

Ledyard School Board Has New Members

All six Republican candidates won, while only three Democrats will return to the board.

Republicans gained an extra seat in the Board of Education in Tuesday's election. Incumbent Democrats John Phetteplace and Stephanie Calhoun lost their seats to Republican newcomers Bob Beaver and Joan Disco. Democrat Rebecca Graebner also won a seat.

There were 12 candidates for the board’s nine seats, with both parties fielding six candidates each. All six Republican candidates won, while only three Democrats will sit on the board.

For the Board of Education’s next two-year term, its members will be Republicans Gordon Strickland, Thomas Malone, Mimi Peck-Llewellyn, Julia Cronin, Joan Disco, and Bob Beaver, and Democrats Sharon Hightower, Michelle Hinton, and Rebecca Graebner.

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Cronin, a Republican incumbent, earned the highest number of votes. She worked as a scientist at Pfizer before she became a teacher. She has three children in Ledyard schools.

Democrats Phetteplace and Calhoun were less fortunate, both losing their seats. For some board members, their defeat was unexpected. “I’m surprised about the three who didn’t make it,” said Hinton, who called Phetteplace “a strong asset to the board.”

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Democrat Ted Nunes also failed to win a seat.

Disco, a retired teacher, said education is her passion.

"I think it's important that we advocate for kids in education," she said. "With all the mandates coming down from the state and our budgetary constraints, it's important that we try to stay current. I think the Board of Education has done a fine job, and I just want to be a part of it."

The new members may bring a different set of ideas to the Board of Education. “I think the tone of the board might change a bit, and that’s not a negative or a positive thing,” Hinton said.

Others disagree. According to Peck-Llewellyn, political divisions are not an issue on the board, and the incoming Republicans won’t change the board’s direction significantly. “We don’t see people as red or blue. We’re very nonpartisan, and that’s the way it should be,” she said.

The newcomers, however, may need to work hard to catch up with the board’s work. “I think we have a new panel that’s going to be challenged by the work we’re doing,” said Hightower, the current chair. “It’ll be our job as incumbents to lift them to this challenge.”

Borad of Ed. Candidate

Dist. 1 votes

Dist. 2 votes

Vote totals

Sharon Hightower, D

941

 930

 1,871

Michelle Hinton, D

824

 753

 1,577

Julia Cronin, R

1,071 

 877

 1,948

Gordon Strickland, R

935

 817

 1,752

Mimi Peck-Llewellyn, R

952 

 906

 1,858

Stephanie Calhoun, D

711

 653

 1,364

John Phetteplace, D

764

 739

 1,503

Tom Malone, R

965

 829

 1,794

Rebecca Graebner, D

785

 857

 1,642

Bob Beaver, R

924

 705

 1,629

Ted Nunes, D

695

 716

 1,411

Joan Disco, R

958

 788

 1,746

Bold = winner

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