Tony Turner easily took home a second term on the Bristol Tennessee Board of Education after beating his challenger by a margin of almost 20 percentage points in Tuesday’s election.
Winning by that much “was great because it makes me feel like everything I’ve been doing is right,” said Turner, who got 59.2 percent of the vote. “It shows me that the voters appreciate what I have done.”
Turner represents the board’s 4th District, which covers the city’s Anderson Elementary School Zone. He was appointed to the position in October 2007 following the death of former board member Kent Hale. Turner ran for his first, full four-year term Tuesday. He was challenged by Jason Rush, who got 40.8 percent of the vote.
“I’m disappointed that we weren’t able to pull it out,” Rush said Tuesday before promising to seek the 4th district seat again in the next election, in four years.
About 1,300 votes were cast in the school board election, giving the contest a turnout of about 9 percent. Turner said he was impressed by the number of voters who showed up, as was Kelly Buskell, who won the board’s 1st District seat.
“I’m humbled by [the win],” said Buskell, who won his seat with 52 percent of the vote. Buskell beat Aaron Brooks, who took 48 percent of the vote.
The 1st District covers the Holston View Elementary School zone. It was previously represented by Kathy Cooper, who decided not to seek another term.
Buskell said he looked forward to working with the board in the future, though admitting he’ll probably spend his first few meetings getting used to the way things worked.
Brooks could not be reached for comment.
gmclean@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2518
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