Today is Election Day
Today is Election Day for municipal races in Bristol, Tenn., and Bluff City, Tenn.
There are candidates running in four districts for the Board of Education, and voters can select one candidate in each district. For City Council, voters choose candidates in the district in which they live.
This newspaper’s three-member editorial board – Opinion Page Editor Suzanne Tate, Publisher Carl Esposito and Managing Editor J. Todd Foster – interviewed and endorsed candidates in all the contested races in Bristol, Tenn.
To recap: For City Council, we endorsed Margaret Feierabend over challenger Danny Marshall in the South District. Feierabend has substantial experience on council and in other civic pursuits over the newcomer Marshall.
We chose David Shumaker over Steven Willinger in the West District. Shumaker is the longest-serving member of council and has helped develop important city initiatives like restoring the city train station, creating the Rhythm & Roots music festival and developing the Sullivan County Networks business initiative. Willinger is a business-savvy candidate and a formidable opponent, but we sided with the incumbent Shumaker.
Mayor Joel Staton is running unopposed in the East District.
For Board of Education, we endorsed Kelly I. Buskell III over Aaron Brooks in the First District. Both candidates are impressive, but we gave the edge to Buskell who has been readying for this run for three years and has made it a priority to become an expert on a variety of topics that affect students, teachers and parents.
In the Third District, Nelson Pyle is running unopposed. Pyle, a southern Illinois native, is a career educator and school administrator who has worked in Illinois and Tennessee.
In the Fourth District we endorsed incumbent Anthony “Tony” Turner over challenger Jason Rush. Both candidates are highly qualified, but we gave the nod to the incumbent Turner, who has two years of experience on the board and whose strengths lie in aligning educational standards with technology.
In the Fifth District, incumbent Gwendolyn H. Ellis is running unopposed. Ellis previously worked in sales and advertising in North Carolina and South Carolina. She has been a self-described homemaker since 1993.
We urge you to vote today. If you want more information on any of the candidates, you can read detailed profiles and questionnaires the Bristol, Tenn., candidates completed. Visit TriCities.com, keyword “city election.”
Polls are open today from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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Reader Reactions
Mr. Rush,
I’m not a resident there anymore, so I can’t vote. I lived in Bristol, TN. for approximately 10 years, though, so I know the area.
I’m more of a casual observer, and it’s public education that I’m most interested in. If you were to win, and stress student discipline, teacher support, administrators to do what’s right, rather than what’s popular politically, etc., you would probably be a one term member. The voters would run you out of town. Too many parents are worried about their kids feeling good about themselves, as opposed to learning things that will help in their futures.
The public has no clue what actually goes on in schools, and teachers are scared to death to tell the real truth about it. Many teachers are told to pass certain students because the parents of those students are so-called “influential folks” in the community. My theory is that there is a giant rug somewhere that this kind of stuff is swept under.
I wish you luck.
farmer,
Here you go. No fluff just answers. Our community deserves that and you deserve that.
I very much support discipline in our schools and agree this is an area in which we must improve. I also think effective disciplining must be a joint effort between the school and the parents. I have not been shy in saying we need a partnership between parent, teachers and administrators and this is a wonderful example.
I do not support social promotion. I believe our teachers have an obligation to teach our students and I believe every student can learn. I believe in developing each student to the best of the students ability before we promote them to the next step.
As an aspiring teacher, I do believe we must find a way to let teachers teach. A model school for this is Anderson Elementary. I have seen more skilled teaching and meaningful learning in that school than any other I have observed over the last three years of pursuing my own teaching degree.
I do not belive in multip[le second chances. I believe when I am having to give multiple chances, what ever I am doing is not working for that student and I must change my approach. Again this is an area where we need more input, involvement and support from parents.
I hope I have answered your questions. I will be unavailable to post for the rest of the day. Farmer, I am interested to know if I have your vote?
Mr. Rush,
Do you promote discipline in our schools? Unless you live under a rock, you know that currently our young people (students) run the schools, along with their very vocal, and most of the time uneducated parents.
Do you support social promotion? Be careful with that one. Currently there are high school age students who read at the 4th grade level, and lower. Many say we don’t socially promote. The level of some of our teenage students says otherwise.
Will you support teachers, by letting them teach, like they were trained to do?
Are you for giving students 2nd chance after 2nd chance after 2nd chance in terms of violating school rules?
Answer these questions, sir. And please try to stay away from the politician-style answer. Just answer them.
As you consider your vote today in District 4, please consider these two things. While both candidates live in and seek to represent District 4, only Jason Rush has his children attending school in District 4, despite both candidates having elementary aged children. Why does Mr. Turner not support the school that serves his district? Is this a potential conflict? Second, in his two years on the board, if his strength is technology why are there schools (like the one in the district Mr. Turner seeks to represent)that have a budget of $0 dedicated to technology? Do not be fooled by the smoke and mirrors of his having a student in the school system, this is not open and honest communication which he claims to seek. Do not be fooled by his promise of integrating technology in our schools. He has already had two years and has done nothing with this strength. Until we either have an at large system, District 4 should be represented by someone who lives in the district and whose children aren’t driven out of district to attend another school in the city. This helps us insure our schools needs are being met by having representation familiar with the school(s) they represent and maintains balance on the board. If you want open and honest communication, and representation from someone who actually supports District 4 through action, vote for me, Jason Rush.
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