Only one newcomer among Highlands districts

There are no challengers to incumbent school board members in Beacon and Cold Spring for the May 16 election, suggesting that absent a write-in campaign they will run unopposed.

In Beacon, President Anthony White, Vice President Kenya Gadsden and members Kristan Flynn and Craig Wolf are each running for four open seats on the nine-member board.

The vote tally will determine the length of each winner’s term. The three highest vote getters will serve standard three-year terms, while the fourth-place finisher will serve one year. That’s because Flynn and Wolf were appointed last year to fill vacated seats, one of which was set to be contested this year and the other in 2018.

In Garrison, incumbent Diana Swinburne and newcomer Courtney Watson McCarthy will appear on the ballot to fill two open seats on the seven-member board. Carol McCullough, appointed last year to complete the term of James Cannon after his death in May, is not running. Swinburne, first elected in 2005, seeks her fifth term. McCarthy is a paper engineer and graphic designer known for her bestselling pop-up books.

Statement by Courtney Watson McCarthy

Watson McCarthy

I have been part of the Garrison School community since moving here nearly five years ago. With children in both the elementary and middle school, I have volunteered for everything from class parent to the Garrison Children’s Education Fund, from serving hot lunch to holding sleepovers in the gym.

Serving on the school board seems like the natural next step to gain further insight to the workings of the school. The Garrison School faces challenges by simply being a small, K-8 school. We want to be sure our children are receiving the best practices available as well as being able to take advantage of the benefits and flexibility of our small class sizes. I am looking forward to being part of some of the larger conversations that help shape the school, curriculum and community.

In Cold Spring, incumbent Peggy Clements is the only candidate for her seat on the five-member board. She won election to the board in 2015 and 2016, both times finishing third among three candidates and so assigned to fill the remaining year in vacated seats. If elected on May 16, she will serve a full three-year term.

Behind The Story

Type: News

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