Central Ohio voters mostly rejected school board candidates endorsed by conservative groups

Cole Behrens and Sheridan Hendrix, Columbus Dispatch
Updated ·5 min read
Newark residents make their selections on Election Day at Cherry Valley Elementary in Newark.
Newark residents make their selections on Election Day at Cherry Valley Elementary in Newark.

School board candidates endorsed by conservative groups aimed at centering "parental rights" platforms — such as book bans and restricting instruction on topics like race and gender — largely lost their races in Greater Columbus districts Tuesday.

Nearly three dozen contested school board races were on the ballot across central Ohio in this off-year election, many of which were dominated by culture-war issues.

Election 2023: For updates on local school levies and other election results, visit The Dispatch's election center.

Moms for Liberty, a Florida-based nonprofit organization advocates for parental rights in schools while fighting instruction related to race and gender identity, endorsed candidates in five local school board races. Other conservative candidates who were not endorsed indicated they signed pledges standing with Moms for Liberty's values to "honor the fundamental rights of parents" and "to advance policies that strengthen parental involvement and decision-making, increase transparency, defend against government overreach, and secure parental rights at all levels of government."

The Southern Poverty Law Center website calls the Moms for Liberty "a far-right organization that engages in anti-student inclusion activities and self-identifies as part of the modern parental rights movement," growing out of opposition to COVID-19 public health regulations while opposing LGBTQ+ and racially inclusive school curriculums and pushing book bans.

The conservative 1776 Project’s also endorsed two candidates in the South-Western City Schools' board race and another in the Hilliard City Schools' board race. The group says it aims to stamp out critical race theory by supporting local conservative school board candidates and has been pouring money into local school board races nationwide.

More: Culture-war issues take center stage in many central Ohio school board races

But most of the endorsements did not net winning candidates.

Of the 10 central Ohio candidates endorsed by or who pledged to Moms for Liberty or The 1776 Project, two won seats on their local school boards.

Cynthia Lampkins and John Dooley, who ran for two open seats on Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools's board; Diane Jones, who ran in Westerville City Schools; Alex Bilchak and Wayne Poll, who ran for seats on New Albany-Plain Local Schools' board; Erik Farley, who ran in Worthington City Schools; and Kate Lemaster, who ran in Hilliard City Schools, all lost their races, according to unofficial results.

Two candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty and the 1776 Project, Julie Liskany and Denise D'Angelo, both won seats on South-Western's board. Liskany and D'Angelo ran a joint campaign on a platform of implementing parent advisory curriculum teams and increasing parental and community involvement, including a "positive school culture" and "critical thinking skills," according to their campaign website.

"Our commitment to improving our education system has been fueled by your inspiration, and we promise to work hard to bring about the positive changes our schools so desperately need," Liskany and D'Angelo said in a thank you post on Facebook Wednesday morning. "This victory represents a shared dream of a brighter future for our schools, stronger community bonds, and an unwavering commitment to progress."

Here are the unofficial results of the area's contested school board races with all precincts reported in some districts:

Lisa Keller, of Upper Arlington, and Sammy Sallerson, of Upper Arlington, cast their votes at Burbank Early Childhood School on Tuesday,
Lisa Keller, of Upper Arlington, and Sammy Sallerson, of Upper Arlington, cast their votes at Burbank Early Childhood School on Tuesday,

Canal Winchester: Two open seats

  • Adam C. Twiss: 26%

  • Chloe Green: 18%

  • Matt Krueger: 17%

  • Kevin W. Butler: 14%

  • Scott Ferguson: 5%

Dublin: Two open seats

  • Amy Messick: 21%

  • Chris Valentine: 20%

  • Heather L. Tubbs Colley: 17%

  • Diva Sony: 17%

  • Darbie Everhart: 15%

  • Kearny Lykins: 9%

Gahanna-Jefferson: Two open seats

  • Daphne Moehring: 31%

  • Beryl Brown Piccolantonio: 28%

  • Cynthia Lampkins: 22%

  • John A. Dooley Jr.: 19%

Groveport Madison: Two open seats

  • Kathleen Walsh: 41%

  • John Kershner: 28%

  • Larry Carey: 21%

  • Benjamin W. Joof: 10%

Hilliard: Two open seats

  • Brian Perry: 31%

  • Kelley Arnold: 28%

  • Kate Lemaster: 23%

  • Nadia L. Long: 18%

Jonathan Alder: Two open seats

  • William McCartney: 21%

  • Steven Votaw: 21%

  • Bruce D. Hooley: 20%

  • Lindsay Streit: 16%

  • Brette Swider: 12%

  • Peter Hansen: 9%

New Albany-Plain: Two open seats

  • Jennifer Fuller: 29%

  • Paul Naumoff: 27%

  • Joe Quigley: 23%

  • Alex Bilchak: 21%

New Albany-Plain: One open seat (unexpired term)

  • Mark Wilson: 75%

  • Wayne Poll: 16%

  • Michael Verlingo: 9%

Olentangy: Three open seats

  • Kevin G. O’Brien: 25%

  • Libby Wallick: 25%

  • Lizett M. Schreiber: 21%

  • Ben Weber: 18%

  • Shilpa Saxena: 10%

Pickerington: Two open seats

  • Mark Hensen: 25%

  • Cathy Olshefski: 23%

  • Cheryl Ricketts: 22%

  • D. Keith Kristoff: 18%

  • Steve Anderson: 12%

South-Western: Two open seats

  • Denise D'Angelo: 27%

  • Julie Liskany: 26%

  • Anthony Caldwell: 25%

  • Lee Schreiner: 22%

Teays Valley: Three open seats

  • Mike France: 27%

  • Heith Good: 27%

  • Roxanne H. Davis: 26%

  • Bill McGowan: 20%

Upper Arlington: Three open seats

  • Jenny McKenna: 20%

  • Liz George Stump: 19%

  • Lori O. Trent: 18%

  • Sumia Mohamed: 16%

  • Glen A. Dugger: 15%

  • Ruth Edmonds: 13%

Westerville: Two open seats

  • Jennifer Aultman: 43%

  • Louise Valentine: 31%

  • Diane Jones: 26%

Whitehall: Two open seats

  • Lorena A. Lacey: 43%

  • Mike Adkins: 38%

  • Jeffrey P. Lees: 19%

Worthington: Two open seats

  • Stephanie Harless: 33%

  • Amber Epling: 32%

  • Erik N. Farley: 18%

  • Leah Breakey: 17%

I voted stickers at Montrose Elementary School, in Bexley on Election Day.
I voted stickers at Montrose Elementary School, in Bexley on Election Day.

Other Central Ohio school districts:

Big Walnut: Two open seats

  • Stephen P. Fujii: 28%

  • Zach Duffey: 25%

  • Brandon Hoge: 23%

  • Todd W. Smith: 23%

Buckeye Valley: Two open seats

  • Mary Kate Pembroke: 30%

  • Troy Jeffrey: 30%

  • Will Wright: 25%

  • Andrew Oberhammer: 15%

Circleville: Three open seats

  • Kara Davis: 30%

  • Tony Reeser: 21%

  • Jeff Burrow: 20%

  • Dia Hildenbrand: 17%

  • Tonya R. Winfield: 13%

Delaware: Two open seats

  • Janelle Gasaway: 30%

  • Ted Backus: 26%

  • Heather Ann Rodenborg: 23%

  • Emmett C. Jarvis, III: 13%

  • Kimlyn N. Queen: 8%

Jefferson Local: Three open seats

  • Shelton Stanley: 32%

  • Loriena Roberts: 24%

  • Rhonda Tabor: 23%

  • Meg Hiss: 22%

Logan Elm: Two open seats

  • Heidi D. White: 34%

  • Michael Agosta: 33%

  • Nikki Jackson: 32%

Marysville: Two open seats

  • Jermaine C. Ferguson: 37%

  • Matt Keller: 35%

  • Collin Smithey: 29%

Southwest Licking: Two open seats

  • Debra Moore: 33%

  • Michael Miller: 23%

  • Kandee Engle: 22%

  • Cory J. Ford: 15%

  • Alexander Smiley: 8%

Westfall: Three open seats

  • Mark Ruff: 23%

  • Judy Cook: 16%

  • Jennifer Brook Ruoff: 16%

  • Casey Pringle: 15%

  • Annie Williams: 15%

  • Brian Cooper: 12%

  • Gerald Timothy Daniel: 4%

Nov 7, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Flossie Callderone waits for residents with last names with E-K to check in to vote at Burbank Early Childhood School on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.
Nov 7, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Flossie Callderone waits for residents with last names with E-K to check in to vote at Burbank Early Childhood School on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.

@Colebehr_report

cbehrens@dispatch.com

@sheridan120

shendrix@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Here's how central Ohio voters decided on local school board elections