Who is running for Des Moines School Board? A look at the 2023 candidates

Five candidates are running for three vacant seats on the Des Moines School Board. The seats up for election this year are District 1, District 3 and an at-large member.

Of the candidates, Kim Martorano is the only incumbent seeking reelection to her District 1 seat. She is running an uncontested race.

Incumbent board members Dwana Bradley (District 3) and Kelli Soyer (at-large) do not plan to seek another term.

Two candidates — Victoria Henderson Weber and Anna Campos — are vying for Bradley's District 3 seat, while another pair of candidates — Patrick Dix and Logan Villhauer — are eying Soyer's at-large position.

Candidates' nomination papers were due Sept. 21. The election is Nov. 7.

Here's what we know about the candidates:

District 1

Kim Martorano (incumbent)

Martorano is seeking her second term as District 1 representative. Martorano wants to continue focusing on improving student outcomes, making sure marginalized students are supported and fostering better community engagement, her campaign website says.

Martorano is an information system specialist with the Johnston Community School District and a former data analyst for Des Moines Public Schools. She also served on the executive board of Lake County Federation of Teachers Local 504 and volunteers with the organization Big Brothers Big Sisters, according to a district news release.

District 3

Anna Campos

A mother of six and an East High School graduate, Campos is running to represent the school board's District 3 seat. Student safety is among her top priorities and she wants streets to be more walkable, according to her campaign page on Facebook. Campos' teenage daughter, Ema Cardenas, was fatally struck by a car while crossing East University Avenue as she walked home from East High School.

Campos, a member of Calvary Apostolic Church in Des Moines, a foster care advocate and an avid volunteer, says she is dedicated to serving the district's students, teachers and families.

Victoria Henderson Weber

Weber, president of the Des Moines NAACP branch, is vying for the school board's District 3 seat. She is a graduate of North High School, parent of a Des Moines Public Schools second-grade student and lifelong resident of Des Moines' east side, according to her campaign page on Facebook. Weber has experience with youth engagement and recruiting families of color to foster, adopt or provide respite care for children.

Weber says she wants to help shape policies that empower students and offer them access to equitable resources. She also wants to ensure district staff is culturally competent and eliminate barriers that hinder students, especially those who are marginalized, from succeeding.

At-large

Patrick Dix

Dix, a longtime TV journalist and former WHO 13 anchor, is seeking an at-large seat on the school board. Dix is a Chicago native who has lived in Des Moines for more than 20 years with his wife and two children. He also has volunteered for several organizations such as ChildServe and the Science Center of Iowa.

If elected, Dix wants to bring "a positive, creative and solutions-oriented perspective" to the school board, his campaign website stated. He also looks to strengthen the relationship between the school district and the communities and families it serves.

Logan Villhauer

Villhauer is looking to fill the at-large seat on the school board.

A longtime Des Moines resident and activist who performs as a drag queen, Villhauer said in a news release that he hopes to be the first openly gay school board candidate since former school board member Jonathan Wilson was publicly outed in 1995. Villhauer, whose stage name is Karyn Wood Michaels, co-founded the "Saddle Gurls," a drag group that performs at Blazing Saddle, Des Moines' oldest gay bar.

Villhauer said in the news release that if elected, his focus would be to drive inclusivity and equity to the school district and help students feel empowered. He also generally opposes book bans. Iowa recently passed a law requiring schools to remove books that describe or depict sex acts.

Write-in candidate Ben Clarke also is running for the at-large seat but did not file official nomination paperwork.

Editor's Note: RJ Miller has been removed from the list. He is no longer running for school board.

F. Amanda Tugade covers social justice issues for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@dmreg.com or follow her on Twitter @writefelissa.

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Who is running for Des Moines School Board in 2023