Tight races come to a close in Harford Board of Education election; five new members elected

Nov. 22—With the 2022 state and county election results in the books, the Harford County Board of Education will have a new look on Dec. 5 when five new board members are sworn in.

Newcomers Denise Perry, Melissa Hahn, Diane Alvarez, Carol Bruce and Wade Sewell have won seats on the school board. Incumbent Carol Mueller will keep her seat.

"Harford County Public Schools looks forward to welcoming and supporting all new board members," said Jillian Lader, HCPS manager of communications. "The process to familiarize board members with board policies, [Maryland State Department of Education] guiding principles, legislative rulings, and instructional and operational practices in HCPS takes time and we look forward to working with each board member during this process."

The board will have a mix of members who will advocate for parental rights as well as members who will voice the opinions of educators. Six candidates — winners Bruce, Sewell and Mueller along with Sharon Jacobs, Stephen Puopolo and Ariane Kelly — were endorsed by the Harford County Education Association, the county teachers' union.

"I'm proud of the work that educators did alongside parents and community members to win important races so we can make sure that all of our students have the resources and opportunities they need to pursue their dreams," HCEA President Chrystie Crawford-Smick said in a statement.

The Maryland State Education Association also lauded the success of its "Apple Ballot" educator-endorsed candidates on the county school board.

"Our students, schools, educators, and families will benefit from the strong, committed pro-public education leaders who were elected," MSEA President Cheryl Bost said in a news release on Nov. 16.

Five candidates — Dennis Barry, Kayla Mariskanish and Tanya Tyo along with winners Hahn and Alvarez — were endorsed by conservative political action group Moms for Liberty.

"Moms for Liberty Harford County is thrilled that two candidates we endorsed for Board of Education will be seated in December," said Suzie Scott, Moms for Liberty Harford County chapter chair. "Melissa Hahn and Diane Alvarez are first-time candidates who saw the need for parental rights advocates to have a seat at the table. Melissa's margin of victory was very impressive against the incumbent. Parents are not happy with the decisions coming from the Board of Education and we are glad that Melissa and Diane will be able to lend a parent's perspective to the decision making process."

Hahn defeated incumbent Kelly to represent District D in a lopsided race in which Hahn received nearly 70% of the votes.

When reached for comment Tuesday, Kelly said she is not looking for a recount since it wouldn't change the fact that Hahn's "smear campaign" put fear in many of her supporters throughout the process.

"In September, someone launched a smear campaign against me and had their own signs created that showed up overnight around my community," Kelly said. "The content on the signs is a bunch of lies fabricated in order to hurt me and my chances of winning. These signs showed up illegally zip-tied to stop signs, screwed into telephone poles, and placed along county and state roads. Someone or a group of people put in a lot of energy and money in their attempt to ruin my chances and had several versions of signs made."

Kelly said she notified the sheriff's office, State Highway Administration and Board of Elections but was told she didn't have the right to remove the signs due to freedom of speech. Hahn's supporters went further on Election Day by being aggressive toward Kelly's supporters at the polls, Kelly said.

"On Election Day, I had supporters stationed at each of the polling locations and was told that my opponent's supporters were very aggressive, asking people as they walked in who they were voting for and telling people not to vote for me because of A, B and C," Kelly said. "I know that politics is never fun or easy, but I never imagined that a local board of education race would be so childish and heated."

Here is an overview of how the other races went down for Harford County's Board of Education:

Perry maintained her Election Day lead to defeat Puopolo to represent District A on the Board of Education. Perry received 63% of the votes.

Alvarez maintained her Election Day lead against Jacobs, although Jacobs came extremely close following the first day of canvassing. Alvarez will represent District F on the Board of Education, with 52% of the votes.

"I believe I won because I campaigned and voters support my view on education," Alvarez said. "My campaign focused on communication with constituents which I will continue as a representative on the board. I look forward to serving public education."

"I am content with the results of the race," Jacobs said.

After falling behind on Election Day, Bruce defeated Tyo to represent District E with 51% of the votes.

"I appreciate the opportunity to say that I look forward to serving the citizens of District E and the county on the BOE," Bruce said. "I thank everyone that voted for me and hope to make them proud."

Mueller defeated Mariskanish to represent District C with 54% of the votes.

"I would like to express my appreciation to the voters of District C in their support of my election," Mueller said. "As we move forward, I promise to listen to the community and strive to provide the highest quality educational experience to all of the students of HCPS."

The Morning Sun

Sewell also came from behind after Election Day to defeat Barry in District B with 51% of the votes.

"I am deeply honored, humbled and appreciative to be elected to the Harford County Board of Education for District B," Sewell said Friday evening. "As the votes were tallied this week, my mind turned to the work at hand. I've been thinking extensively about all the challenges we face within the school system: school safety, mental health, aging facilities, educator recruitment and retention, student success and achievement, parent involvement and engagement in their children's education, and overall that we are providing the right opportunities to our students."

With two members of Moms for Liberty on the board, the political advocacy group hopes to see its influence increase within Harford County's Board of Education.

"We kicked off this year stating that 2022 is the Year of the Parent and people are starting to see what that looks like," said Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice, co-founders of Moms for Liberty. "We are seeing parents advocate for their children in schools with a tenacity like we've never seen before, and you should expect to see more examples of bold leadership as newly elected school board members take their seats on boards across the country. Parents have decided they are no longer going to sit in the shadows while school boards decide the future of their children for them."

Bost, however, criticized those who mix politics into the educational system.

"Unfortunately, we saw many candidates run for school board this year who were fixated on divisive and extreme political agendas — but thankfully many of these candidates were defeated on Election Day," Bost said in the news release. "We were proud to support candidates focused on the things our students really need, like expanding career and technical education, making sure our schools are fully staffed, and providing additional support for struggling learners."