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Politics

2 races lopsided; 2 set for runoffs

Nancy Bostock builds a strong lead over Mary Russell. Linda Lerner rolls toward a fifth term. Others wait for Nov. 7.

By TIMES STAFF WRITER
Published September 6, 2006

In the only race between two sitting Pinellas School Board members, Nancy Bostock appeared to have easily won a third term Tuesday over Mary Russell.

Longtime board member Linda Lerner also was well on her way to winning a fifth term in a race against two challengers who blamed her for the board's problems in recent years.

But the campaign continues for four candidates in the two other School Board races. Tuesday's results set up a general election showdown between board member Mary Brown and challenger Jennifer S. Crockett for the south county District 7 seat.

In the countywide District 3 seat, Peggy O'Shea was the lead vote-getter. It appeared late Tuesday that she will face Sean Michael O'Flannery or Lew Williams in the Nov. 7 general election. O'Flannery had a lead of only a few hundred votes with several precincts still uncounted.

The runoffs were triggered when neither Brown nor O'Shea gained a majority.

"I was hoping that I could win it right out, but I knew there was a high possibility of a runoff," said Brown, 70, who in 2002 became the first African-American elected to the board. "It goes with the territory."

Crockett, 33, a first-time candidate, is a legal assistant with three young children, including two in Pinellas schools. She began attending board meetings in February.

"I had no idea what to expect," she said of the race that included five candidates. "When I announced, it was Mary and I. Now we can go ahead and do that race."

O'Flannery, a Lakewood High School social studies teacher and volleyball coach, spent a mere $137 on his campaign while O'Shea spent more than $16,000.

"I think it goes back to the dissatisfaction in the district," O'Flannery said. "I think it might be a protest vote."

O'Flannery has been critical of superintendent Clayton Wilcox and championed teachers, saying their low morale was due in part to a lack of respect from administrators.

O'Shea, meanwhile, praised Wilcox for his leadership and criticized some board members for being more obstructionist than they need to be. She was not available for comment Tuesday night.

Williams, 63, said late Tuesday he was surprised at the District 3 results. "I don't know what to say," he said. "For once, I'm speechless."

The countywide contest pitting Bostock against Russell was seen by many as Tuesday's premiere race, with two candidates who represented opposing sides of the current board.

Bostock has been a strong supporter of Wilcox and many of the changes he has instituted since coming to Pinellas two years ago.

Her style and that of a 4-3 majority has been to set a broad direction for the district and give Wilcox the latitude to see to the details.

Russell has been critical of Wilcox and has challenged many of his moves. She has pressed the board to take a stronger role in some of the district's day-to-day operations.

Bostock raised about $43,000, more than any of the 15 other candidates for School Board. She credited a strong grass roots campaign that got door-knocking volunteers into 75 of the county's 376 precincts.

"A lot of people have been very good to me," she said Tuesday night.

Russell could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Lerner said of her race: "I think many of the people who voted do know me." When her new term ends, giving her 20 years on the School Board, she will have served the district for more than one-fifth of its existence.

[Last modified September 6, 2006, 06:17:04]