Politics & Government

Paton, Barrett, Horvath and Maloney Take Plymouth-Canton School Board Seats

Incumbents Nancy Eggenberger, John Jackson and Steven Sneideman failed to retain their seats.

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools' Board of Education has gotten a shake-up.

Fourteen candidates were on the ballot for four seats. After the votes were counted Tuesday, newcomers , , and finished in the four top spots.

Three incumbents, including board President , former President and lost their bids to retain their seats. A fourth incumbent, Dianne Gonzalez, withdrew from the race less than a week after declaring her candidacy. The candidates ouster may be a reflection of voters' frustration with a year of often tumultuous board meetings.

Find out what's happening in Plymouth-Cantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Board of Education had been divided in a 4-3 split on multiple issues during the past year, not the least of which was where to draw the line between the board responsibilities and superintendent responsibilities.

Money was a much bigger issue, with the board trying to fix a nearly $12 million projected deficit, at one point and cutting programs — along with pressing teachers, custodians and other district employees — and giving up management of bus drivers altogether by agreeing to privatized services.

Find out what's happening in Plymouth-Cantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The results must be certified — something that will happen Wednesday morning — but adjusting to the new school board may take longer.

Maloney said he would wait to celebrate until the results were certified. He and Horvath ran on a conservative slate with two other candidates, and who finished sixth and seventh, respectively.

Paton, who received the most votes (6,651) said she was surprised by the support she received in the election.

"I'm really pleased, and I look forward to working on the board and continuing to make sure the focus is on the kids," she said.

Paton said she thinks the board will be able to "work well together and for the kids."

Barrett, a city of Plymouth commissioner, said he was surprised he did well in Canton, where he drew 2,836 votes — Paton was the only candidate with more votes. Barrett said the main issue he expects to deal with on the board is the budget.

"Beyond that, being competitive in the school market with charter schools picking up everywhere, private schools of all kinds, I think we're going to have to change in order to be competitive," Barrett said.

Horvath's daughter Katie, 23, is scheduled to graduate in December from Eastern Michigan University with a teaching degree. She said working on her father's campaign taught her that "if you want to see a change, part of that change is to get out and vote."

Moving forward

The three incumbents who lost seemed to take the result in stride.

Sneideman said he was ready to accept whatever the voters wanted. He said he looks forward to resuming hobbies such as tennis and piano that he'd given up during his five years on the board. He said he hopes to remain active with the district's alumni association and would like to get involved in diversity projects.

Eggenberger said she wondered how the new board would gel but did not hazard a guess. She said she is looking forward to taking a break from public office  after serving for four years. She said she had gotten to know "many nice people along the way" during her time on the board and campaiging.

Jackson, who campaigned to retain the seat to which he'd had since 2007, left the district offices with no comment Tuesday and did not return phone calls from Patch asking for his reaction to the loss. But he posted the following note on his campaign's Facebook page:

"Thank you to all my supporters and those who voted for me! We ran a good race but did not win a seat. We based the campaign on communicating the truth, emphasizing the positive about the district and taking the high road. The people I respect most and call my friends were those behind me. That's what counts most to me in this race. It's been a pleasure to serve but it will be even a greater pleasure to take some long trips and not worry about having to be back on Tuesday for a meeting. Thanks again to everyone!"

Of the top four vote-getters, Maloney and Horvath are former board members. Paton co-founded a parent-run legislative action network and promoted her fiscal management skills; and Barrett is a former teacher and administrator who has some political experience, most recently on the Plymouth City Council.

One candidate, Stephanie Goecke, said her decision to run for public office experience was "life-changing" and that she doesn't regret one moment of her campaign.

Dame, another first-time candidate who did not win, said the results speak volumes.

"The fact that three incumbents were unseated says something about the board," he said. "I hope the other three (board members) are listening."

Below are the unofficial election results:

Candidate Total Votes Percent 6,651 13% 5,736 11% 5,338 11% 5,096 10% 4,524 9% 3,840 8% 3,720 7% 3,316 7% 2,963 6% 2,847 6% 2,659 5% 1,301 3% John Nichols 1,026 2% 789 2% 407 1%


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