Salem victors share a common ground

Three candidates received more than half the votes in the race.

By D.A. WILKINSON

VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

SALEM — The winners in the Salem Board of Education race have several things in common.

They all have kids; they have backgrounds in business or finance; and they ran together, said Steven J. Bailey.

Bailey, along with Brad A. Myers and Nick Bush, topped a slate of nine candidates.

Bailey topped the field with 2,865 votes; Myers had 2,059, and Bush had 2,369.

Together, they received more than half of the total of 13,045 votes in a nine-candidate contest.

The two incumbents who sought re-election, Elizabeth Thatcher, the board president, and Marguerite Miller, received 882 and 1,045 votes, respectively.

The three candidates wound up running as a slate, including campaign signs.

The district has had its ups and downs in recent years that ranged from theft to financial problems to consolidation of the junior and senior high pupils in the high school, and cuts to enrichment classes.

“We were all interested,” Bailey said.

And, he added, “We all knew something drastic needed to be done.”

The three men also have backgrounds in business and finance.

Bailey has a bachelor’s of science in business administration and is a financial consultant.

Myers is the president and founder of Myers & Associates, which deals with risk management and security. He has a bachelor of science degree.

Bush, a businessman, could not be reached.

Bailey and Myers said they want to see the district’s education rating return to the state’s “excellent” category.

The size of the votes for the winners indicated the public’s interest in a new direction for the district, Myers said.

Myers also said he wanted to bring better management to the Salem schools.

While campaigning, Myers said the election was the most important in years.

The district will have to hire a superintendent who will have what Myers said will be a monumental task of moving the district forward.

The winners don’t take office until January.

The current board isn’t expected to take action on a superintendent replacement before the end of this year. Lou Ramunno of Salem is interim superintendent.

wilkinson@vindy.com