Newcomers Janie Ruddy and Lauren Ramirez were elected to the Flager County School Board Tuesday night .
Longtime board members Colleen Conklin, District 3, and Cheryl Massaro, District 5, decided not to run for reelection.
With 50.58% of votes, Ruddy defeated Derek Barrs by 288 votes for the District 3 seat.
"I'm in shock and awe, I think it's probably the best way to put it," Ruddy said. "It was a little over two months campaigning, and it was on a vastly smaller budget than my competitor."
Ruddy told The News-Journal Tuesday evening that she was "cautiously celebrating."
"There are some provisional ballots, and every vote counts, so I don't know what the number of the provisional ballots are that are outstanding," she said. "I hope to learn that from the Supervisor of Elections tomorrow, and so I'll feel a little more secure on Friday when the vote is certified."
And Ramirez will take over District 5, claiming 60.65% of votes and defeating opponent Vincent Sullivan by 5,167 votes.
"I'm super excited," she said.
"Thank you to all of my family, all the support, all the volunteers that worked tirelessly all day, all week from I think like 5 in the morning until 7 p.m. ..." Ramirez continued. "Hats off to Sullivan for running a great campaign, and thank you to everyone for their support and belief in me."
Janie Ruddy defeats challenger Derek Barrs for District 3 seat
Ruddy — a parent, education advocate and former teacher — currently works as the director of professional learning for n2y, a special education software, curriculum and learning tools company. She ran for school board because she believes every c hild should have access to an excell ent education.
Ruddy said Monday she felt "great" heading into Tuesday’s election, in regards to her campaign and the “positive sentiment” she received.
“It’s been a really great process,” Ruddy told The News-Journal ahead of election results being counted. “I've learned so much. I've also reached out to so many and learned about additional issues outside of my realm as a teacher and leader in the schools, and I wish to continue to champion no matter what happens.”
Barrs, who received Gov. Ron DeSantis' endorsement last month , is the current associate vice president at HNTB Corporation and a retired chief with the Florida Highway Patrol. He ran for school board because he has a strong desire to make a positive impact in Flagler County.
“I'm very proud of the volunteers that we had that have just come out to support me in this journey. It's been humbling, and I'm very thankful for each one of them,” Barrs said Monday. “And we've run a positive campaign of what we feel like we can do, or I can do, for Flagler County Schools and work together to improve our school district even more than what it has so far, and so I'm proud of the relationships that we've built, proud of our volunteers, and just proud that we've pressed forward to push our message out in a positive way.”
After election results were counted, Barrs told The News-Journal that running for school board has been a "good experience." He is proud to have run a "clean campaign" but "disappointed in the results.
"I want to tank Flagler County voters, for the ones that did come out and supported us through this campaign," Barrs said Wednesday. "And (I'm) thankful for my many supporters that were involved and believed in the good governance that we thought we were going to be able to bring to the board."
Lauren Ramirez defeats challenger Vincent Sullivan for District 5 seat
Lauren Ramirez is a former university teacher and the CEO of Salus Medical Training LLC. She ran for Flagler’s school board because she felt her knowledge, background and expertise could provide Flagler County with a more supportive and enriching education environment.
Moving forward, community members can expect to see "a board that will work really close together and get things done — whatever we talk about, just keep the ball rolling and try to get everything done and become the best school district in Florida," Ramirez said.
Her opponent, Sullivan, is a longtime Flagler County resident and an attorney and business owner. He ran for school board because he cares about kids, wants to give back to the community, and wants to ensure his hometown offers quality education.
When asked how the overall race went, Sullivan spoke highly of how he and Ramirez conducted themselves, noting that their race has been one of the "cleanest" in Flagler County history.
"First and foremost, congratulations to Lauren," Sullivan said Tuesday evening. "We ran a very clean campaign. As far as I'm concerned, no family drama got brought into anything, and she honored her part. Flagler County spoke, and they like Lauren, and I wish her the very best to help make our school district the best thing possible, because at the end of the day, we're both in this for the kids."
Sullivan told The News-Journal that although he didn't win the District 5 seat, he still wants to remain a familiar Flagler face.
"I'm never going to quit being involved in our community," he said. "Because I'm not on school board, that means I'm going to keep doing the charitable organizations I'm involved with, and (I) look forward to keep talking to community members and figuring out ways we can make Flagler County better.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Election 2024: Ruddy, Ramirez win two Flagler County School Board seats up for election
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