LAURINBURG — Challengers in two separate school board races garnered the most votes in their respective elections, according to unofficial returns.
Carolyn Banks beat incumbent Charles Brown for the at-large seat on the school board. She won with 6,820 votes to 4,281 votes for Brown.
“When you run for office you want to win and you want to continue the work you have done,” Brown said.
Banks could not be reached for comment.
Banks was recently named director of the Partners in Ministry After-School program, Strengthening Youth Through STEM.
Banks, who has more than 25 years in education, began her teaching experience in Hoke County in the Career and Technical Education field as a technology education teacher. She retired last school year after spending four years as the STEM teacher at Spring Hill Middle School.
Stewartsville
In the race for the Stewartsville seat on the school board, Rick Singletary was the top elected candidate getting 7,543 or 25.4 percent of the vote. Incumbents Jeff Byrd and Wayne Cromartie won re-election with Byrd in second place with 5,291 votes and Cromartie with 4,526 votes.
“First of all I would like to give a special thank you to everyone who voted, specifically those who voted for me, but also everyone who voted in general,” Singletary said after receiving the most votes of any Board of Education Candidates with 25 percent of the vote.
Singletary, a retired Sycamore Lane Middle School principal, said whatever his thoughts on consolidation are, the goal moving forward is to figure out “what the best next step is.”
“We are our brother’s keeper,” he said. “There are better days ahead for Scotland County.”
Cromartie also was pleased to hear he was elected to the seat he was appointed to replace Darwin Williams in 2015.
“This has been an exciting process in terms of its potential change with consolidation,” Cromartie said. “I base my beliefs on what is best for each and every child — we went through dozens of scenarios and asked lots of questions.”
Byrd, who serves as school board chairman could not be reached for comment.
Finishing in the bottom of the vote totals included Brian Gainey with 4,474 votes, Pat Gates with 4,197, Karen Ackwood-James with 3,579.
There are approximately 175 provisional ballots in Scotland County, which will be counted tomorrow and may change the outcome of the final results.
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