Brock defeats Greiner for Pekin school board seat

PACKWOOD – Challenger Linda Brock has defeated Pekin School Board President JJ Greiner in the race to represent District 5 on the school board.

According to the unofficial results from the Tuesday, Nov. 4 school board election, Brock defeated Greiner 299 votes (56 percent) to 239. In a statement shared with The Union, Brock said she was honored to have gained the trust of the community, and was excited to join the school board.

“I look forward to working with fellow board members as well as listening to the staff, students, parents, and the community,” she said. “There are some exciting things happening, and I’m eager to be a part of our district’s future success.”

Three other seats on the school board were up for grabs that Tuesday. Kortney Baumberger coasted to an uncontested win for an at-large seat with 414 votes of the 451 cast, and JD Olinger also won an uncontested race to fill a vacancy for District 1, garnering 424 votes of the 434 cast. One race, to fill District 3, had no candidates on the ballot, and the winner will be a write-in candidate. That winner will be named after the results are certified after canvassing next week. In fact, the Pekin school board rescheduled its meeting originally planned for Nov. 17 to instead be held on Nov. 19, after the canvassing. The new school board members will be sworn in at that time.

Greiner has served on the board for the past six years. After learning of the election results, he thanked voters for coming out and making their voices heard. He will leave the board happy knowing the district is headed in the right direction.

“The kids at Pekin have a special place in my heart, and everything you do on the board is for the kids,” Greiner said.

Greiner said he wishes he could have stayed on the board to see the elementary school remodeling project the board has begun planning for, and he’s proud that the board is working hard to do the remodeling efficiently without costing the taxpayers a huge bond.

Though he will formally exit the board during the Nov. 19 meeting, Greiner plans to continue being involved in the district as a part-time bus driver, in addition to his work on the family farm and his service on the Packwood Volunteer Fire Department.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com