Ward, Porter and Scott elected to Fairfield school board

In a tight race that saw eight candidates vie for three spots on the Fairfield Community School District’s Board of Directors, the three who appear to have emerged victorious after Tuesday’s election are Tai Ward (1,374 votes or 18.03 percent), Mark Porter (1,274 votes or 16.72 percent) and incumbent Kelly Scott (1,254 votes or 16.45 percent).

Alex Kessel just missed the cut with 1,178 votes (15.46 percent), putting him in fourth place.

The other candidates and their vote totals are:

Cody Bauer - 1,048 votes (13.75 percent)

Wade Stremsterfer - 796 votes (10.44 percent)

Paige Novak - 404 votes (5.3 percent)

Kelly Thompson - 272 votes (3.57 percent)

Ward said he looks forward to working with Scott, Porter and the other members of the school board for the betterment of Fairfield schools.

“I think the Fairfield Community School District was lucky to have a handful of high quality candidates to choose from on this ballot,” Ward said.

Porter thanked his supporters for coming out to the polls.

“This is going to be a new challenge for me, and I will accept it with open arms,” he said. “I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to give back to this community, and I look forward to being a part of the Fairfield School District once again!”

Scott said he was happy to be re-elected to the Fairfield school board,and was impressed that more than 7,000 people cast a vote in the election, “which signifies just how much people are paying attention to local issues.”

“I truly appreciate everyone that has put their faith in me by giving me their vote,” Scott said. “I look forward to working with this new board to provide the best education, facilities, and support for Fairfield's students, teachers, and staff that we can. I hope that within the next four years Fairfield schools become synonymous with a quality education, a wonderful place to work, and a source of community pride. So let's make it happen.”

Ward and Porter will replace Debi Plum and Frank Broz, who were elected in 2017 but chose not to seek re-election. The two new members of the board will be sworn in at the next school board meeting, on Nov. 15, and they will be able to vote on matters discussed at that meeting. They will elect a board president and vice president.

School board terms last four years. Ward, Porter and Scott will join fellow board members Christi Welsh, John McKerley, Margo Von Strohuber and Tim Bower.