Mix of incumbents, challengers elected to school boards

CENTER LINE/WARREN/STERLING HEIGHTS — During the general election Nov. 5, a number of school board members retained their seats while a few challengers were elected to public office for the first time.

In the Center Line Public Schools district, six candidates ran for five four-year terms.  According to the Macomb County clerk’s office, the voters elected Robert Boccomino with 3,376 votes and Kevin Joseph Louis with 3,199 votes, while incumbents Shelley Harenski, Karen Pietrzyk and Wendy Jo Watters were reelected to the school board.

Watters was the top-vote getter with 3,967 votes with Harenski garnering 3,750 votes and Pietrzyk receiving 3,670 votes. With 2,699 votes, Fahmida Rahman, who was appointed to the school board earlier this year when Daniel Snyder stepped down, didn’t get enough votes to keep her seat.

Boccomino, a retired Center Line Public Schools educator, said he was “very grateful” for the support he received from the voters.

“It’s an honor. I look forward to being a part of the Center Line school board,” Boccomino said. “My kids both graduated from Center Line, and they got a great education. I want to see other kids have the same opportunities as my kids did.”

Boccomino, who once served on the Warren City Council, feels Center Line offers a lot of opportunities for students, including those who participate in the Southwest Macomb Technical Education Consortium.

Louis said he “was surprised and happy” to get elected to the school board. Four of his five children attend school in the district.

“I was telling my kids about being on the school board. I’ll be able to help their classmates and bring some more ideas to help them,” Louis said. “I think the school board is doing great. It’s a small community, and I would like to bring more ideas where families can do more in the community.”

Student achievement, ensuring the district has the resources to support families in need, budget transparency and fiscal responsibility are among Louis’ top priorities.

There were two school board elections in the Warren Woods Public Schools district. In the uncontested election for the three six-year terms, Jenny Nitz — appointed to the school board last year when Board President Jere Green moved out of the district and stepped down — was the top vote-getter with 5,658 votes. Incumbents Scott Hiller received 5,174 votes and Michael Schulte received 5,121 votes.

In the district’s second election for the one partial term ending Dec. 31, 2028, challenger Nicole Spicer — with 4,665 votes — defeated incumbent Kay Walsh with 3,590 votes.

Spicer has three children in the district at each level: elementary, middle school and high school.

“I have a vested stake at what happens on the school board,” Spicer said of her decision to run for public office. “I am extremely, extremely appreciative of the voters putting their faith and trust in me as a newly elected member of the school board.”

When pointing to the district’s strengths, Spicer feels Warren Woods educators “focus on the safety and education of the students.” Something Spicer plans to work on is to get more parents engaged and involved in the district.

“My plan is to be more out front as a school board member. I believe with the help of the community and parents, we can build a stronger district,” she said. “I am a team player and excited to do the job as a team.”

Walsh served 28 years on the board.

“I’m saddened,” said Walsh, a Class of 1971 Warren Woods High School graduate who said she will “always be a Warrior,” which was the school’s mascot.

“I just wanted to be part of a very wonderful school district,” Walsh said of her decision to run for school board over the years. “I was born and raised in Warren Woods. My daughter and son-in-law went through Warren Woods and my mom worked here. I believe in the district, our superintendent and all our administrators. We offer our students a lot of good opportunities. I will always be true to Warren Woods.”

Walsh said she’s “very proud” of the work she and the other board members accomplished as well as future plans. One memory that stands out are the hundreds of high school diplomas for graduates she signed over the years.

“I wish her the best of luck,” Walsh said of Spicer.   

Three candidates ran for two open seats — six-year terms — in the Fitzgerald Public Schools district. Incumbents Judy Furgal and Julia Yokel were reelected with 2,986 and 2,615 votes, respectively. With 2,291 votes, challenger Zsa-Zsa Booker didn’t receive enough votes to get elected.

In the Van Dyke Public Schools district, incumbents Diane Boehm, David Cowlbeck and Mark Kedzior ran unopposed for three six-year terms. Boehm was the top vote-getter with 4,194 votes, Cowlbeck received 2,679 votes and Kedzior received 2,369 votes. The terms are for six years.

Warren Consolidated Schools Board of Education incumbents Leah Berdy and Brian White ran unopposed for the district’s two open six-year terms. Berdy received 27,503 votes; White received 26,228 votes.

It was status quo in the Macomb Community College Board of Trustees race, where five candidates ran for two six-year terms. Incumbents Roseanne DiMaria and Joan Flynn were reelected to the board. DiMaria received 130,389 votes while Flynn received 117,414 votes.

Joseph Backus, Eugene Groesbeck and Jon Lafferty failed to receive enough votes to get elected to the board. According to the Macomb County clerk’s office, Backus received 106,732 votes, 86,350 voters supported Groesbeck, and Lafferty received 75,266 votes.