(A News and Sentinel Op-Ed – Photo Illustration – MetroCreativeConnection)
I spent my youth surrounded by men who fought in Vietnam risking their lives for western civilization values – things like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and governance by the consent of the governed. Your vote is that consent. In western society, we believe in the democratic process. Whether the form of government is a constitutional republic or parliamentary democracy, the underpinnings of liberty are vested in the sacred right to vote for your government.
These are things that should be required learning in our education system. It is fortunate that Veterans Day occurs right after our elections. It should be a reminder that our brave men and women in uniform are sworn to protect and defend our Constitution. I am saddened at the machinations the Wood County Board of Education is willing to employ to circumvent the democratic processes that so many have risked their lives to defend.
Early in 2024, Wood County BOE member Debbie Hendershot resigned her seat in order to run for Wood County Magistrate. Ms. Hendershot left her position on the board so that she could run for a different office. Instead of appointing someone from district A from where Ms. Hendershot had been elected (as advised by the county clerk and county prosecutor), the BOE appointed Rick Olcott from District C. This appointment right before the primary meant that the board already had two members from district C, where Chad Conley lived and planned to run for the school board. This appointment rendered Chad’s campaign in the 2024 primary moot.
Chad Conley then ran in the 2024 general election to fill the remainder of the time for Ms. Hendershot’s term. Rick Olcott also ran. Debbie Hendershot ran for Wood County Magistrate.
In the election of just a couple weeks ago, Randy Modesitt won the remainder of the unexpired term with 11,175 votes. Chad Conley received 9,122 votes to finish second, and Rick Olcott finished third with 8,543 votes.
Debbie Hendershot received zero votes for the Board of Education and was unsuccessful in her bid to become magistrate.
On Thursday, Nov. 7, the BOE held a meeting regarding a new appointment due to the resignation of board member Sarah Townsend. Is there a reason this resignation occurred just two days after the election? Doesn’t it seem a little disconcerting that the Wood County BOE is now making two appointments to the board in a single year? It is unfortunate the leadership of our education system appears so unstable. The silver lining heading into this new appointment was that we just had an election. The People spoke and their votes easily listed the candidates in order of preference.
Board of Education — 2024 General Election
* Randy Modesitt — 11,175 votes
* Chad Conley — 9,122 votes
* Rick Olcott — 8,543 votes
* Ryan Henry — 2,050 votes
Randy Modesitt won the remainder of the unexpired term created when Debbie Hendershot resigned her position to pursue another political path. Both Chad Conley and Ryan Henry ran campaigns, spoke to constituents and asked them for their vote and both were among the sixteen people who applied to replace the newly vacated Sarah Townsend seat.
One would think that in a Constitutional Republic where the right to vote is sacred and worthy of sacrificing life and limb in war to protect, those running our education system would rely heavily on the consent of the governed when a seat unexpectedly opens. Shouldn’t we expect that our government-run educational system would not only teach the democratic processes that have made the United States of America the envy of the world, but that they would also apply those foundational principles in the way they administer their organization?
In the list from the 2024 general election above, four people put their names on ballots and asked their fellow citizens for their vote. That is how the democratic process works. The BOE is an elected position filled by the consent of the governed. Why should the opinions of any of the board members matter? The election results should be the only resume detail anyone asking to be appointed to Sarah Townsend’s vacated seat should need.
Rick Olcott did not apply for the board seat and Randy Modesitt already won a seat on Nov. 5. That left Chad Conley and Ryan Henry.
On Thursday, Nov.14, 2024, the BOE met again to determine who they would select to fill the newly vacated seat. Prior to their selection, three of the four public speakers heard were full-throated supporters for Chad Conley, identifying him as a retired veteran and a father of children in the school system.
Did the board pick either of the two candidates who asked the governed to elect them to the board and who received votes from the governed to be on the board?
No. They did not.
Instead, the board selected Debbie Hendershot, who had recently resigned her seat. How disheartening must it be for a war veteran like Chad Conley to know that the sacred vote he risked his life to protect means nothing to those entrusted with teaching his children?
In a report that appeared in the Nov. 15, 2024, Parkersburg News and Sentinel, it was stated that as the crowd left items were thrown at the board. The only object thrown was a wadded piece of paper someone threw on the floor–nothing was thrown at the board. The report also stated that someone said, “This is not over.”
Granted there was anger in the aftermath of this SELECTION. Should we, “the Voting Taxpayers,” not be angry when those in power usurp the will of the People? Should we, “the Voting Taxpayers,” not be angry when the BOE appoints someone who already QUIT the position?
The will of The People is spoken through elections. The People spoke on Nov. 5. Instead of abiding by the consent of the governed as expressed in the election, the Wood County BOE selected someone who did not want the position when she had it.
“Selection” and “election” only differ by a single letter. The former is reminiscent of Soviet-style politics; the latter is what our men and women in uniform risk their lives to protect.
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Sean P. Keefe is a member of Motivate, Organize and Volunteer Citizen Action Coalition.