School board search stalls

four.

Neither received eight votes in any of the balloting rounds.

Commission member and Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County Executive Director Bill Jones ultimately cited the deadlock and made a motion to reopen the application period.

Estefania Holler, an appointed member from the County Council of PTAs, declined to vote for either candidate.

“I didn’t feel that either candidate was strong enough, that I could tell parents why I voted for either candidate,” she said.

Amalie Brandenburg, one of County Executive Steve Schuh’s appointees to the commission, voted for Driver in each round. “Both were qualified candidates, in my opinion,” she said.

Owen McEvoy, a spokesperson for Schuh, said the process was politicized, saying: “It’s pretty obvious the biggest problems that both these applicants had is that they are Republicans.”

Driver could not be reached for comment after the voting. Thornton-Conner said she is registered to vote as a Republican, but emphasized the importance of compromise and hearing both sides.

“We care about what’s best for the students of this county,” she said. “The fact that we have an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ after our names shouldn’t matter.”

After the meeting Pickard, a Democrat who is running for County Council, defended the commission’s position, saying it was “not about politics; it was finding the best person to fill this vacancy on the Board of Education.

“Clearly, the majority of the commissioners would like to see more suitable candidates,” she said. [e-mail]