The current chair of the Lee County School Board was soundly defeated in Tuesday's election.
Armor Persons lost to Crystal Johnson by 59 to 41 percent.
Johnson now will represent District 5 on the board. That's the northeast part of Lee County.
The District 4 race went to Debbie Jordan, who's been on the board for eight years. She defeated challenger Tony Beougher in a district that includes parts of the City of Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, and some of eastern Cape Coral. Jordan gets another four years on the board by winning with a 53-to-47 percent margin over Beougher.
Persons' defeat was surprising, as he has been at the forefront of the conservative alliance that has dominated the seven-member board the past couple of years.
Some people in northeast Lee County had criticized Persons because he voted for funding for the new Alva High School at a controversial location. The school is under construction at Joel Boulevard and Tuckahoe Road. Some people had claimed that the site would damage the rural charm of the area, as well as bring in a lot more traffic and possibly more housing and commercial developments.
Lee County Supervisor of Elections data shows that Persons spent nearly $77,000 in the campaign. Johnson spent about $3,600.
Crystal Johnson has worked for the Lee public schools in a variety of capacities for many years. She ran on a slogan of "Character Matters, Integrity Counts." She also laid out a platform that emphasizes discipline in the schools, support for teachers, accountability for school officials, and engagement by parents.
Debbie Jordan emphasized to voters that she digs deep into every matter that comes before the board. She said she spends many hours reading through budgets, looking for possible spending cuts. Last September she voted against the district budget for the coming year, the only member of seven to do so. She explained that she believed there was too much money for administration, at the expense of classroom funding.
Johnson and Jordan are expected to be sworn into office in the next couple of weeks.
Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News. He also teaches Journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University.
