Kentucky School Advocate
June 2024
By Brenna R. Kelly
Staff writer
One current school board member and two former members had hoped that the May primary election would put them one step closer to a seat in the Kentucky General Assembly, however, none of them were successful.
Another former school board member survived a challenge in the May 21 election and will keep his seat in the legislature.
In the Republican primary, Bardstown Independent school board member Andy Stone attempted to unseat incumbent Candy Massaroni to represent the 50th district in the state house.
However, Massaroni, who identifies with the liberty wing of the Republican party, held onto her seat with 64% of the vote. No Democrat filed in the district, so Massaroni is uncontested in November.
Massaroni was just one of many liberty-wing candidates, described as wanting to push the Kentucky Republican party further to the right, who fared well in the primary election.
In northern Kentucky, Ed Massey, former KSBA president and Boone County School board member, sought to regain the House District 66 seat he held for two terms before losing reelection in 2022.
Massey faced T.J Roberts in the Republican primary – a race deemed one of the most expensive in the primary. Roberts, 26, who is aligned with the liberty wing of the party, won the election with 74% of the vote. Roberts will face Democrat Peggy Houston-Nienaber in the November election.
Also in the Republican primary, Jason Howell, a former Murray Independent school board member, faced a challenge from Lynn Bechler to hold on to his 1st District Senate seat. Howell defeated Bechler, who previously served as a state representative, with 70% of the vote. There is no Democrat in the race, so Howell is safe in his seat.
In the Democratic primary, former Jefferson County school board member Debbie Wesslund was seeking a chance to face incumbent Republican Ken Flemming for the 48th District state house seat in the general election. Wesslund, a former KSBA trainer who also worked in Washington, D.C., as a congressional press secretary and as a lobbyist, faced fellow Democrat Kate Farrow.
Farrow won the race with 59% of the vote and will face Flemming in November.
Another former school board member will be on the ballot in November. Kevin Kidwell, who served eight years on the Scott County board, is running for District 62 as a Democrat. He was unopposed in the primary. In the November election, he will face Scott County Sheriff Tony Hampton who won the Republican primary over Bill Parker, father of Scott County Superintendent Billy Parker.
Two current legislators who previously served as local school board members, Rep. Kevin Jackson, R-Bowling Green, a former Warren County board member, and Rep. Lisa Willner, D-Louisville, a former Jefferson County board member, will both be returning to the House as they are unopposed in November.
The state legislature will be losing an outspoken public education advocate next session with Rep. Killian Timoney failing to retain his House District 45 seat in the Republican primary. Thomas Jefferson, a liberty-wing candidate, won with 72% of the vote. Timoney, a Fayette County Schools administrator, served on the House Education Committee.
Jefferson will face Democrat Adam Moore in November.
Montgomery County board seat decided in primary
In an unusual occurrence, Montgomery County Schools board seat was decided in the primary election.
The election was for an unexpired term to which Bill Morgan had been appointed. Morgan, who had served on the board for nine years, faced newcomer Lisa Walker who won the election by a vote of 338 to 198.
Walker is a former teacher whose five children attended Montgomery County Schools.
“Thank you so much to all those in District 2 that voted for me for school board. Thankful, as well, for my neighbor, Bill Morgan and his service. Feel privileged to serve as your new school board member!,” Walker posted on Facebook after the election.
Walker was sworn in and served at her first meeting on May 28.
It was the third time in as many elections that Morgan had lost. In November 2022, Josh Oney defeated incumbent Morgan by 21 votes. After the election, Oney’s brother was hired by the district and Oney had to resign. Morgan was then appointed to fill his former seat. In November 2023, Oney ran again for the unexpired term, only to learn that his brother had taken another job the with the district. Oney won that election by 67 votes but was again unable to serve. The board reappointed Morgan to the seat for a second time.
Montgomery County Clerk Chris Cockrell said he called the Kentucky State Board of Elections about the unexpired term and was told to put the race on the primary ballot.
Under state law, unexpired terms for school board “with one year or more on August 1 after the vacancy occurs shall be filled for the unexpired term by an election to be held at the next regular election after the vacancy occurs.”
Though regular election is not defined in the law, the elections statutes make reference to regular elections, primary elections and special elections.