ELECTION 2024 -ST. MARY’S SCHOOL BOARD ENDORSEMENTS: David Drys, Elena Brewer, Josh Guy

The endorsements:

In St. Mary’s County, the non-partisan primary election for the Board of Education seats is a significant event, with three seats up for grabs. The top two candidates in the primary will move on to the General Election, making this a crucial stage in the election process.

The at-large seat is contested by four candidates, with three each for District Two and District Four.

VOTE FOR DAVID DRYS

In District Four, an incumbent, Mary Washington, who has filed for yet another term, having first been elected in 1996, has skipped three candidate forums, with the last one scheduled due to her and another candidate failing to be present. The organizers of the second forum failed to allow candidate Charles Carrington the courtesy of having any time to explain why he is running for school board with scuttlebutt about the League of Women Voters having rules preventing one candidate from speaking when opponents don’t show up.

If this alleged rule is actually a rule, it is ridiculous and fails to show common courtesy to Carrington. Mary Washington failed to appear in the third forum even though she appeared at the regular school board meeting the day before.

The organizers allowed Washington to provide a statement that was read to the audience, present at the occasion, and online.  Everyone has health challenges, and contests for public office are not picnics for anyone. Excuses for candidates are for the birds, and in this case, Carrington and David Drys were present and made good use of the time to present their case for consideration by the voters.

There is no compelling reason for voters to choose Washington for a run into a third decade as a member of the St. Mary’s County Board of Education.

Carrington was twice invited to pitch his case in an interview with THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY but made no effort to do so. At candidate forums at the Lexington Park Library and the GOP forum in Hollywood, Carrington relied heavily on reading statements that he seemed at times to be unfamiliar with, causing doubt as to his belief in his words. Carrington has no children and states that his views on education come mainly from his mother, who was a teacher. His background is not in teaching but in cyber security, and he also attended private school. Carrington’s mother might make a better candidate.

David Drys, in his interview with THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY, spontaneously answered all questions without the benefit of notes, showing that his familiarity with the St. Mary’s County public schools comes directly from raising two children in St. Mary’s County, who attended the public schools to graduation, and his own involvement as a parent. Drys’s grasp of issues and his being the only candidate with the experience of raising children attending St. Mary’s schools in this contest make him a great choice for voters, and he is recommended to be elected.

VOTE FOR ELENA BREWER

Elena Brewer is the outstanding District Two choice. Her life story is worthy of applause on so many levels; her education, her role as an immigrant from the horrors of the Soviet Union, and her commitment as a parent are all outstanding attributes.  Brewer has stood before the school board as long ago as in 2022 and voiced her strong objection to alternative lifestyles being indoctrinated in public schools and especially in elementary schools. Her words speak for her in several statements featured here, and she is right; she has a message for voters, which needs to be stated even if leftwing members of society don’t like it.

Antony Lotierzo also passed on opportunities to conduct interviews and, at the GOP forum, made a good case for the public schools not keeping up with the necessary tools for operating the system and providing quality education. He pointed to his long experience as a committed parent, coach, and PTA president, showing how he has formed his views. 

Cathy Allen’s inartful answer in her interview with THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY for blowing over ten million on paving sports fields with astroturf instead of providing metal detectors at the high schools to prevent the entry of guns shows that voters should end her service that began in 2000 when Al Gore was ready to become president.

VOTE FOR JOSH GUY

The at-large choice is Josh Guy.
Admittedly, Josh is young, hobbled by the typical lack of life experiences that would lead him to make good policy decisions.

St. Mary’s County has been at the center of drug dependency, and only the honchos of Waldon have profited from the decades of investment by the public.  Josh Guy takes on the disturbing lack of control the school superintendent and the system have on wild students who commit assaults every day of the week, with many of the offenders allowed to remain in schools and continue to prevent children from learning.

In short, it is time for a clean sweep in the St. Mary’s County Board of Education and ‘throw the bums out.’  The school board meetings operate like an amen choir of incompetence and have rules instructing the public not to appear and criticize teachers or administrators.  The club needs new members who know what they are doing and will advocate with the legislators for laws that will help St. Mary’s County schools instead of making lame excuses for failure.