Voters find 'fresh new leadership,' incumbents lose their seats on Flint Board of Ed

Flint, MI—Four of five candidates from a slate of school board hopefuls won Flint Community Schools Board of Education seats during Flint’s Nov. 8, 2022 election, with no incumbent board members on the ballot holding their positions.

As election night wore on, the lights dimmed at the watch party hosted by a slate of candidates who ran under the campaign slogan “United For Change” for the Flint Community Schools Board of Education.

Those five candidates—Michael Clack, Emily Doerr, Terae King Jr., Dylan Luna and Melody Relerford—chatted with family and friends over music and a lively atmosphere at the Arrowhead Vets Club well into the evening of Nov. 8. But the unofficial election results didn’t arrive until midday Nov. 9, many hours after the watch party was over.

By then, Clack, King, Luna and Relerford were all elected to the Flint Community Schools Board of Education, leaving Doerr as the sole candidate on the slate to lose out, according to unofficial results from the Genesee County Clerk’s Office.

That means Claudia Perkins is the only candidate outside of the slate to be elected to the Flint Community Schools Board, and no incumbent school board members on the ballot held on to their seats.

Here are the unofficial results for all 15 candidates vying for the five open seats (out of seven total) on Flint Community Schools Board of Education:

Six-year seats with a term running from Jan, 1, 2023 until Dec. 31, 2028 (winners are in bold):

Melody Relerford – 6,578 votes, or 13.98% of all the votes
Claudia Perkins – 6,350 votes, or 13.5% of all the votes
Dylan Luna – 6,212 votes, or 13.21% of all the votes
Linda K. Boose (incumbent) – 5,779 votes, or 12.28% of all the votes
Lakeisha Tureaud – 5,465 votes, or 11.62% of all the votes
Emily Doerr – 4,872 votes, or 10.36% of all the votes
Audrey Young – 4,872 votes, or 10.36% of all the votes
Carol McIntosh (incumbent) – 4,168 votes, or 8.86% of all the votes
Chris Del Morone (incumbent) – 2,746 votes, or 5.84% of all the votes

Four-year partial seat with a term of November 2022 (following certification of election results) until Dec. 31, 2026:

Terae King Jr. – 9,653 votes, or 53.29% of all the votes
Donyele Darrough – 8,460 votes, or 46.71% of all the votes

Two-year partial seat with a term of November 2022 (following certification of election results) until Dec. 31, 2024:

Michael Clack – 10,986 votes, or 59.52% of all the votes
Leslie Haney – 3,072 votes, or 16.64% of all the votes
Kasey Calvert – 2,355 votes, or 12.76% of all the votes
Allen Gilbert (incumbent) – 2,046 votes, or 11.08% of all the votes

The campaign signs of the slate of five candidates—Michael Clack, Emily Doerr, Terae King Jr., Dylan Luna and Melody Relerford—for the Flint Community Schools Board of Education are seen outside of the Arrowhead Vets Club in Flint, Mich, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Nicholas Chan | Flint Beat)

Flint Community Schools Board of Education candidates Melody Relerford (left) and Emily Doerr (right) hug a friend during their watch party for the election results at the Arrowhead Vets Club in Flint, Mich. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Relerford was announced as one of the five school board winners on Nov. 9. 2022, per the unofficial election results. (Michael Indriolo | Flint Beat)

Emily Doerr, a candidate for the Flint Community Schools Board of Education, rests her head on the shoulder of her father John Doerr at the Arrowhead Vets Club in Flint, Mich, on Nov. 8, 2022. They are accompanied by Emily’s mother, Kim Doerr, at the watch party for the election results. (Nicholas Chan | Flint Beat)

Claudia Perkins, a candidate for the Flint Community Schools Board of Education, attends a watch party for the election results hosted by Mayor Sheldon Neeley and his wife State Representative Cynthia Neeley on Nov. 8, 2022 at 1809 James P. Cole Blvd, Flint, Mich. Perkins later won a school board seat when unofficial results were reported on Nov. 9, 2022. (Nicholas Chan | Flint Beat)

Four-year partial seat winner Terae King Jr. said the lack of incumbent winners reflects voters’ desire for change on the Board.

“I think voters are tired of the same old way of doing things,” King said. “They want a fresh new leadership, fresh new perspective on ‘How do we guide the community through the 21st century challenges?’”

King, a senior at the University of Michigan-Flint and a general manager at a local McDonald’s restaurant, said he is excited for the chance to provide Flint scholars and the broader community with positive leadership.

The Board has been marred with infighting among members, and King emphasized that reducing conflict means “reaching across aisle, understanding people, understanding thought process, [and] making the stern notion that, ‘Hey, the community has to work together.’”

Terae King Jr., a candidate for the Flint Community Schools Board of Education, looks at his phone during a watch party for the election results at the Arrowhead Vets Club in Flint, Mich, on Nov. 8, 2022. King later won a school board seat on Nov. 9, 2022 when unofficial results were reported. (Nicholas Chan | Flint Beat)

Melody Relerford, a candidate for the Flint Community Schools Board of Education, leaves a watch party for the election results at the Arrowhead Vets Club in Flint, Mich, on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022. Relerford later won a six-year term seat on the board according to unofficial results on Nov. 9, 2022. (Nicholas Chan | Flint Beat)

Renovating district buildings, reducing the number of vacant and blighted properties, building a new high school, retaining teachers and staff as well as stabilizing enrollment numbers are critical to advancing the future of Flint Scholars, said six-year term seat winner Dylan Luna, a business development manager at Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance.

“There’s alumni who want to give money,” Luna said. “There’s philanthropic partners, community partners, who would love to support the district. But they just don’t trust the board.”

He added, “My campaign promise is to rebuild trust, bring civility and address the challenges proactively to expand opportunity for students.”

Nadia Rodriguez, a teacher at Durant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary School, her son Julian Rodriguez, John Doerr, Chevon Wilborn and her boyfriend Michael Clack, a candidate for the Flint Community Schools Board of Education, watch the election results at the Arrowhead Vets Club in Flint, Mich, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Clack later won a school board seat when unofficial results were reported on Nov. 9, 2022. (Nicholas Chan | Flint Beat)

Deborah Luna, aunt of Flint Community Schools Board of Education candidate Dylan Luna, watches election results on television during the watch party for the election results at the Arrowhead Vets Club in Flint, Mich. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Michael Indriolo | Flint Beat)

Claudia Perkins, a retiree who worked for the United Auto Workers, said she was a bit shocked with the results as she faced fairly stiff competition, and she added that she is eager to bring growth in the community.

“I look forward to working with everyone who made the team,” Perkins told Flint Beat. “I’m all about public schools and better curriculums.”