The Fifth district School Board race is the only contested school board race of the four school board positions on the ballot in 2008. Laurie Alford a known red candidate and Karen Carson a known blue candidate are competing for this non partisan position.
Alford a working mom is running to become an advocate for the citizens of the fifth district. A controller for the Tennessee Press Association. She oversees the financial condition of the organization so the school budget will not be a problem for Alford. Obviously the school district needs a set of competent eyes on the school budget and a person that views the decisions through a competent business approach. Alford is a native of Knox County and the district. Alford is a wife to Mike and mother to Patrick, a student at Rocky Hill Elementary. She has always been a active advocate for parental involvement and has always been active and involved herself. Her concern will be to see that responsible decisions are made and the voice of the constituents are represented.
Carson a former PTA leader that back during the Clinton presidential era wrote and published in a PTA newsletter “that it takes a village to raise a child” repeating a mantra of Hillary Clinton. The word in the district is that Carson has been non responsive to concerns within the district that she does not agree with. The word in the district is that Carson does not attend to school concerns within her district and is rarely seen on school campuses within the district.
The Fifth district is home to Brian’s Blog so this race and the Fifth District County Commission Seat C race will be a focus of Brian’s Blog throughout the election.
