Four candidates won four open seats on the District 87 school board on Tuesday—although one of them received far fewer votes than the others.
Fitzgerald Samedy faced criticism for his support of controversial former District 87 candidate Jon Reed. Reed eventually withdrew from the race after his past racist and misogynist social media posts came to light during the campaign. Samedy and Reed were running together and shared campaign signs. Samedy later tried to distance himself from Reed. Samedy once announced plans to quit the race himself, but later changed his mind.
Samedy received 2,656 votes. The other candidates in the race (incumbents Brigette Beasley Gibson, Elizabeth Fox Anvick and Chuck Irwin) received 3,700-4,000, according to the Bloomington Election Commission. That suggests Samedy lost some votes over the controversy. Regardless, he won a four-year term on the board because there were only four candidates in the race.
With District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly set to retire next year, the school board will be tasked with searching for a new leader.
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