The Douglas County school board remained deadlocked on who to appoint to fill a vacant seat after three rounds of voting Tuesday night, placing the decision in board President Christy Williams’s hands.
The board, which oversees the Douglas County School District, narrowed its choice down to two of the three finalists for the position, which was held by President Mike Peterson before he resigned last year.
But the board split 3-3 each time it voted on whether to appoint either Timothy Moore or Sandra Lyle Brownrigg to serve the remainder of Peterson’s term, which was set to expire in November 2025.
As the board’s vote was tied, Williams is required by law to choose the new member. She was elected president in November by the board’s conservative majority in a 4-3 vote after Peterson declined to recuse himself even though he had just announced his plans to resign.
Williams said she will call a special meeting before Feb. 10, which is the deadline for when a new member must be appointed.
The three conservative members of the board — Williams, Kaylee Winegar and Becky Myers — favored Moore, a retired Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputy, citing his experience in school safety. Those three members and Peterson served as the board’s majority until Peterson’s resignation.
“While this is a very, very difficult decision, I will be voting for Tim Moore and not against anybody else “ said Williams ahead of Tuesday’s first round of voting, saying that Moore will bring expertise — especially in mental health and social media’s impacts — that the board doesn’t already have.
But their other three colleagues supported Brownrigg, citing her experience working in the district, including on a committee that explored the feasibility of putting a mill levy override on ballots. The board voted unanimously earlier this month to make her a finalist.
“She has walked the talk,” said Susan Meek. “That is what is really driving my thinking. I have seen her show up. I have seen the results of her work.”
Brad Geiger, who was elected to the board in November, said that Brownrigg was a “safe choice” whereas with Moore he was worried about the perception that his appointment would be seen as politically divisive as the board is trying to work more collaboratively.
“When I say that I don’t want politics to be involved in this, I don’t mean to spear Mr. Moore at all because the people who support him are not people he chose,” he said before the second vote. “But some of the most partisan people in this county are pushing Mr. Moore, doing it openly and I fear the perception.”
Winegar said community members who emailed her asking for her to support Brownrigg “disparaged” Moore at the same time.
“But I feel like the people supporting (Moore) were not disparaging any of the others and to me that comes across as political,” she said. “So, I think it’s all about interpretation.”
The Douglas County school board has been known for its divisiveness. Since being elected in 2021, the conservative majority has sought to end mask mandates during the height of the pandemic, change the district’s equity policy and worked to oust former Superintendent Corey Wise.
However, voters supported candidates that opposed policies backed by the conservative members, splitting the board by reelecting Meek, along with voting for Geiger and Valerie Thompson.
This is the second time within a year that the Douglas County school board has had to fill a vacancy. In 2023, the board filled a seat previously held by Elizabeth Hanson, who resigned because of differences with the board’s conservative majority.
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