Incumbents Win 2023 Arrowhead School Board Election

The School Board Election was held on April 4th 2023. The positions voted on were the Merton Seat, the Stone Bank Seat, and the at Large Seat. 

The list of candidates included Amy Hemmer (Incumbent) and Dan Kelly for the Merton Seat, Tim Langer (Incumbent) for the Stone Bank seat, and Chris Farris (Incumbent) and Garet K. Galster.

The results of the election deemed Amy Hemmer, Tim Langer, and Chris Farris as the winners. All of these members were incumbents and have previously held positions on the Arrowhead School Board. 

According to the website hemmer4ahs, Hemmer plans to focus on fiscal responsibility, parental rights, and communication. On her website hemmer4ahs, Hemmer said “As a board member, I have always made it a point to respond to anyone who contacts me, whether it be via email, phone, or in-person.” 

Prior to the election, Arrowhead’s Rho Kappa and Warhawk Interact students ran a forum in order to ask candidates questions. 

Candidates Landis, Langer and Galster attended the forum. Hemmer and Farris were not in attendance. 

On his re-election campaign website farris4ahs, Farris said, “For me, Jesus Christ is at the core of all my decision-making. I recognize that, like everyone else, I am not perfect and constantly learning. However, I firmly believe that with my Lord and Savior at the center of all my decisions, I have the best opportunity to speak the truth and serve our community with the utmost integrity.” 

Data shows that incumbents are more likely to win elections. According to cudsi.org, this phenomenon is known as the “incumbent advantage.”