Two seats contested in Cy-Fair board election in November

Two of four openings on the Cy-Fair ISD school board will be contested in the Nov. 3 election, according to letters of intent filed with the school district.

Position 3 Trustee Darcy Mingoia will face challenger Natalie Blasingame, who has 23 years experience in education in nearby school districts.

Mingoia was first elected to the school board in 2012. A former executive director of Lone Star College Foundation, she was president of the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce from 1998 to 2007 and involved with the Cy-Fair Educational Foundation for 19 years.

Blasingame is an assistant superintendent in Houston ISD. She previously worked as a school support officer for HISD, was a principal at Spring Branch ISD and assistant principal at Alief ISD.

Seeking the Position 4 seat are Debbie Blackshear and Pam Redd, both well-known in Cy-Fair ISD circles.

Blackshear is retired from the Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union and a longtime volunteer in the school district and community. Redd is a former teacher and principal in CFISD and also active in community organizations; she works as an elementary school principal in Spring Branch ISD.

Position 4 is now held by Kevin Hoffman, who chose not to seek re-election this fall.

Incumbent trustees Tom Jackson in Position 1 and Christine Hartley in Position 2 are unopposed in their re-election bids. Both are serving their first terms on the board.

Jackson is a certified public accountant and president of Green River Oil. Hartley is a former preschool teacher who works as an adjunct professor at Lone Star College and co-owns Texas Educational Consultants.

The Nov. 3 school board election will be conducted in partnership with Harris County. Early voting will take place Oct. 19-30.

The last day to register to vote is Oct. 5. Additional information about the election can be found on the school district’s website at www.cfisd.net.