Emerson wins seat on school board

Nick Emerson soon will be the newest member of the Springdale School Board after voters gave him the nod in Tuesday’s election.

Emerson, an executive broker at Gibson Real Estate in Rogers, beat

Jeff Miller, a professor of agricultural education at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, for the Zone 2 seat.

Both men were making their first bids for elected office. Emerson receives a five-year term and will assume the board seat next month. He will replace Jeff Williams, who opted not to seek re-election after 10 years on the board.

Emerson said he campaigned by visiting as many neighborhoods as he could, going door to door and passing out fliers. He said he and Miller stood outside

a polling place all day Tuesday, waving to passers-by.

“Kudos to him,” Emerson said. “I can tell you he is a very stand- up guy. I knew that no matter which one of us won the race, the district and board would be in good hands. I want to congratulate him on a job well done.”

Emerson, 33, has always lived in Springdale. He graduated from Springdale High School in 2003 and went on to earn an associate degree in fire science from Northwest Arkansas Community College.

He spent eight years as a firefighter and paramedic with the Springdale Fire Department before starting a new career in real estate. He also is a deacon with responsibility for the youth group at Robinson Avenue Church of Christ.

Emerson’s family ties to the Springdale School District run deep. His mother is a longtime teacher at Tyson Elementary and his wife is a prekindergarten teacher at Shaw Elementary. His fatherin-law is a Springdale High School math teacher, and his mother-in-law is principal at Shaw.

Emerson and his wife, Rachel, have three children, ages 7, 4 and 2.

Miller, 50, is a native of Mustang, Okla., who moved to Springdale in 2001. He has a doctorate in agricultural education from Oklahoma State University. He and his wife, Marci, have two children, both of whom are sophomores at Har-Ber High School.

The Springdale Education Association, which represents 450 teachers, endorsed Miller in the race. It was the first time the association had endorsed a board candidate, according to President Corrie Tucker.

Here’s how the rest of the school board races in Northwest Arkansas turned out Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the Benton and Washington county election commissions:

Incumbent David Williamson defeated Larry Scribner for the Position 7, at-large seat on the Gentry School Board. Williamson has been on the board since 2009.

Robyn Skaggs Lovell earned election to the Position 7 seat on the Gravette School Board, defeating James Brown. Lovell replaces John Edwards, who chose not to run for re-election after 15 years on the board.

Oleta Conner Danforth was elected to the Lincoln School Board, defeating incumbent Dax Moreton, who was seeking his third term.

Randall Coker beat twoterm incumbent Mark Findahl in the race for the Position 1 seat on the West Fork School Board. Findahl has served on the board since 2008.

Voters in the Gravette School District approved a 2.5-mill tax increase that will generate about $12.8 million for facility improvements.

Most of the money will go toward a new gymnasium at the high school, estimated to cost $10.5 million. Another $ 2.9 million will pay for remodeling projects at Duffy Elementary School and Gravette Middle School and the addition of career and technical classrooms at the technical center.

The increase means the owner of a $100,000 home will pay an additional $ 50 per year in taxes. Gravette’s millage rate of 37.2 is the lowest among the 15 school districts in Benton and Washington counties. The 2.5-mill increase bumps Gravette’s rate to second lowest. This is the first time the district has passed a millage increase since March 2007.

Emerson