Democrats endorse School Board incumbent
The Broward Democratic Party has endorsed Donna Korn for re-election to the School Board over her challenger, Ryan Petty, whose daughter was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre.
“We had a sitting School Board member who has been truly good on issues concerning to a large segment of our voters,” said Cynthia Busch, the Broward Democratic Party chairwoman.
“She does have fairly significant support from the black elected officials. She has been very strong on not arming teachers. Also continuing with the PROMISE program, and that is a very important program for Broward County and our very diverse communities.”
PROMISE is the school district program that offers alternatives to students arrested for some misdemeanors. The School District initially said the Parkland shooter was never eligible for the program but later said he started PROMISE but didn’t complete it.
PROMISE has become highly controversial.
Busch said issues surrounding the shooting “have become so politicized, and I think programs like the PROMISE program are being scapegoated on purpose.”
Broward Republican Chairman George Moraitis, in a text message on Sunday, cited Petty’s “campaign to make our schools safer including the long overdue repeal of the PROMISE program” as one of the reasons his party endorsed Petty.
Petty’s daughter Alaina was killed in the Feb. 14 massacre at Stoneman Douglas, where 17 people were killed and 17 injured.
Korn and Petty are competing in District 8, which is an at-large seat that includes the entire county. A third candidate, Elijah Manley, is also running.
There’s some complicated politics at play in the endorsements:
Despite the involvement of the political parties, School Board elections are nonpartisan contests held on Aug. 28. Unlike the highprofile Democratic and Republican primaries on the same date, the School Board elections are open to all voters.
Political insiders are keenly aware of the affiliations of candidates for nonpartisan offices.
Korn was originally appointed to the School Board by Gov. Rick Scott in 2011, and subsequently won reelection.
Korn was a registered Republican until, records show, she changed her voter registration to no party affiliation on July 12 — five days before the Democratic Party made its decision.
Busch said Korn’s party switch was a topic of conversation at the meeting where the endorsement was decided.
Petty is a Republican, who’s been closely tied to Scott since the Parkland shooting.
Moraitis said Petty’s registration played a role in the Republican Party’s decision to endorse him.
The Democrats endorsed Korn and the Republicans endorsed Petty before the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported over the weekend that Petty has a history of controversial Twitter posts.
In comments written mostly between 2008 and 2013, he often made jokes or sarcastic remarks that mention blacks, Jews, Muslims, gays, liberals and unions.
Moraitis said the party does “not agree with the content of the tweets quoted” and pointed to Petty’s apology.
Busch said she didn’t want to comment on the tweets because the full context, including who Petty was communicating with and who initiated the conversations, was unknown.
Busch said the Democrats also endorsed incumbent Laurie Rich Levinson in District 6, which includes Cooper City, Davie and Weston.
Levinson, a Democrat, has been on the School Board since 2010. She’s the daughter of Nan Rich, one of the most liberal members of the Broward County Commission and the former Democratic Party leader in the Florida Senate.
She is being challenged by Richard Mendelson, a Republican. The former Stoneman Douglas teacher has been endorsed by the county Republican Party.
Democrats didn’t endorse in other School Board races.