Katy ISD critic ousts veteran after recount
A longtime Katy ISD board member conceded defeat Tuesday to a district critic in a closely watched race after a recount did not show him closing the narrow margin.
Trustee Joe Adams’ concession means that conservative blogger George Scott will be joining the board of the fast-growing suburban district west of Houston.
Adams has served on the board for 27 years.
Two four-member counting committees began recounting votes at 9 a.m. Tuesday. After mailin ballots were recounted and votes did not swing Adams’ way, the incumbent conceded the race, not waiting for electronic votes to be recounted.
Out of the shadows
Before the recount, the district had said unofficial results showed Scott had defeated Adams by three votes out of nearly 3,000 votes cast. The recount showed Scott with 1,479 votes to Adams’ 1,473.
Scott, who previously was a Katy Times publisher and senior researcher and president for a nonprofit public policy firm, for years has criticized the board’s transparency, fiscal decisions and deference to superintendent Alton Frailey.
Scott blamed Adams for a lack of leadership on the board, though he softened his tone on Tuesday.
“Joe conducted himself with class and dignity in every way he interacted with me. He had a right to a recount,” Scott said Tuesday. “Obviously, I’m very excited. The issues that I campaigned on have not changed ... but today is not about the issues. Today is about this incredible process.”
Last year, Scott attempted to form a “shadow board” to critique and analyze the Katy ISD board, but it never got off the ground due to a lack of funding.
During the campaign, Adams, a business owner in Katy, dismissed Scott as an inexperienced candidate who did not understand how a school board operates.
“It’s just a ‘that’s the way it is,’ ” Adams said Tuesday. “I’m happy with the things I’ve done and the leadership I’ve provided. I think the board and the school district will continue to perform at a high level, and I will continue to be involved in the school district one way or another.”
‘There’s a burden on me’
With the loss, Adams will have to give up his position as chairman of the board of directors for the Texas Association of School Boards.
The outspoken Scott will be joining a school board that is known for careful deliberation and for filtering questions from the media and public through board president Charles Griffin or the district’s communications team.
“There’s a burden on me to also prove that I can work constructively with the board,” Scott said. “That’s my goal. When you’re a critic and have been a critic for a long time and now have been given an opportunity to have some actual input, then I feel a burden very strongly to work with others without compromising my views.”
The date of Scott’s swearing-in has yet to be announced.