Bonardi's Impact on The School Board Ticket

Multiple Choice Ballot Leads To Write-In Campaign

In an interview with the e-Lee Dispatch on Wednesday, John Bonardi gave his rationale for becoming a write in candidate:

Now is not the time for a change. The current school board is very cohesive and has moved the school system in a positive direction. I do not feel that newcomers to the board would be able to continue this positive movement. I’m deeply committed to the renovation project at Lee County High School and have a strong desire to see that project come to fruition.

By newcomers, he means Mark Akinosho, Kim Lilley, and Cameron Sharpe, the alternatives to the incumbents running for the school board. With only 3 incumbents on the ballot and a ballot that says you can pick four, the likelihood is that no matter what one of those three will be elected. As more has been learned about these candidates, supporters of the incumbents have become less and less enchanted with that fourth choice.

Many feel that Akinosho, Lilley, and Sharpe are all supported by a particular faction and have teamed up with a similar hymn book. The songs are varyingly critical of school board incumbents and vague in their commitment to the so called "Hite Plan" for the renovation of Lee County High School. Perhaps this is a good strategy if the public wants to clean house. On the other hand, if just one of the three had taken a pro-incumbent stand, it is unlikely that John Bonardi would be in the race as a write in.

That is B-O-N-A-R-D-I. When told "Jones" would surely have been easier to remember, John Bonardi just shook his head and laughed. John Bonardi may not win, but his candidacy will send a signal to some to just vote for the three incumbent school board members.