Both of the Flagler School Board's two open seats were decided in Tuesday's primary elections, with Lauren Ramirez and Janie Ruddy coming out on top. Ramirez won the District 5 contest over Vincent Sullivan, while Ruddy prevailed over Derek Barrs in District 3.
The victories of Ramirez and Ruddy will likely keep the seats relatively ideologically similar to their current occupants, Cheryl Massaro and Colleen Conklin, both of whom decided against re-election campaigns. Though neither Sullivan nor Barrs were as outspokenly aligned to the education priorities of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as candidates Will Furry and Christy Chong were in 2022, Barrs managed to secure DeSantis' endorsement over Ruddy.
Ramirez, an educator, small business owner, and PTO member, had Massaro's blessing to run for the seat and actually prompted Massaro to exit the race once she herself stepped in. She ran a race against Sullivan, an attorney with Chiumento Law, that stayed virtually spotless for its duration. Just two years removed from candidates referencing 'spiritual warfare', the polite contest was a welcome change of pace. Ramirez beat Sullivan with 60.65% of the vote, over five thousand votes ahead.
Ruddy, meanwhile, is also a career educator with years of experience in Flagler Schools. She faced retired law enforcement officer Derek Barrs, who seemed to be galvanizing the conservative majority of Flagler's voters effectively - until the results came in. The two swapped places multiple times as more voters were posted, with Ruddy only barely coming out on top when all was said and done. She won with 50.58% of the vote, under 300 votes ahead of Barrs.
With the swearing-in of Ramirez and Ruddy later this year, the School Board will be fully composed of members in their first terms in office. Members Will Furry, Christy Chong, and Sally Hunt were elected in 2022, with Ramirez and Ruddy just beginning their tenures. Conklin has served on the School Board for over two decades, and will be closing the book on one of the county's longest careers in public office. Massaro was elected in 2018, serving just one term before deciding to pass the torch.
