Heidi Brandt won the race for the last remaining seat on Sarasota County’s school board, becoming the sole conservative on the five-member board.
The board flipped from a 3-2 conservative majority in the August election, when two new members were elected, Beth Mayberry (D) and Megan Tennimon (NPA).
Brandt, 46, is the Parent Teacher Organization president at Southside Elementary in Sarasota, and said her daughter is the reason why she has become involved in school matters.
She says the board’s focus should be on the kids.
"We live in a very diverse community with different political affiliations and different voices, and I think it is important to have someone who represents those voices on the school board,” Brandt said. “It doesn't mean I am bringing politics."
The race for District 1 went to a runoff when none of the three candidates for the seat won more than half the vote.
Brandt will fill the seat left by Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, who did not run again.
The Minnesota-raised daughter of two teachers, Brandt has a degree in exercise science and centered her campaign on not running to be a politician but to serve the children of the district and elevating math and reading scores.
Complete Sarasota County election results
