One Denver Public Schools board member won her bid for re-election on Tuesday, but incumbent board president Allegra “Happy” Haynes was trailing in a close race with ballots still being counted.
Haynes had 49.6 percent of the vote, hundreds of votes behind opponent Robert Speth with 50.4 percent as of 10 p.m.
Incumbent Anne Rowe cruised to victory with 62.6 percent of the votes, with opponent Kristi Butkovich taking 37.4 percent to represent District 1 in southeast Denver.
For District 5 in northwest Denver, Lisa Flores led with 54.2 percent, and opponent Michael Kiley II had 45.8 percent.
As of 10 p.m., Speth said he and his campaign were “fascinated” by the results but remained cautious.
“It’s obviously very close,” Speth said. “We know the opposition brought in money from out of state, so we’ll see how that plays out.”
He added: “There’s no proclamations that can be made one way or the other at this point.”
Even before the results came in, Flores said she was celebrating for running a good campaign.
As for her nearly 10 percent lead, Flores said it was too early to call the race as of 9 p.m.
“I am not a person who would want to count their eggs before they hatch,” she said.
The six candidates were vying for three seats on the seven-member board of education.
While results are still unofficial, the election indicated a mixed outcome for the teachers’ union and its financial support. The Denver Classroom Teacher’s Association contributed more than $140,000 among three candidates: Speth, Kiley and Butkovich.
The candidates backed by the teachers’ union had been critical of the board.
The issues most discussed in the race were familiar: traditional neighborhood schools versus support for charter schools, high turnover of principals and teachers and the creation of
On Election Day, candidates campaigned hard throughout Denver, driving home the point that the election mattered.
“Running a campaign just for the sake of being against something isn’t enough for Denver, and it’s not enough for our kids,” said Alex Sanchez, volunteer for Haynes’ and Flores’ campaign.
Kiley’s campaign manager, C.L. Harmer, said the stakes were high.
“It’s the difference between a 7-0 board that doesn’t question an unelected administration that’s in charge of millions of taxpayers’ money,” Harmer said hours before the election.
Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@denverpost.com or @ehernandez
