Voters in Seneca Valley School District’s Region 2 chose Kari Zimmer as the newest member of the school board, according to unofficial results.
Zimmer — the Democratic candidate — defeated Republican candidate Kayla Burgert in Tuesday’s election by a mere 52 votes, according the Butler County Bureau of Elections.
In a nail-biter of a race, Zimmer received 1,003 votes, or 51.3% of the vote. Burgert received 951 votes, 48.64% of the vote. There was one write-in vote.
Zimmer will replace Jim Nickel, who will vacate his position on the school board at the end of the year after serving since 2011.
The Region 2 seat represents Cranberry Township West I and West II voting precincts.
Zimmer owes her victory to absentee and early voters, who favored her over Burgert 397 to 131. Those who turned up at the polls on Election Day favored Burgert 820 to 606.
Zimmer, 46, serves as the Judge of Elections for the Cranberry West 8 precinct. While she has no prior experience serving on a school board, she previously has worked as a third-grade teacher in Fairfax County, Va., and also has served as a leader with the Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts.
She is a mother of three children, all of whom attend the Seneca Valley School District. As such, she has been an active member of the parent-teacher organization at Connoquenessing Valley Elementary School.
Zimmer stated her goals for the district are to strengthen the foundational skills of elementary school students, particularly in mathematics and reading. She also intends to combat Pennsylvania’s growing teacher shortage by encouraging high school students to pursue teaching as a career and seeking tuition assistance for graduates who stay in-state for their teaching career.
"I am humbled and honored to be the next Region 2 school board director,“ Zimmer said. ”I have said from the beginning of my campaign that my focus is on using resources to provide quality educational opportunities for the students of Seneca Valley, and I look forward to working with the school board and administration to build on our successes.“
Zimmer also made sure to thank her soon-to-be predecessor, Jim Nickel, for “providing steadfast representation for the past 12 years,” and also thanked her opponent, Burgert, for running an excellent campaign.
“Our region, I really feel, was lucky to have two capable, caring women willing to step up to work for our community,” Zimmer said.
Three other Seneca Valley School Board seats were on the ballot on Tuesday. However, all of these races were unopposed.
Susan Harrison was easily reelected to her Region 3 seat with 1,095 votes, or 98.65% of the vote. Michael D. Jacobs won reelection to his Region 6 seat with 866 votes, or 97.52% of the vote. Nick Brower cruised to victory in the Region 7 race with 934 votes, or 99.15% of the vote, and will replace Kathy Whittle.
