Endorsements in school board races

About 15 percent of the teachers working for the Douglas County School district were listed in an advertisement endorsing candidates Roberta Butterfield, Robbe Lehmann and Heather Jackson.

Another 33 retired employees put their names to the advertisement appearing in the General Election Guide in today’s edition. Early in-person voting starts 10 a.m. Saturday at the Douglas County Courthouse and the Douglas County Community & Senior Center. Ballots residents received in the mail are already arriving at the Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer's Office. 

The Douglas County Republican Central Committee weighed in on the nonpartisan race two weeks ago, backing challengers David Burns, Katherine Dickerson and Susan Jansen.

While Democrats listed Butterfield, Lehmann and Jackson with other candidates they support, Douglas County Chairwoman Lori McKimmey said the party does not officially endorse candidates in nonpartisan races and that no one sought endorsement by the party.

“We decided to highlight these candidates based on the overwhelming support they have received from Douglas County teachers and administrators,” McKimmey said.

All three candidates said they did not seek endorsement by any political party.

“We, as a group, decided that seeking political endorsements for a non-partisan office is inappropriate and would then likely cause an endorsed board member to vote based on political ideology and not necessarily what’s best for kids,” Lehmann said last week. “When I offered to speak to the (Republican Central Committee) after informing them that I would not be participating in the endorsement process, they said that they would only have us speak if we were seeking the endorsement.”

Butterfield, who was the subject of a story regarding the Republicans’ first foray into endorsing nonpartisan candidates before them primary, said she has asked not to be endorsed by any party.

“I have also offered to speak to any group in Douglas County, political or not, about my platforms, ideas and intentions regarding my run for school board, since they are part of the ‘community’ I want to connect to our schools,” she said.

Butterfield, Burns and Dickerson received one star from the Libertarian Party of Nevada.

Jansen received two stars from the Libertarians, while Lehmann received no stars. Jackson was the only candidate in the race to receive Libertarians’ negative rating. The Record-Courier has reached out to the party to find out what went into those ratings.

For more information, visit lpnevadavoterguide.com.