Prince Frederick, MD – The stage is set for three competitive election district primary races for the three seats on the Calvert County Board of Education (BOE) that are up for grabs in 2016. Wednesday, Feb. 3 was the deadline for candidates to file for the April Primary Election.

According to information from the Calvert Election Board Office, the BOE candidates in the First Election District are James C. Piatt (pictured, above), Dawn C. Balinski and Stephen C. Jones Jr. Piatt is currently on the school board, having been appointed in late 2014 to fill the unexpired term of Joe Chenelly, who resigned after moving out-of-state. Balinski previously served on the board from 2010 to 2014 as an at large representative. She was defeated for re-election in 2014.

The candidates in the Second Election District are two-term incumbent Tracy H. McGuire (pictured, right), former interim superintendent Nancy Highsmith, former superintendent and former BOE member Dr. Eugene Karol and Casey Smith. McGuire has won handily in her two previous elections—2008 and 2012. In the latter race she ran unopposed. Karol sought election to a third consecutive term as an at large representative in 2014 but was defeated. After a lengthy career as a teacher and administrator, Highsmith was appointed by the BOE during the summer of 2013 to serve as interim superintendent of schools following the resignation of Dr. Jack Smith. McGuire and Karol were members of the board that selected Highsmith.

In the Third Election District, incumbent Kelly McConkey (pictured above) is seeking re-election and is opposed in the primary by Erin L. Knowles and Monica Lee Silbas.

The primary will reduce the fields in the three election districts to two for the November General Election. The three winners of that election will join current BOE President Pamela Cousins and member Bill Phalen on the school board in early 2017.

Chaffee seeks senate seat
A last-minute surprise occurred Wednesday when Calvert resident Chris Chaffee filed to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Maryland. The race is wide open due to the pending retirement of veteran lawmaker Barbara Mikulski. Chaffee, a Republican, ran for the House of Representatives in Maryland’s Fifth Congressional District in 2014. Chaffee won the Republican Primary but lost to incumbent Democrat Steny Hoyer in the General Election.

Last spring, Chaffee (pictured right) was introduced at the Calvert County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner as one of three candidates likely to seek the District 5 seat in 2016.

The BayNet has reached out to Chaffee for comment but he had responded as this story was being filed.

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com