Left to right, Calvert County Clerk of the Circuit Court Kathy Smith swears in Board of Education members Kelly McConkey, Dawn Balinski and Tracy McGuire.
Prince Frederick, MD – The three winning candidates in the 2016 race for Calvert County Board of Education (BOE) were sworn in at the start of the panel’s Jan. 12 meeting. Two of the members, Kelly McConkey and Tracy McGuire, are continuing their service while the third member—Dawn Balinski— is returning after a two-year hiatus.
McConkey won his race in the Third Election District, outpolling political newcomer Erin Knowles. McConkey is serving his second term on the school board. McGuire won a third-consecutive four-year term after winning by a slim margin over Nancy Highsmith, a retired administrator and former acting superintendent in the Second Election District race. Balinski, who was defeated in 2014 when she sought reelection to an at-large seat, won the First Election District race over first-time candidate Stephen Jones. Since Calvert County switched from an appointed to elected school board in 1996, no winning candidate in the First Election District has ever sought reelection.
Balinski received welcome back wishes from both Calvert Education Association (CEA) President Dennis Mooney and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Curry. In his superintendent’s report, Curry noted that he was appointed to his post by the BOE in the summer of 2014. “By the start of 2015 three of the five members were gone,” he recalled. “I’m glad to have her [Balinski] back.”
Franklin buys tickets
Local businessman Eric Franklin, an Owings resident, announced during public comment that he has convinced Calvert County’s only movie theater, Flagship Cinemas in Prince Frederick, to have a special showing of the movie “Hidden Figures” Monday, Jan. 16. The film, which tells the true story of three African-American female mathematicians who aided the National Aeronautics Space Administration in the early 1960s, will be shown four times at the local theater. “I bought up all the tickets,” said Franklin, who plans to distribute them to local public high school students. The total tickets to be distributed are about 350. Franklin said he was prompted to take the measures after he and his family saw the film at a theater outside the county. Monday, Jan. 16 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a holiday for students.
Franklin received thanks from Curry and applause from the audience after making the announcement.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com