James wins; Hering surprised to run second

OCALA - Bobby James retained his School Board seat in District 3 on Tuesday, while incumbent Steve Hering will face challenger Jackie Porter in a November runoff for the District 2 seat.

James soared to a big victory Tuesday night, winning nearly every precinct in the county. He said he believes the community recognizes that he's about "one teacher, one classroom, one school and one community."

"I'm just excited that so many people heard my message," James said. "I am so humble. The fact I was elected countywide means a lot to me."

James said he believes the voters understand he is doing what is best for the children of Marion County. He said he has worked hard since he was appointed the seat last year.

Challenger Teecy Bondank Matthews came in a distant second place and Mark Gamoneda, 21, a 2005 Belleview High graduate, came in third. A fourth candidate, William "Bill" Martin, who recently announced he wanted out of the race due to personal reasons, was not on the ballot after all.

"It was a great experience and I wish Bobby the best," said Matthews, adding she hasn't decided whether she would give it shot again in 2010.

Though School Board members serve four years, this particular election is for a two-year term. Kurt Kelly, who was elected to the School Board in 2006, resigned last year after winning a special election for the state's House District 24 race.

James was appointed to the School Board seat last August. A special election had to be held this year to fill out the term, which will officially expire in 2010.

Meanwhile, three people vying for the District 2 seat were pared to two after none of the candidates received 50 percent plus 1 vote in the nonpartisan race. The top two finishers head to November's general election to decide the race.

Incumbent Steve Hering was nearly defeated outright Tuesday by challenger Jackie Porter, 49, who fell just a few percentage points shy of winning a majority to avoid a runoff. Challenger Bernard LeCorn, who didn't return a call for comment, finished a distant third.

Porter, who at about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday would not comment about a runoff until the final results were in, did not return calls for comment after that.

Hering said he was stunned by the results. He said he doesn't believe the voters studied the candidates and he hopes he can come back in November.

"We will take a look at what went wrong," said Hering, adding he hopes he can reach more voters in the next Tuesday was dismal, Hering feels many more people will vote in two months.

Hering hopes higher turnout in the November election will make a difference for his campaign.

Porter spent $30,000 of her own money on the campaign for the job, which pays $36,000 annually.

Joe Callahan may be reached at joe.callahan@starbanner.com or 867-4113.