NAACP demands Wake school runoff go on

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NAACP calls for Wake runoff

The state NAACP urged elections officials on Thursday to go ahead with next month's Wake County school board election runoff, a last chance for supporters of the school diversity policy to retain control of the board.

The Rev. William Barber, president of the state chapter of the NAACP, said election officials should not cancel the Nov. 3 runoff election even though candidate Cathy Truitt withdrew her request Wednesday for a second try against John Tedesco.

If the runoff is canceled, Tedesco would automatically take the seat and break a 4-4 tie on the board in favor of supporters of neighborhood schools.

State board to decide on Wake school board runoff

RALEIGH The Wake County Board of Elections unanimously voted today to ask the state Board of Elections for guidance on whether to hold next month’s Wake County school board District 2 runoff election.

The outcome of the District 2 election will determine whether the school board is now run by supporters of the school diversity policy or by those who would prefer neighborhood schools. Both sides are lobbying elections officials on the issue.

School board candidate Cathy Truitt submitted a letter Wednesday withdrawing her request for a Nov. 3 runoff against John Tedesco. The cancellation of the runoff would make Tedesco the winner and give supporters of neighborhood schools a 5-4 majority on the board.

Truitt requests runoff in District 2

School board candidate Cathy Truitt filed paperwork today with the Wake County Board of Elections requesting a runoff in the District 2 race.

Truitt, an education consultant and retired educator, finished second in District 2 to John Tedesco, a Big Brothers Big Sisters official, Pending certification of the election results next week, Truitt and Tedesco would oppose each other in a Nov. 3 runoff.

Three candidates who oppose the diversity policy easily won on Tuesday. Tedesco also opposes the diversity policy and backs neighborhood schools.

Truitt backs schools rival

Forty-eight hours after warning that John Tedesco would resegregate Wake County schools, school board candidate Cathy Truitt endorsed her rival on Wednesday and asked that the runoff election be cancelled.

Standing next to Tedesco at a news conference, Truitt said she no longer is worried that the new school board majority's support for neighborhood schools will lead to the resegregation she so pointedly warned about during her campaign. She said she's taking Tedesco at his word that he will find a way to have diversity and parental choice in a system built around children going to schools in their community.

"Parents, you can tell your children you're safe, you are cared for," Truitt said. "We will not go back to resegregated schools."

Wake schools battle may drag on

The voters will make their decisions today, but the runoff race for the Wake County school board District 2 seat has already produced surprises including:

A candidate who was in the contest, then out of it, seemingly more often than a youth-hockey substitute.

A local and occasionally national political spotlight on a race centered in Garner and Fuquay-Varina.