Citrus County voters felt a new voice was needed on the Citrus County School Board as they elected Joseph “Joe” Faherty to Seat 5 on Tuesday, Nov. 8, unseating incumbent Linda B. Powers.
“We worked hard during this whole election, and I feel good,” Faherty said. “It was a clean race and I have a lot of respect for her (Powers). You know, I did it for the right reasons. I have been working with kids for 32 years and I want to keep working with them and make sure they remain safe in our community.”
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Both candidates placed much importance on improving and providing better support for mental health in the district for students, staff and administration through better access to resources and counselors.
While Powers brought experience in mental health and counseling, Faherty brings years of experience as a School Resource Deputy handling at-risk youth firsthand.
Faherty also emphasizes the issue of school safety and security and the need for more training for staff to learn de-escalation skills to use in the classroom, as well as a number of physical changes like better fencing or locking mechanisms. He also prioritizes fiscal responsibility and recruitment and retention of teachers.
Both agreed that providing better access to resources, as well as increasing the number of mental health counselors available are ways the district could improve how it tackles mental health.
Faherty brings new views and ideas to issues the School Board is facing, as he said in previous interviews.
Powers served 18 years on the Citrus County School Board. Her campaign focused on her many years of experience in education and mental health to set her apart from Faherty.
“We’re very different people,” said Powers. “I want to talk with him about the academics that were missed because of COVID. You have to know this information to make the right decisions. … It’s up to us, the adults and the school board, to help the children achieve their goals in education. We all have to work together. I know the school board has been doing that, I’ve been doing it every single moment of 18 years. I’m very positive about what’s going to happen if all of us work together.”
Powers’ main priorities during her time as a board member were striving for excellence in education, maintaining safe schools for all who enter, and promoting good mental and physical health in schools.
Faherty will serve a four-year term on the Citrus County School Board for District 5. It will be his first time serving in a political office following his soon-to-be retirement from his career as a School Resource Deputy.
Contact Chronicle Reporter Georgia Sullivan at 352-564-2929.