Linda Powers and Joseph Faherty are the two candidates who are in a runoff to be elected into Citrus County School Board District five. Powers was elected back in 2014 on the school board with 13,692 votes and looks to be re-elected in this upcoming election.
Early voting is being held from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Polls will be open on election day, Nov. 8, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Here are the candidates' campaigns and how they compare.
Joseph “Joe” Faherty
Faherty has worked at the department of juvenile justice as an inaugural member of the Juvenile Justice Board of Circuit 5. Just recently, Faherty was awarded a lifetime achievement for his dedication and lifetime service of working with youth.
According to his bio, he stated his most rewarding leadership role involved being a school resource officer for the Renaissance Center.
“School security is of the up-most importance to me,” Faherty said. “If kids don't feel safe, they won’t want to learn.”
Faherty earned his bachelor's degree in behavioral science and has a masters degree in business organization security management. He has spent his time serving his community through employment at the Citrus County Sheriff’s office.
Faherty highlights mental health in schools and safety within the students and faculty. He goes beyond just safety within the building but wants to emphasize communicating the correct safety steps.
“It doesn't always have to be building security, it could be building a report, it could be looking at the traffic flow pattern to make sure everyone is safe,” Faherty said. “Safety isn't just physical building safety, it's communicating that safety.”
Faherty is the board of directors for a non-profit organization called filter youth development. This development is an organization that promotes positive behaviors and provides counseling for kids who are on the cliff of being in trouble with the law. He also served the youth as a community education specialist at Eckerd Youth and Family Alternative.
The relationship between school officers and deputies has also been a highlight in Faherty’s statement. Which is why he created a program called shop with a cop.
“I started a program over 20 years ago and the goal of that program was to build the relationship between the cop and the children together,” Faherty said. “I still get messages saying their son went through the program and it made such a big difference.”
Linda Powers
Powers was elected on the Citrus County School Board back in 2014 and looks to continue her role through another election process.
Powers has always put a big emphasis on learning and involvement within Citrus County schools. She believes in the power of education and that Citrus County can continue to have an exemplary educational system.
She received her associates degree from St. Johns River Junior College, her bachelor of arts in english at Jacksonville University, her Master of Science at Florida State University and her Master of Arts in Guidance and Counseling at Rollins College.
Powers has been a teacher at all levels: elementary, midde, high school and community college. She was the department head, the assistant principal and has added many more titles onto her resume as well as being a licensed mental health counselor.
She hopes to be re-elected and strives to fix issues raised within Citrus County schools. Powers wants to increase mental health providers in the schools and expand partnerships with the community providers.
In her bio, she states she strives to grow and strengthen programs that enable Citrus students to be competitive in the nation and the world. Teacher and education support are big for Citrus County schools and she wants to better enhance delivery and knowledge to the students and community.