Local school boards will be seeing fresh faces — and some familiar ones — following Tuesday’s election. This year, Clatsop Community College and all five of the county’s school districts had races on the ballot.

Warrenton-Hammond

With more than a dozen candidates vying for four open seats, the Warrenton-Hammond School District Board has been the source of some of the county’s most contested races. Over the last few years, the district has seen administrative turnover and the recent resignation of Superintendent Tom Rogozinski. Candidates have focused on a range of issues, from student retention and special education to increased communication and transparency.

In Position 4, Neal Bond, a protection unit forester with the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Astoria District, was leading Tuesday night with 39% of the vote, based on initial returns. Bond, who has two children in the district, has been a board member since 2019 and board chair since 2023. He is the only incumbent in this year’s school board race.

“I’d just like to thank everyone who voted for me,” Bond told The Astorian. “I appreciate the support – the vote of confidence really means a lot to me. I take this to heart. This is not something I take lightly, and I’m committed to continuing to work to make Warrenton-Hammond School District the best that it can be.”

Bond faced three competitors: Dacei DeVos, Mandi Simonsen and Chelsey Frank.

In Position 3, Krystal Pike was leading Bree Libertad with around 56% of the votes counted Tuesday. Gabrielle Pargett, who informally withdrew from the race, received around 5% of the votes.

Libertad, who had about 38% of the votes, is a family support specialist with Healthy Families with a background as an educator and substitute teacher. Pike, a licensed stylist and nail technician and a mother of two children in the district, has emphasized consistent communication on the board during her campaign.

“I was just very humbled to see that I was in the lead to start out. And I mean, really at the end of the day, I’m here for the kids and here for the teachers,” Pike said. “Our end result is to make sure that the kids are supported and the teachers are supported as well, and that’s my plan for the school board is to try to make everything cohesive creating that open line of communication.”

In Position 6, Crystal Green held an edge over three other candidates with just over 36% of votes. Green, the owner of Arnie’s Cafe, is a Warrenton High School alumna with a grandchild, niece and nephews in the district.

“I’m excited to be able to represent my community in this capacity, and I really enjoyed the election process with all of the worthy candidates that were in my position,” Green said. “I’m honored to be able to step up and do this.”

Green faced Matt Ahearn, a produce clerk and volunteer coach with the Lower Columbia Youth Soccer Association who had just over 30% of the votes; Lindsay Ceaser, a barber at Kut and Shave Barbers in Astoria; and John Duncan, the facilities manager for the McMenamins Gearhart Hotel and Sandtrap Pub.

In Position 7, Adam Murray had a slight edge over Jared Warner, leading by 32 votes.

“I’m super grateful for everyone who took the time to vote and putting their trust in me to help mend or bridge whatever gap has been created, and just step up for the community and the students, the staff, the administration,” Murray said. “We have a little road ahead of us, but it’s going to be fun.”

Warner said his priority remains people.

“I just want the best for the school district and the students, parents, teachers, and hope that whoever gets in the office that that’s the main goal moving forward,” he said.

Murray is a service technician with P&L Johnson Mechanical Inc. who currently serves on the Warrenton Kids board and has previously served as vice president of the Lower Columbia Youth Soccer Association, while Warner is an electrician and volunteer sports coach. The two candidates both had a lead over opponents Sara Robinson and Mindy Little.

Astoria

The Astoria School District saw one contested race this year, with four candidates campaigning to fill an open seat in Position 4. As of Tuesday, Tyler Lyngstad appeared to be leading Karl Hellberg, Susan Prettyman Hartill and Holly Marsh with around 31% of initial votes.

Lyngstad, the recreation manager for the city of Astoria, has experience as a sports coach and ninth-grade on-track coach in the district. He told The Astorian he preferred not to provide a comment until more votes had been counted.

Hellberg, a private investigator who spent decades with the U.S. Coast Guard, also has served on the district budget committee and strategic planning committee. Prettyman Hartill, the deputy director of The Harbor, brings a background in social services that she said has informed her work advocating for vulnerable families as vice chair of the district’s budget committee. Marsh, a small-business owner, has focused on her lived experience as a neurodivergent parent with neurodivergent children during her campaign.

Two current board members who ran unopposed — Jenna Rickenbach and Grace Laman — had more than 98% of the votes in their races.

Seaside

This year, the Seaside School Board had two contested races.

In Zone 3, Position 1, Chuck Mattocks was leading Trissa Como with around 77% of the vote on Tuesday night.

Mattocks is a former teacher with more than 35 years of experience in the district, as well as prior experience as a Gearhart city councilor and Clatsop County planning commission member and chair. During her campaign, Como has focused on the importance of creating a safe environment for her children and other children in the district.

“I’m just very thankful for the opportunity it looks like to be able to make a contribution to the school board,” Mattocks said.

In Zone 7, Position 1, Jason Haag was leading Alex Carney with more than 66% of initial votes.

Haag, a senior director of operations at a publicly traded solar technology company with a background working with state and federal agencies in the U.S. Coast Guard, has stressed the importance of addressing gaps and equal opportunities for students. Carney, an account manager with a background in language services and translation, has emphasized a desire to increase language access for students and families who communicate in a language other than English.

Haag could not be immediately reached for comment.

Brian Taylor and Katherine Davidson — two current board members — ran unopposed this election and faced few challenges from write-in votes.

Knappa

In Knappa, Christa Jasper and Hannah Bryan were neck and neck, with Jasper leading by only one vote late Tuesday night.

Jasper, a sales director at Mary Kay Global, has served on the board since 2021. Bryan has worked for the county in assessment and taxation for nearly two years, and has more than 16 years of experience working for an IT company.

“I adore our community and the kids, and as we wait for final counts, it’ll be interesting to see how it turns out. It is exciting,” Jasper said. “If I am elected again, if it does go in my favor, then I will definitely be thankful to serve another term.”

Bryan shared similar sentiments.

“It has been an interesting experience,” she wrote in a statement to The Astorian. “Regardless of the final outcome, I’m excited to be able to continue to support our school and the kids within.”

Current board members Cullen Bangs and Michelle Finn ran unopposed for reelection in Positions 3 and 5, respectively.

Jewell

The Jewell School Board had three current board members run unopposed in this year’s election: TJ Hecox, Jan Songer and Michael Wammack.

Hecox is the current board chair and a supervisor for the Clatsop County Road Department. Songer is an underwriter who was appointed to Position 5 last June. Both candidates had a sweeping majority of the votes Tuesday night over write-ins.

Wammack, a shop and fleet manager who has served on the board for eight years, had received around 53.5% of the initial votes counted Tuesday. Write-in votes made up the other 46.5%

Clatsop Community College

Clatsop Community College’s board of education had one contested race on the ballot this year. As of Tuesday night, Mitra Vazeen was leading Morgan Bates, 54% to 45%, for the seat in Zone 2, Position 2.

Vazeen, who has been on the board since 2023, has emphasized her experience as a Job Corps center supervisor and Clatsop Community College adjunct professor and budget committee member. Meanwhile, Bates, the treasurer of the college’s associated student government, has emphasized the importance of bringing a student voice to the board.

“I would like to thank the citizens of Clatsop County for caring for the level of education and experience that they think their community college board member needs to have,” Vazeen said. “My vision for the college remains financial and performance accountability and responding to the needs of the workforce of this county and our country.”

Current board members Ashley Flukinger and Sheila Roley ran unopposed for two other positions on the board and have more than 98% of the votes in their races.