Last week, fliers started spreading around the Lewiston-Porter community asking residents to "keep Lew-Port white" by voting for two particular candidates, Betty VanDenBosch-Warrick and Sarah Roat Weckter.
Both candidates strongly disavowed the endorsement, but was the damage already done?
Voters on Tuesday said, no.
“It did not have any effect on the voting,” said Don Finkle of Youngstown.
“I was committed to my people,” said Cheryl Bevilacqua from Lewiston.
One voter believes the letters had nothing to do with a hate group, rather someone with a grudge.
“It was just a ploy,” said Bevilacqua.
Lew-Port School Candidate Betty VanDenBosch-Warrick alluded to a similar reason why the fliers were distributed in a statement she made late last week.
She said:
"We all know where this flier originated. Sarah and I only have one common enemy."
She would not say who that "enemy" is.
Where voter's opinions differ is the amount of surprise that such a tactic would be used for a school board election.
“I was embarrassed. I was rather shocked that in our little area here we would be exposed to something like that,” said Finkle.
Lance Dickson was re-elected for one of the two spots up for grabs. The race for the final spot between Betty VanDenBosch-Warrick, Sarah Roat Weckter, and Gemma Fournier is too close to call. A final decision is expected Wednesday after all affidavit votes are counted.
The school budget passed.
