Buffalo voters retained all five Board of Education incumbents who were on the ballot

Tuesday, all of whom were supported by the teachers union.

The incumbents, as well as the union president, hailed the results as a public endorsement

of the school system.

"To me, this is more a victory for public education in the city than anything else," said

board President Ralph R. Hernandez, who won re-election in the West District. "We're doing

some good things in this city with public education, and we're going to continue to do that."

The sole newcomer to win a seat was Jason M. McCarthy, who won a three-way race in the

North District with 46 percent of the vote.

"I think it speaks volumes about the way people feel and what they want," said McCarthy, a

vocal supporter of charter schools. "Without a better school system, what is our city? We need

to create a great school system to keep people here."

McCarthy's campaign and his supporters churned out a massive amount of advertising, funded

by more than $10,000 raised through his campaign.

That amount was surpassed by the money spent by Education Reform Now, a New York City-based

group that supports charter schools and other reforms, including linking teacher compensation

to job performance. The group spent more than $50,000 citywide, including a great deal on

McCarthy's campaign.

Philip Rumore, president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation, said that while the five

incumbents' victories were reason to celebrate, McCarthy's election was cause for concern.

"It shows that in some cases, money does buy an election," Rumore said. "And that's a sad

commentary, because that's not what's best for our kids.

Some voters said Tuesday that the money spent by Education Reform Now made a noticeable

difference — one that swayed some voters in favor of the candidates backed by the group

and turned other voters off.

William H. Siener, retired director of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, said

he was irritated by the money spent on McCarthy's campaign. He received a number of phone

calls, as well as a slew of printed ads through the mail.

"I thought it was outrageous. We got slick, four-color postcards, at least one a day, for

at least two weeks," he said. "The whole thing smacked of huge amounts of money to buy an

election. Whenever I see that much money being spent, I figure it's not in my best interest

that the money is being spent."

Other voters, many of whom support charter schools, said they liked the message they heard

from McCarthy, a bar manager at Hutch's who recently started the dog park in LaSalle Park.

"Once you bring competition into the marketplace, the kids can't help but benefit and do

better," said one resident casting his vote at McKinley High School who identified himself as

a private investor with three children in private schools.

McCarthy defeated Erie Community College professor Patricia E. Devis, who was backed by the

Buffalo teachers union and got 34 percent of the vote; and Lawrence L. Scott, a psychologist

in the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda School District, who received 20 percent of the vote.

Incumbent Catherine Nugent Panepinto bowed out of the race to run, instead, for State Supreme

Court.

In the Central District, retired school administrator Mary Ruth Kapsiak defeated Buffalo

Firefighter Bryon J. McIntyre with 65 percent of the vote.

The other races, though, were decided by a handful of votes.

Throughout Buffalo, voter turnout Tuesday was typically low for a Board of Education race,

at 4.1 percent citywide. The highest turnout, at 8.7 percent, was in the North District, where

three candidates vied for a seat. The lowest turnout in an area with a contested race was in

the East District, where 2.2 percent of voters cast ballots.

Unofficial results show that Hernandez, the board president, prevailed over Philip Lomax

with 52 percent of the vote — 358 votes to 325. East District incumbent Vivian O. Evans

squeaked out a victory over Buffalo State College assistant professor Theresa A. Harris-Tigg,

with Evans leading with 264 votes to Harris-Tigg's 251. That translates to 51 percent of the

vote for Evans.

And in the Ferry District, Pamela D. Cahill led Kinzer M. Pointer, a coordinator at

Enterprise Charter School, 658 votes to 613, giving Evans nearly 52 percent of the vote.

Louis J. Petrucci, who ran unopposed in the Park District, was re-elected with 217 votes,

less than 1 percent of registered voters.

None of Tuesday's results include absentee ballots. The election results likely will not be

certified for several days.