By Keith Lawrence

Challenger C. Todd Anderson defeated incumbent Dianne Burns Mackey on Tuesday in her bid for re-election to a third term in the District 3 seat on the Daviess County Board of Education.

And Dale Stewart, a former principal of Apollo High School, won his bid to replace Merritt Bates-Thomas, who resigned from the board earlier this year.

Stewart became a write-in candidate for the District 5 seat when Tom Purcell, another former Apollo principal, had to drop out of the race when he discovered that his part-time job at Ben Hawes Golf Course was a conflict under state law.

Frank Riney, who’s been on the board since 1977, was unopposed for another term in District 4.

"It was a tight race," Anderson said Tuesday night. "We had a lot of hard workers, who walked the neighborhoods for us. I think it was God's will."

He said, "I'm excited. I'm looking forward to working with the other board members."

Mackey's grandfather, Fred I. Burns, served on the county school board from 1930 to 1945.

Anderson's father, Andy Anderson, was a long-time city school board member until his retirement in 1992.

Mackey taught in the school system for nearly 35 years before her election to the board in 2008.

She said she believes she is the only teacher -- "who remained a teacher throughout her career" -- ever elected to the board.

Anderson said his wife, Joy Beasley Anderson, is a former employee and parent volunteer with Daviess County Public Schools. His daughter, Katy, is a 2008 graduate of Daviess County High, and his son, Connor, is a 2012 graduate of Apollo High School.

He said he is a former president of the old Utica Elementary PTO, a member of the Daviess County Public Schools’ Long-Term Property Planning Committee and a board member of Owensboro Community & Technical College.

Anderson told voters, “We have to make sure our kids get the best education possible. I do not have an agenda. I am not a yes man. I will make the tough decisions.”

He said, “We have a great school system. I want to make sure our district continues to change with the times. I will listen. And I will learn.”

School board members are paid $75 per meeting with a maximum of $3,000 per year.