BENTONVILLE -- Jennifer Faddis will represent Zone 1 on the School Board for the next five years.
The Centerton resident defeated Jim Parsons of Bella Vista in Tuesday's election.
Complete, but unofficial vote totals were:
Faddis ... 3,367 (52%)
Parsons ... 3,145 (48%)
Faddis, 47, is a mother of five who works part time as a family counselor. She has a master's degree in community counseling from the University of Central Arkansas. She long volunteered at her kids' schools and thought her experience and judgment would make her a good board member.
This was Faddis' first bid for an elected office. She said she wouldn't bring an agenda to the board, adding she's pleased with how the district is being run by both the board and the administration.
Faddis met with Superintendent Debbie Jones and the head of nearly every department in the district this summer to better understand how the district works, she said.
She replaces Rebecca Powers, who served on the board for eight years. Powers, the only woman on the board, was ineligible to run for reelection because she moved out of the zone this year.
Zone 1 includes parts of Bella Vista and Centerton. Only residents of the zone were eligible to vote in this race.
Parsons, 87, is a retired teacher and high school coach. He's run for many offices at the state and local level, including secretary of state, state House and state Senate.
Nearly all of his election bids have been unsuccessful, though he was elected to the Northwest Arkansas Community College board and served from 1996-2002. He ran for the college's board again in 2012, but fell short by 11 votes.
