Retired professor Jim Beers will fill the Roberts seat on the Williamsburg-James City County School Board after defeating community advocate Petra Nadal in the general election, according to unofficial results.
Vote totals from the Virginia Department of Elections show that Beers leads the ballot count with 2,008 votes, or 55.07 percent, as of 9:15 p.m. Nadal has earned 1,627 votes, or 44.62 percent.
Beers will join two new faces on the school board, along with Sandy Young (Berkeley) and Holly Taylor (Stonehouse).
All election results are considered unofficial until a formal results review, which begins tomorrow, is completed and all provisional ballots are counted.
Beers celebrated his victory at Corner Pocket in New Town, where several Democrats and Independents gathered Tuesday night.
“I feel really good but also very humble,” Beers said. “A vote like this says to me that I have a lot of people willing to entrust their children to me and I have a great responsibility because of that.”
He added his focus will be on supporting teachers “so they can continue to shape great citizens of the commonwealth.”
Nadal said she was disappointed to lose, saying she wanted to work with parents and children to better the school division.
“Parents are falling through the cracks. Children are falling through the cracks. I wanted to get them back together and see what the opportunities are. I wanted to be the one to fix that,” Nadal said.
The current Roberts school board member, Heather Cordasco, opted not to seek re-election, instead challenging incumbent John McGlennon for his seat on the JCC Board of Supervisors. Though it is a close race, McGlennon appears to have won re-election.
Beers, a professor emeritus at William & Mary, said he decided to run for the seat because he is passionate about education and wanted to apply his expertise in education to the School Board.
In an interview with WYDaily, Beers said he would encourage instructional leaders to be a visible presence in schools, evaluate school start times and advocate for ways to improve teacher morale if elected to the School Board.
Beers has received nearly twice as much money in campaign donations as Nadal, according to information published by the Virginia Public Access Project. As of Oct. 22, Beers had garnered $4,660 in contributions compared to Nadal’s $2,710.
RESULTS
Total:
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| James W. Beers | 2,008 | 55.07% |
| Petra E. Nadal | 1,627 | 44.62% |
| Write In | 11 | 0.30% |
By Precinct:
# AB – Central Absentee Precinct
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| James W. Beers | 179 | 62.59% |
| Petra E. Nadal | 105 | 36.71% |
| Write In | 2 | 0.70% |
501 – ROBERTS A
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| James W. Beers | 226 | 52.68% |
| Petra E. Nadal | 199 | 46.39% |
| Write In | 4 | 0.93% |
502 – ROBERTS B
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| James W. Beers | 785 | 54.21% |
| Petra E. Nadal | 661 | 45.65% |
| Write In | 2 | 0.14% |
503 – ROBERTS C
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| James W. Beers | 89 | 59.33% |
| Petra E. Nadal | 60 | 40.00% |
| Write In | 1 | 0.67% |
Related Coverage:
- Jim Beers (I), Roberts (questionnaire) (profile)
- Petra Nadal (I), Roberts (questionnaire) (profile)
- WJCC School Board Candidates Take On New Middle School, Safety In Forum
