Retired teacher Sandy Young will likely represent the Berkeley District on the Williamsburg-James City County School Board, as unofficial election results show she has earned 457 more than William & Mary professor John “Rio” Riofrio.
Vote totals from the Virginia Department of Elections show that Young leads the ballot count with 2,447 votes, or 54.98 percent, as of 8:30 p.m. Riofrio has earned 1,990 votes, or 44.71 percent.
Young will join two new faces on the school board, along with Jim Beers (Roberts) 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.
Young, who did not run with a party affiliation because the school board is nonpartisan, celebrated her victory at the Williamsburg National Golf Club with the James City County Republican Committee.
“I’m very happy that I had the support from the citizens of James City County and the Berkeley District. I hope I will be a good representative for them and I will be of good service to the parents and children of this community,” said Young, who added her next move will be to learn all about the job before taking over in January.
Current Berkeley school board member Ruth Larson opted not to seek re-election, instead challenging incumbent Mary Jones for her seat on the JCC Board of Supervisors. Larson won that seat Tuesday night.
Young said she decided to run for the School Board because she was “very concerned” about what is happening in the school division.
In an interview with WYDaily, Young said she would take a hard look at the budget, particularly expenses for the fourth middle school, and re-evaluate school schedules to make better use of empty classrooms.
Campaign finance reports from the Virginia Public Access Project show that Young received $2,736 in donations while Riofrio earned $1,405 as of Oct. 22.
RESULTS
Total:
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| John D. “Rio” Riofrio | 1,990 | 44.71% |
| Sandra S. Young | 2,447 | 54.98% |
| Write In | 14 | 0.31% |
By Precinct:
101 – BERKELEY A
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| John D. “Rio” Riofrio | 939 | 51.99% |
| Sandra S. Young | 864 | 47.84% |
| Write In | 3 | 0.17% |
102 – BERKELEY B
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| John D. “Rio” Riofrio | 374 | 35.25% |
| Sandra S. Young | 682 | 64.28% |
| Write In | 5 | 0.47% |
103 – BERKELEY C
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| John D. “Rio” Riofrio | 677 | 42.74% |
| Sandra S. Young | 901 | 56.88% |
| Write In | 6 | 0.38% |
Related Coverage:
- John “Rio” Riofrio (I), Berkeley (questionnaire) (profile)
- Sandy Young (I), Berkeley (questionnaire) (profile)
- WJCC School Board Candidates Take On New Middle School, Safety In Forum
