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The Candidates
August 4th Election
Eric Welch - R [incumbent]
Jennifer Haile- D
William Holladay - I*
(Holladay initially pulled his petition to run as a Republican and switched to Independent in the final days before the deadline)
Our Endorsement
Eric Welch
Our Reasons
Eric Welch's incumbent status as a Board member is critically important when weighing his candidacy against the others as he's proven to be a consistent advocate for our public schools. He seemingly understands more than some of his peers that the role of a Board member is that of a policymaker and fiscal manager, not that of operational oversight or interference.
Eric has a long history of service to the WCS community, including being a PTO Board member at Centennial High School and an active volunteer to this day. He's definitely not afraid to speak up for our schools and our students and shows respect for the experience and opinions of staff and teachers while still willing to ask the tough questions when needed.
As a lifelong Republican and 4th generation veteran, he's demonstrated time and time again that he has no interest in partisan politics when it comes to our public school system - a characteristic we respect greatly and hope to see emulated by newcomers to the Board this fall. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge from his years as an elected official as well as personally serving in our schools, and parents can rest easy knowing a vote for Eric is a vote for our schools.
Overviews
The information in this section was gathered from the Williamson Strong candidate questionnaires, local media coverage, social media posts, and our own historical information, which we've linked to where possible.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericwelchwcs
Twitter: @EricWelchWCS
Candidate Profiles & Interviews: Williamson Herald, Williamson Inc. Meet the Candidates Interview
Current WCS engagement: His children graduated from WCS. PTO Executive Board, Board Member Cougar Athletic Club, Quarterback Club, Lucky Mudder Board Member, Tournament Director Centennial Wrestling Tournament, Concessions Volunteer, Holiday Show Volunteer, Campus Cleanups Volunteer
Professional: Director of Business Development in Consumer Market Research
Local history: Lived in Williamson County since 2005
Completed our Williamson Strong candidate questionnaire: Yes - click to read.
Endorsements: Williamson Strong, Board of the Sargent Legacy Fund
Notable info:
Welch served on the Board from 2010-2014 when he lost re-election to Glenn Beck's Project 9-12 member Beth Burgos.
When Burgos resigned before the end of her term in 2017, Welch was appointed back into the District 10 seat by the Williamson County Commission, and then was challenged in the 2018 election but won to keep the seat for another 4-year term after public endorsements from the following notable individuals:
2022 Campaign petition had signatures from both current District 10 county commissioners, in addition to WCS community leaders:
Welch did an amazing February '22 Twitter takedown of Moms for Liberty.
February 2022 School Board meeting: Welch responds to the curriculum committee's recommendation and process, which went a bit viral.
William "Doc" Holladay
Website: www.docholladayforschoolboard.com
Facebook: facebook.com/williamdocholladay
Candidate Profiles & Interviews: Williamson Herald, Williamson Inc. Meet the Candidates Interview
Current WCS engagement: None that we're aware of.
Professional: Optometrist
Local history: Lived in Williamson Co. since 2016
Completed our Williamson Strong candidate questionnaire: No: "Thank you for your interest, but it would seem that our beliefs, values, and agendas could not possibly be further apart. I'm literally running in order to oppose nearly everything your organization stands for, so there's not much point in filling this out." - Holladay's response to Williamson Strong's candidate questionnaire 2/23/22
Endorsements: Moms for Liberty's "Williamson Families" PAC
Groups: Appears to be affiliated with Tennessee Stands / Recall Williamson
Notable info: Per his candidate profile in the Tennessean: "I, along with thousands of other concerned parents, have seen things take a turn in regards to curriculum and policies which don't necessarily align with our pro-freedom and pro-American values". Doc Holladay also performed his original song at the Williamson Families PAC event.
From the Williamson Families PAC Election Kickoff: "First I plan to restore honest patriotic education in our schools by a with a curriculum that promotes freedom and a love for the founding principles of America, and with the understanding that we are all simply individuals of equal moral value under the law under the constitution and under God." - Doc Holladay
In an April 6th WAKM interview, Holladay called for the ARREST of educators who put certain books in school libraries - watch at timestamp 23:40
https://williamson-families.org/candidates/
Website: In progress
Facebook: In progress
Candidate Profiles & Interviews: Williamson Herald,
Current WCS engagement: Centennial High School parent
Professional: Consultant/Investigator and adjunct professor
Local history: Lived in Williamson for seven years
Completed our Williamson Strong candidate questionnaire: Yes - click to read.
Notable info: From what we can tell in our limited interactions with her, Jennifer is a amazing community member who's actively seeking ways to plug into our county and schools. We believe she has a lot to give as a public servant given her professional background and current WCS parent perspective, and if Eric Welch hadn't stepped forward to run with his wealth of experience and proven ability to serve the entire school community, we would likely be endorsing her for District 10. Unfortunately, we need all hands on deck for one candidate if there's hope for protecting this seat for public school friendlies, but we look forward to getting to know her better in the years to come.
Ali Adair - lost primary race to Eric Welch
Facebook: facebook.com/adairforschoolboard
Candidate Profiles & Interviews: Williamson Herald,
Current WCS engagement: Hunter's Bend elementary school parent, PTO member, and volunteer
Professional: Works in healthcare management
Local history: Lived in Williamson for 37 years, attended/graduated from WCS
Completed our Williamson Strong candidate questionnaire: Yes - click to read.
Endorsements:
Groups: Appears to be backed by Back to School - Williamson County (Jay Galbreath and Josh Brown's spouse's closed Facebook group)
Notable Info:
"I am a conservative, and I believe that for Williamson County Schools to continue their success and improve for the future, we need candidates that have children in the schools, are rooted in making decisions that encourage parental engagement, put families first, and that support fiscally sound and conservative values," Adair said. - Williamson Herald, 03/15/2022