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Click maps to view PDF - Districts 4-1, 4-2, 4-3
District 4 has been particularly tumultuous when it comes to its School Board member turnover.
When Brad Fiscus resigned last year, the County Commission appointed Josh Brown in October 2021 to serve out the remainder of the D4 term until the August 2022 election.
Brown now has to be elected by voters to keep his seat, and has 3 challengers including a May 3rd Republican primary challenge.
The Candidates
May 3rd Primary
Josh Brown - R
Elliott Franklin - R
August 4th Election
Winner of the Republican primary election vs.
Bob Britton - D
Del Wright - I*
(Wright initially pulled his petition to run as a Republican and switched to Independent in the final days before the deadline)
Our Endorsement
Our Reasons
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.
Bob Britton
Website:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Current WCS engagement:
Professional:
Local history:
Completed our Williamson Strong candidate questionnaire: Yes.
Endorsements:
Groups:
Josh Brown
Website: www.votejoshbrown.com
Facebook: facebook.com/joshbrownwcs
Twitter: N/A
Current WCS engagement: Trinity Elementary parent. "Our family has supported the Trinity PTO and its events for many years"
Professional: national vice president at Pfizer Inc.
Local history: Has lived in Williamson County his "entire life with exception of college years"
Completed our Williamson Strong candidate questionnaire: Yes.
Endorsements:
Groups: Brown has not been on social media until establishing his campaign pages in January 2022 (months after his appointment.) Per the Tennesseean, "His wife, Mary-Kate Anderson Brown, is an administrator [along with Jonathan Wells] of Back to School-Williamson, a parent Facebook group largely in favor of parents' right to choose, especially when it comes to coronavirus protocols and a return to "normal." and is a frequent commenter on School Board matters on both Facebook and Twitter.
Notable Info: Brown's nomination was met with widespread concern from various groups from all sides of the community, triggering protest petitions from Moms for Liberty and Tennessee Stands, and a joint statement from 7 local community groups. Basically no one was happy about this appointment by Commissioners Gregg Lawrence and Chad Story. (Reminder that Lawrence once nominated anti-Muslim activist Laurie Cardoza-Moore the last time the District 4 seat was open for an appointment.)
"A variety of parent groups, despite frequently falling on opposite sides of most debates in Williamson County Schools, declined to endorse the nominee for an open school board seat.
After the announcement of Brown's nomination on Thursday, parent group One WillCo issued a statement in partnership with Be the Bridge Nolensville, Franklin Justice and Equity Coalition, Together Nolensville, The Public Tennesseans for Historical Justice, Williamson Social Justice Alliance and Williamson Strong. The groups advocated for the appointment of a "non-partisan" individual who is an advocate for the safety of all students.
"We understand that multiple applicants for the District 4 school board seat are connected with [certain nationally affiliated groups] and we urge the Commission to consider the community’s reputation and act on behalf of the businesses, homeowners, employees, educators and all who live and work here," One WillCo wrote in a news release. "We do not want partisan interests of any stripe to outweigh the best interest of our students."
Elliott Franklin
Website:
Facebook: facebook.com/wcsdistrict4
Twitter:
Current WCS engagement: Page High School parent. "I have supported WCS at extra-curricular events and attended multiple school board meetings."
Professional: ServiceMaster Brands, Information Technology and Cyber Security
Local history: Moved to Williamson County in 2018.
Completed our Williamson Strong candidate questionnaire: Yes
Endorsements:
Groups:
Notable info: Was one of 10 applicants for the interim D4 appointment in 2021 but did not receive a commissioner nomination.
Del Wright
Website: https://delwright.com
Facebook:
Twitter: N/A
Current WCS engagement: Centennial High School parent, Volunteer Williamson County Middle School Basketball Coach for two years, Official Williamson County High School Basketball Coach for two years, Staff Member and Volunteer with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) for the past 11 years
Professional: President & CEO of Wright Way Leadership
Local history: Has lived in Williamson County since 2011.
Completed our Williamson Strong candidate questionnaire: Yes
Endorsements:
Groups:
Notable info:
1) former WCS Board member Tim McLaughlin is his campaign treasurer, which is a certain sign that Tea Party 2.0 organizers have recruited Wright to run for this position and are helping him behind the scenes....the same group that recruited Susan Curlee, Beth Burgos, Candy Emerson, and Dan Cash in 2014, e.g. national political dark money and Americans for Prosperity involvement in our local elections.
2) Website platform includes two major red flags for public school parents in Williamson County - these are not the words of a public school advocate and shows a deep misunderstanding of both the makeup of our community and the role of a School Board member:
Historical Information for those wanting a deep dive
If you live in District 4, you must read these two articles to get up to speed on the history and people pulling the strings behind the scenes, as this seat has been at the heart of the political shenanigans for years now:
Read 1st:
https://www.williamsonstrong.org/post/2018-district-4-school-board-race-takes-a-partisan-turn
Read 2nd:
https://www.williamsonstrong.org/post/district-4-interim-board-member-appointment-2021-episode