Copyright syracuse.com
Syracuse, N.Y. ― A former teacher will take the place of a Syracuse school board commissioner who ran a failed write-in campaign. Incumbents Twiggy Billue and Karen Cordano along with newcomer Michael Root won the three seats for the Syracuse City School District Board of Education. Incumbent Nyatwa Bullock and Republican candidate Jason Petrone lost. At 11:14 p.m., Cordano led the pack, followed by Billue and Root. At that time, only 2% of ballots had a write-in candidate. Despite losing the Democratic primary in June, Bullock said she still had a chance as a write-in campaign. She previously said she felt confident she could win as she felt the Syracuse community knew her name. This will be Billue and Cordano’s second term serving on the board of education. Billue is a long-time community activist and parent. Cordano became involved with the school district after her children began school. She previously served as the president of the Ed Smith PTO. Root is a retired high school educator and spent over 30 years teaching. He ran the Westhill Teachers’ Association and his wife is a retired teacher. Bullock has worked as a teacher’s assistant within SCSD, owns a trucking company, runs a nonprofit where she teaches youth trade skills and worked on mass incarceration policy. Petrone, who did not run a robust campaign, works within the youth ministry at his church, has three children and was a foster parent for eight years. He currently works as a travel agent. Education commissioners are part-time employees who make about $16,000 a year. They oversee a district with more than 18,000 students. The commissioners’ terms last four years.
