LOUDONVILLE — Wende J. Lance, David Hunter and John Temple have been elected to serve on the Loudonville-Perrysville Board of Education, according to final unofficial results from Ashland, Richland, Holmes and Knox County Boards of Elections.
The board members will join Judy Briggs and John Carroll, whose terms expire in 2027, on Jan. 1 — when their four-year terms begin.
Hunter and Temple were re-elected to their seats. Lance will take over Bruce Davis’ spot. Davis decided not to run for re-election.
Final unofficial results show 3,403 total votes were cast in the race in Ashland County, 126 in Richland County, 382 in Holmes County and 124 in Knox County.
- Lance received a total of 909 votes.
- Hunter received a total of 832 votes.
- Temple received a total of 691 votes.
Tyler McCaskey followed Temple by 4 votes at 687 votes. There is an automatic recount ordered if the election difference is less than one half of one percent (0.5 percent) of the total votes cast in the race.
Michelle D’Amico and Steve Goines were the other two candidates who lost.
Board members are paid $125 per meeting and the board has a regular meeting once monthly.
Temple is a pastor at Trinity Community Church in Loudonville and a Loudonville High School graduate. He was also a parent and grandparent to kids he raised who went to Loudonville-Perrysville schools.
He previously said he would address aging facilities, prioritize academics by working with administrators and families and introduce new programs for students.
Temple was not immediately available for comment.
Hunter is the board president and an attorney at his own practice, David M. Hunter Law Office, who has served on the board since 2008.
He previously said he would continue to maintain fiscal responsibility, address aging facilities through available money and promote academic excellence by providing a safe school environment.
“I am humbled and appreciative of the votes, which allow me to continue serve,” Hunter said.
He said on the first day he will continue to work on the finances and “continue to look at ways to try to improve the buildings for the students and improve the overall academics for the students.”
Lance, a Loudonville High School graduate and former teacher, recently retired from a career in real estate and is now pursuing her clinical counseling licensure from Ashland Theological Seminary.
She previously said she would address aging facilities and advocate for state funding for public schools.
“I am pleasantly surprised, I am really honored that the voters decided to put me on the school board,” Lance said.
She said the first thing she plans to do in office is learn as much as she can and listen “a lot” to community members concerns and comments.