HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARTICLE ON ELECTION OUTCOME:
Katy ISD critic defeats longtime trustee by 3 votes, unofficial results show
George Scott's election could shake things up on the district's board
Updated 7:16 pm, Friday, May 13, 2016
Joe Adams ran for re-election to the Katy ISD school board in 2016. He has served on the board for 29 years.
A longtime critic of the Katy Independent School District has ousted a 27-year incumbent from the board of trustees, winning by three votes out of nearly 3,000 cast, according to unofficial total results announced Friday.
Conservative blogger George Scott received 1475 votes to Trustee Joe Adams' 1,472 votes, district officials said Friday. The final tally came six days after election day results left the Position 1 race too close to call.
Results will become official when the seven-member board canvasses them at a meeting Wednesday. Scott would be sworn in at the May 23 board meeting, along with Trustee Rebecca Fox, who was re-elected earlier this month.
Scott's victory signals a major shift for the district. Adams is a
widely recognized figure in the Katy area and has served on the board of directors for the
Texas Association of School Boards.
A former media liaison for the Harris County Appraisal District and past publisher of The
Katy Times newspaper, Scott has for years questioned the board's fiscal decisions,
transparency to the public and deference to Superintendent Alton Frailey, who is retiring
this summer.
Scott contended that trustees became too influenced by Frailey and hadn't held him sufficiently accountable. He criticized the district's push for a $62.5 million stadium, a project that still divides the community because of its price tag. It is now being built alongside an existing one and is set to open next year.
In challenging Adams, Scott suggested that the incumbent had become complacent. Scott said voters heard that message.
"I've been a very strong critic, but my goal is to try and work with the other board members," Scott, 66, said Thursday, a day before the final results were announced. "Can we agree that the district can do a better job with communication to the media and public? Can we hold the superintendent more accountable? I want those talks to be professional."
During the campaign, Adams disregarded Scott's words, arguing that the
challenger had never served on a school board and that the district's stellar reputation
was proof of a well-run board.
Adams maintained that his experience was a "huge advantage with our district and for our
continued growth and maintaining strong leadership."
Adams, who owns remodeling and window blinds companies in Katy, could not be reached for comment Friday.
Scott spent years as a senior researcher and president for a nonprofit public policy firm and served on the board of managers of the Harris County Hospital District. He ran for a seat on the Katy ISD board in 1986 but lost. Scott once talked of creating a "shadow board" to critique the Katy ISD board and district, with its main focus being to "use public data to take aim at the district's use of high-stakes testing." But it never came to pass due to a lack of funds.
Scott will be joining a board that carefully discusses its opinions and
filters answers to the media and public through board president Charles Griffin or the
district's communications team.
Scott believes he can work well with trustees while maintaining his candor and openness.
"I have no authority to speak for the school district, but a lot of board members over time have confused that with a need to not say anything about any issues," Scott said. "That's not going to be the case for me. I'm still a citizen, too."
The Katy ISD is one of the fastest-growing and highly ranked districts in the state, with more than 73,000 students.