{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Randy Singleton","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Randy Edward Singleton is a registered voter in Avery County, North Carolina, registered since 1990 (36 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Randy Edward Singleton's year of birth as 1971; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 12 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nRandy Edward Singleton was a candidate for the Avery County Board of Education in the nonpartisan election held March 3, 2026, in which the top two of 5 finishers were elected outright to the board (this contest was decided in a single election with no subsequent November runoff). Singleton received 1,124 votes, finishing 3rd of 5, and was not elected [3].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records and the state's certified election results. Voters with personal knowledge of Randy Edward Singleton can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)\n\n[3] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 2026 election certified results, Avery County](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/AVERY_PRECINCT_SORT.txt) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-21","firstname":"Randy","lastname":"Singleton","middlename":"Edward","suffix":null,"token":"8ce04eccf737d554"},"token":"zJlJ_9ZXqxhADR7n"},{"candidatename":"Coleman Bailey","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nGrady Coleman Bailey Jr., who goes by Coleman Bailey, is a candidate for the Avery County Schools Board of Education in North Carolina in 2026 [1]. He was previously elected to the board in 2018 and is seeking re-election [2]. He has framed his re-election campaign around restoring a culture of trust among administration, staff, and parents, and maintaining high morale and academic excellence in the district [3].\n\nBailey's three stated campaign priorities are student-centered excellence, teacher and staff support, and long-range planning [4]. He supports investing in competitive compensation and professional development to recruit and retain educators [4]. He advocates expanding Career and Technical Education pathways and rebuilding community trust through transparency, stating that \"trust is built when people understand not only what decisions are made, but why\" [4].\n\n## Background and education\nBailey received his teaching and administrative degrees from Appalachian State University and is a graduate of the Principal's Executive Program at UNC-Chapel Hill [2]. Both of his children are graduates of Avery County High School [4].\n\n## Career\nBailey's career in public education spans more than 34 years [2]. He worked for 30 years as a teacher and 5 years as an administrator, serving in roles including science teacher, director, coach, assistant principal, and cabinet member at the central office level [4]. He managed athletic program budgets and secured more than $450,000 in grants for service learning and science initiatives [4]. After retiring from Avery County Schools, he served as Avery County's Dual Enrollment Advisor for Mayland Community College for five years [2]. He subsequently worked as an adjunct professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Appalachian State University, supervising student teachers in Avery, Mitchell, McDowell, and Forsyth counties for nine years [2].\n\nBailey advocates for \"two-way\" community engagement and commits to remaining visible and approachable within Avery County [4].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Board of Education candidates address local issues \u2013 Avery Journal](https://www.averyjournal.com/news/board-of-education-candidates-address-local-issues-ahead-of-forum/article_e53c6ef9-d2c6-4be5-9481-a50fea8705f6.html)\n- [2] [School board candidates lay out governing philosophies \u2013 Avery Journal](https://www.averyjournal.com/news/school-board-candidates-lay-out-governing-philosophies-at-candidates-forum/article_bac831f1-4f8c-4ec7-8059-3e0de9ab06a8.html)\n- [3] [2026 primary election candidate list final \u2013 Avery Journal](https://www.averyjournal.com/news/government/2026-primary-election-candidate-list-final-as-filing-ends/article_0b21a2f9-b383-4297-a5c8-ecae1110b203.html)\n","firstname":"Grady","lastname":"Bailey","middlename":"Coleman","suffix":"JR","token":"02c85e30cd872fa2"},"token":"-UTJOy68iJHdM_1v"},{"candidatename":"Lan Holtsclaw","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nLan April Holtsclaw ran for the Avery County, NC Board of Education in the 2026 election. She lives in Crossnore, NC.\n\n## Career\n\nHoltsclaw engaged publicly in Avery County school governance, attending board meetings and speaking to concerns about the district's proposed school consolidation plan, including concerns about bus route lengths and the failure to inform school staff before the consolidation announcement was made public.\n\n## Sources\n\n- [1] [Community Members Share Concerns Over Consolidation \u2013 Avery Journal](https://www.averyjournal.com/news/community-members-share-concerns-over-consolidation-proposal/article_5cd0f628-c98f-499f-9ad9-c49f7409fe3e.html)","firstname":"Lan","lastname":"Holtsclaw","middlename":"April","suffix":null,"token":"b6b3802b99321dc3"},"token":"1vow1X-MTmaw80UV"},{"candidatename":"Patricia (Pat) Edwards","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Patricia Gail Edwards is a registered voter in Avery County, North Carolina, registered since 1976 (50 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Patricia Gail Edwards's year of birth as 1952; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 10 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nPatricia Gail Edwards was a candidate for the Avery County Board of Education in the nonpartisan election held March 3, 2026, in which the top two of 5 finishers were elected outright to the board (this contest was decided in a single election with no subsequent November runoff). Edwards received 940 votes, finishing 4th of 5, and was not elected [3].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records and the state's certified election results. Voters with personal knowledge of Patricia Gail Edwards can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)\n\n[3] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 2026 election certified results, Avery County](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/AVERY_PRECINCT_SORT.txt) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-21","firstname":"Patricia","lastname":"Edwards","middlename":"Gail","suffix":null,"token":"2e5e25e89d0f5204"},"token":"CvQHKwaUoGbkLdS2"},{"candidatename":"Trey Oakley","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Charles Thomas Oakley is a registered voter in Avery County, North Carolina, registered since 2023 (3 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Charles Thomas Oakley's year of birth as 1984; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 4 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nCharles Thomas Oakley was a candidate for the Avery County Board of Education in the nonpartisan election held March 3, 2026, in which the top two of 5 finishers were elected outright to the board (this contest was decided in a single election with no subsequent November runoff). Oakley received 796 votes, finishing 5th of 5, and was not elected [3].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records and the state's certified election results. Voters with personal knowledge of Charles Thomas Oakley can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)\n\n[3] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 2026 election certified results, Avery County](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/AVERY_PRECINCT_SORT.txt) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-21","firstname":"Charles","lastname":"Oakley","middlename":"Thomas","suffix":null,"token":"849ce4d98e75b55f"},"token":"sSSJym6j0r8TJjdS"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"school_board","o.office":"county_school_board","office":"county_school_board","officedescription":"A school board member serves on the elected body that governs a public school district. The board sets district policy and budget priorities and hires and evaluates the superintendent, while leaving day-to-day management to the administration.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment for a public school district \u2014 setting direction while leaving day-to-day management to the superintendent.\n- Budget literacy for operating and capital budgets, in coordination with the county commission (which appropriates) and the state.\n- Ability to hire, evaluate, and when necessary replace the superintendent \u2014 the board's highest-stakes recurring decision.\n- Constituent relations with parents, teachers, principals, and community members.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Association.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County School Board Member","partisan":0,"pgr":"general","quantity":2,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Avery County Board Of Education"}