{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Carmen Owens Garland","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"UNA","person":{"biography":"Carmen Owens Garland is the incumbent principal of Peachtree Elementary School and is running for a seat on the Cherokee County Board of Education, District\u202fII in the 2026 general election.  Board members in Cherokee County are responsible for setting district policy, approving the annual budget, overseeing curriculum and instructional standards, and representing the interests of families and staff within their district.\n\nGarland has been a North Carolina educator since 1999.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Western Carolina University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from East Tennessee State University, and a second master\u2019s degree in Educational Administration from Western Carolina University, later achieving National Board Certification\u202f[11].  Her early career began as a kindergarten teacher at Hiwassee Dam Elementary School, followed by teaching positions at Ranger Elementary/Middle School.  She subsequently served as the Gifted Lead for Cherokee County Schools (CCS) K\u201112, and held roles as Instructional Coach, STEAM Lead, Director of Gifted, and Director of Curriculum before becoming principal of Peachtree Elementary\u202f[11].\n\nAs principal, Garland emphasizes a safe, caring, and respectful learning environment and maintains an open\u2011door policy for parents, students, and community members.  She highlights her deep ties to the local community, noting that she graduated from Murphy High School (MHS) and has a supportive family that shares her commitment to education\u202f[11].\n\nGarland\u2019s candidacy is positioned on her extensive experience within the Cherokee County school system, her leadership in curriculum development and gifted education, and her ongoing involvement with families and staff at Peachtree Elementary.  She seeks to bring that experience to the Board of Education to influence district\u2011wide decisions on policy, budgeting, and instructional quality.\n\n## Sources\n- [11] [Principal, Peachtree Elementary School \u2013 Principal, Mrs. Carmen Garland \u2013 Peachtree Elementary School](https://pes.cherokee.k12.nc.us/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=3514366&type=d&pREC_ID=2395445)","firstname":"Carmen","lastname":"Garland","middlename":"Owens","suffix":null,"token":"009e9217cd1b4bf6"},"token":"SkPRn9L1vnWDDKaA"},{"candidatename":"Joy Stein","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJoy L Stein is the Democratic candidate for one of two seats on the Cherokee County Board of Education, District 3 (Hiwassee Dam), unopposed in her own primary. She faces Republican incumbents Jason Murphy and Shannon Raper and unaffiliated candidate Carmen Owens Garland on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot for the two available seats [1].\n\n## Background\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Stein is a registered voter in Cherokee County, North Carolina, registered since 1997 (29 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [2].\n\nThe voter file shows Stein's year of birth as 1961; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2].\n\nThe voter history file shows 8 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2024-11-05 general election [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Voters toss incumbents in Cherokee County elections \u2013 Cherokee Scout](https://www.cherokeescout.com/local-news/voters-toss-incumbent-cherokee-county-commissioners)\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Joy","lastname":"Stein","middlename":"L","suffix":null,"token":"f187a82b9a13359d"},"token":"331xIeE8ADr7VMnT"},{"candidatename":"Shannon D. Raper","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nShannon Dutsch Raper is an incumbent District 3 (Hiwassee Dam) member of the Cherokee County Board of Education. She finished second behind fellow incumbent Jason Murphy in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary, with 31.24% of the vote in a three-candidate field. Both advance to the November 3, 2026 general election for the two available seats, where they face Democrat Joy Stein and unaffiliated candidate Carmen Owens Garland [1].\n\n## Background\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Raper is a registered voter in Cherokee County, North Carolina, registered since 1999 (27 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2].\n\nThe voter file shows Raper's year of birth as 1977; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2].\n\nThe voter history file shows 11 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Voters toss incumbents in Cherokee County elections \u2013 Cherokee Scout](https://www.cherokeescout.com/local-news/voters-toss-incumbent-cherokee-county-commissioners)\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Shannon","lastname":"Raper","middlename":"Dutsch","suffix":null,"token":"dc18b1b68bbf2e1f"},"token":"oVRX4iLuVtsQuk-U"},{"candidatename":"Jason Murphy","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJason Ryan Murphy is an incumbent District 3 (Hiwassee Dam) member of the Cherokee County Board of Education. He led a three-candidate Republican primary field on March 3, 2026 with 44.32% of the vote, finishing ahead of fellow incumbent Shannon Raper (31.24%) and Gary Butler. Murphy and Raper both advance to the November 3, 2026 general election, which has two seats open; they face Democrat Joy Stein and unaffiliated candidate Carmen Owens Garland [1].\n\n## Background\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Murphy is a registered voter in Cherokee County, North Carolina, registered since 2006 (20 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2].\n\nThe voter file shows Murphy's year of birth as 1988; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2].\n\nThe voter history file shows 10 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Voters toss incumbents in Cherokee County elections \u2013 Cherokee Scout](https://www.cherokeescout.com/local-news/voters-toss-incumbent-cherokee-county-commissioners)\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Jason","lastname":"Murphy","middlename":"Ryan","suffix":null,"token":"6f7fa23a0f85a94d"},"token":"ExkM1K6Pu_abHX5s"},{"candidatename":"David Ricks","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nDavid Eugene Ricks serves as a Code Enforcement Official for Cherokee County, North Carolina [2]. He is a candidate in the 2026 election for County School Board District I [1]. As of May 12, 2026, the outcome of this upcoming race remains unknown.\n\n## Career\n\nDavid Ricks serves as a Code Enforcement Official for Cherokee County, North Carolina [2]. He is employed by the county's Building Code Enforcement department, which is located at 911 Andrews Rd. in Murphy [6]. His professional contact information includes the phone number 828-837-6730, extension 2 [2].\n\n## Office history\n\nDavid Ricks serves as the Code Enforcement Official for Cherokee County [2]. The provided source material does not specify the date of his appointment or election to this role, nor does it detail the length of his current term or specific district boundaries beyond the county level.\n\nAvailable sources do not contain information regarding any other elected or appointed offices held by David Ricks, nor do they document any prior electoral races he has run in, whether successful or unsuccessful [3] [4] [5].\n\n## Sources\n[1] (source #2 not in master list)\n[2] [Staff Directory \u2022 David Ricks](https://www.cherokeecounty-nc.gov/directory.aspx?EID=7)\n[3] [David Ricks, North Carolina (35 matches): Phone Number, Email, Address - Spokeo](https://www.spokeo.com/David-Ricks/North-Carolina)\n[4] [David Ricks, North Carolina - NC | Found at 100 Locations | BeenVerified](https://www.beenverified.com/people/david-ricks/nc/)\n[5] [David Ricks in North Carolina - NC | 28 Records Available - YellowBook](https://www.yellowbook.com/people/david-ricks/north-carolina/)\n[6] [Staff Directory \u2022 Building Code Enforcement](https://www.cherokeecounty-nc.gov/directory.aspx?did=6)","firstname":"David","lastname":"Ricks","middlename":"Eugene","suffix":null,"token":"9981e9508073cd77"},"token":"RasGUQhAz8JxhcVu"}],"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":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Cherokee County Board Of Education District Ii"}