By The Citizen staff
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include additional quotes and up-to-date election numbers.
Hilary Irons was elected by a wide margin to the county school board, according to unofficial results released by the county registrar on Tuesday night. Irons faced incumbent Matt Cross, who generated repeated controversy during his single term on the board, and Lauren Mullen.
Cross came in third place in the election, wiith challenger Lauren Mullen squeaking into second place with 66 more votes as of Wednesday morning.
Irons, who lost to Cross four years ago, had earned about 53 percent of the vote a according to the county registrar’s numbers at around 9:30pm, with all but early voting results published. Irons’ victory was announced at the Republican gathering at El Charro before 9pm.
“Thank you for putting your trust in me,” she said . “I know that that seems like an odd thing to do these days, but I think it’s exactly the point. One of my skills is to work together and to find common ground with the people who maybe don’t agree, and sometimes we’re never going to agree. But we need to learn how to function together as a community, and I can’t wait to prove that I was the right choice.”
Cross, who was condemned by a majority of the board less than a month ago over videos of city schools students he posted on social media, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mullen sent a statement to The Citizen saying, “Democracy is the purest form of unity — a community coming together to decide our shared path. Though victory was not mine to claim, I am proud that my campaign stayed true to its roots — grounded in authenticity, guided by civility, and centered on the well-being of every student.”
“I want to take this moment to call upon school board leaders to cultivate policies and practices that protect the most vulnerable, reject political ideology, and enshrine trust and transparency as guiding principles for all decisions,” Mullen continued.
Cross did not respond to repeated requests for comment but issued a statement on his social media page saying, “I want to congratulate Hilary Irons, and I wish her the best as she serves as District 3’s school board representative.”
“Thanks to my family and friends for your support over the past five years. I was able to accomplish a lot with your help, and we leave the school division in a much better place than where we found it,” Cross continued.
Irons garnered 4,033 of the district’s votes, Mullen received 1,936 votes, and Cross received 1,870, as of Wednesday morning.
