On Monday, in a surprise twist, Dr. Diane Kelley announced that she WILL seek re-election to the Okaloosa County School Board saying that she has had a “change of heart.”
“After hundreds of citizens all across this great school district have reached out to me, I’m getting back in the race to retain my seat on our school board,” she said. “I’ve loved serving you, and I hope I’ve earned your support!”
Previously, Dr. Kelley said she would not run again in the upcoming election as she was offered an opportunity to work for HOPE Squad, an organization that she has volunteered with for nearly 3 years. Joe Fagundes quickly popped up as a candidate to snag her seat.
Now, just one week into his election campaign, Fagundes has dropped out of the race following Kelley’s decision to see re-election.
“It was never my attention to supplant her on this board,” said Fagundes. “Dr. Kelley and I have been on the same page for years and our school board needs her. I was willing to follow her and now that she has made the best decision for our School District, I will gladly step aside.”
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Go deeper: Kelley does have an opponent for the District 5 seat. Cara Kos Marion announced her campaign for the District over the weekend. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because she spoke to the school board back in September regarding what she described as a “very inappropriate” movie that was shown in her daughter’s classical studies class at Niceville High School.
- According to Marion, the movie was Alexander (2004), starring Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie and Val Kilmer.
