Voters elect Sutton as Marion County superintendent

By P.J. Gossett
General Manager
MARION COUNTY — Voters headed to the polls last Tuesday, April 16, and when the day was done, Patrick Sutton was declared the winner of the Marion County Board of Education superintendent race. He received 1,525, or 58.1 percent, of the votes compared to Josh Weatherly’s 1,100, or 41.9 percent, of the votes. This race was the only one on the ballot. Sutton will take office in January.
Sutton is currently the coordinator of prevention and support services for the MCBoE. His duties include truancy and attendance, alternative and virtual schools, safety, policy and athletics. Career tech and dual enrollment are two areas he hopes to expand.
“I hope we can expand career tech and dual enrollment, improve our academic performance and develop leadership within our system,” Sutton stated.
Sutton said he felt relief when asked about knowing he won.
“It’s been a long six months, and I’m ready to move forward.
“The decision to run began as something I had thought but decided against,” Sutton continued. “But then, as others began to encourage me to consider it, I began to pray and think about it more. Ultimately, I felt that it was a responsibility and an opportunity to make a difference.”
Sutton thanks his wife, family and all who supported him in the campaign.
“Now we have to work together in our system to serve the needs of our students and communities,” he added.
Sutton also congratulated Weatherly for his hard work during the campaign, which Weatherly returned.
“Thank you to everyone who supported me in any way,” Weatherly stated. “I also want to congratulate Mr. Sutton on his race, and I am looking forward to a bright future for our students.”
The following breakdown shows how the voters chose from each precinct. The first number in parenthesis are the votes for Sutton, while the second is for Weatherly…