News
By George Miller, 6-20-24
Federated Republican Women of Nassau (FRWN) (web site) held a candidate forum for School Board and Commission candidates on June 14, 2024 at the Fernandina Beach Golf Club.
The FRWN did not ask candidates specific questions, but rather let each do their own thing for 5 minutes and took a few audience questions at the end. Most candidates just opted to do a bio and generalities about what they favor/would do, but a couple were more specific and detailed. In doing so, an opportunity was lost to get more into specifics and put candidates on record and better compare them. It’s difficult to say if some of these people asking for Republican votes would carry out Republican principles, especially viewing how some of the School Board incumbents vote.
I ran into some of the school board members and wanted to discuss their vote to adopt the recent controversial Savvas World History textbook. Only one was willing to engage, with Cindy Grooms saying “I know” then walking away, Lisa Braddock saying “I’m glad it turned out the way it did” then walking away and Cook simply walking away. This is part of an overall lack of transparency. Superintendent Burns has never been willing to engage us in the two year history of Citizens Journal Florida. Others we’ve spoken to have had similar experiences. Only Curtis Gaus was willing to talk and set up a subsequent meeting. Candidate Kristi Simpkins seemed receptive to talking.
The County Commission candidates were and have been far more willing to talk.
A dispute about inviting non-Republican candidates was aired publicly. This is a common problem in Republican organizations around the country that are tasked with electing Republicans, but have to deal with so-called “non-partisan” contests. Some people wanted to see all of the candidates. and others didn’t. The organization President had finally agreed to permit it, but in the end, it was decided not to, under pressure from County Commissioner and candidate John Martin. But the non-Republican and sole opposition candidate was disqualified, rendering it moot, guaranteeing the position to Martin.
Several current school board members and both Superintendent candidates (who faced off on June 17) were in attendance, along with some other current officials and candidates.
Candidates:
- County Commissioner DISTRICT 1
- Casey Jones (Not there- dropped out)
- John Martin (incumbent)
- County Commissioner DISTRICT 3
- Jeff Gray (incumbent)
- Lynn Newcomer
- County Commissioner DISTRICT 5
- Klynt Farmer (incumbent)
- John Ladson (not there)
- School Board Member DISTRICT 2
- Gail Cook (incumbent)
- Yvon Joinville (not there)
- School Board Member DISTRICT 4
- Cynthia Grooms (incumbent)
- Kristi Simpkins (school Principal in GA)
County Commission
County Commissioner DISTRICT 1
John Martin (incumbent)- Chose to spend his time talking about not inviting non-Republican candidates.
County Commissioner DISTRICT 3
Jeff Gray (incumbent)- Lived here 32 years, married, 2 adult children, Christian, many volunteer activities, such as Little League, Council on Aging, Gracies’ Kitchen. Focuses on quality of life stewardship of resources, he is a “conservationist, not an environmentalist, wants to preserve county land and aquatic resources, more recreational facilities, claims some credit for 3 new parks- all funded and under construction, capital plan, says he has saved us millions, want to stop deferring road repairs, lowered property taxes (or at least county millage).
Lynn Newcomer– Business operations background (no specifics stated), NOT political, 1 1/2 years in military, husband is retired military, laments that county won’t be rural much longer and wants to focus on how to maintain quality of life via managing growth. Interested in conserving, preserving the land, wetlands, trees, preserve natural habitat. No specifics stated.
County Commissioner DISTRICT 5
Klynt Farmer (incumbent)- Longtime county businessman, pool service, then tank service, starting 1984. In office since 2020. Pushing efficiency, technology, “sharpening pencils” (budget/spending), claims to have done this. Has been board chair, Republican precinct captain, helped lower property taxes (millage anyway), voted to outsource services, bring in technology, talent, work on “communications gap” with departments. Involved in working on drainage problems, sloping, sewers, land conservation programs.
So Gray, Farmer and Newcomer all acknowledge that major growth problems, infrastructure, land preservation and quality of life are the main issues, which tracks very well with what we know. Farmer and Gray both seek to run on their record for fiscal management as well. The first two sounded much more knowledgeable about what is going on, but they have been in the positions for years. Martin unfortunately did not weigh in on his candidacy at this session- perhaps the next one.
School Board
School Board Member DISTRICT 2
Gail Cook (incumbent)- Went to Nassau schools, worked with special needs kids, national merit scholarships, have top state scores. District accused about being about the numbers “(tests), “but the numbers are what they are.” “Critics disrespect the schools.” “there is not too much testing.” Supports “parents’ right to choose.” Many students come back later to teach (here). Nine administrators went to county schools. Investigates issues, participates in training.
School Board Member District 4
Cynthia Grooms (incumbent)- Led off that she was Miss Nassau 1977, dad had a farm in Hilliard, 26 years in education, starting off as cafeteria worker, was a high school teacher in special ed., first female lead, Coordinator of Student Services, left district and worked with autistic children, likes “teaching in the real world.” Said could change everything- huge challenges exist, but she didn’t elaborate on this most interesting thing she mentioned. That’s quite a progression, moving up from cafeteria work to those impressive positions. Mentioned that teacher retention is a BIG problem, have more money now. Did not get into the “toxic culture” and management problems as mentioned by Superintendent candidate and current board member Curtis Gaus at the recent superintendent forum put on by We The People group.
Kristi Simpkins was kind enough to send us her presentation (reproduced verbatim here):
My name is Kristi Loyd Simpkins. I was raised in Hilliard, Florida. I graduated from Hilliard Middle Senior High School in 1986. I completed my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education at Jacksonville University, and I attained my Masters Degree in Administration and Supervision at the University of North Florida. I began my teaching career at Callahan Elementary School in 1991 where I taught for 11 years. I was then appointed as the principal at Hilliard Elementary School where I worked for 11 years before being promoted to the Director of Elementary Education and the Executive Director of Curriculum Instruction. I retired from the Nassau County School System after 30 years of service. I am currently working as the principal at Folkston Elementary School.
I have been married to my husband Bobby Simpkins for 30 years and we have three children – Haley, Hannah and Robert
Why am I the best candidate for the Nassau County School Board? It’s quite simple, my record as an educational leader speaks for itself.
When I was the principal at Hilliard Elementary School, we moved the school from a “C” rating to an “A” rating in two years. During my tenure as the Director of Elementary Education, all of our Elementary schools were rated as “A” schools. Currently, in my position at Folkston Elementary school, we have increased the number of third grade students reading on grade level from 67% to 93%.
The following are three quotes that speak to my leadership:
“Kristi Simpkins has every quality needed for being on the Nassau County School Board. She has proven herself to be dedicated, resilient, caring, hardworking, and focused on the needs of students above all else. She is a leader who gets to the root of an issue and works collaboratively with all stakeholders to find a solution and make a plan for success. She is a leader who sees her work through to the end and gets into the trenches to ensure the job is done with validity and integrity.”
Jacquelin Sims
Former Nassau County Teacher/Administrator
“When I think of an educational leader, I think of Kristi Simpkins.”
Marlena Palmer
Former Nassau County Administrator
“Ms. Simpkins is very bright and displayed a confidence in carrying out her duties to serve the children under her guidance and supervision that was unparalleled! She is undoubtedly, the most effective instructional leader that I worked with in my educational career over a span of forty years.
Dr. John L. Ruis
Retired Superintendent, Nassau County School District
My goals are to prioritize campus safety and security by implementing advanced measures and protocols to protect students and staff while keeping a welcoming campus. I aim to ensure fiscal and instructional responsibility and transparency by managing resources efficiently and maintaining open communication about financial and educational decisions with all stakeholders. Additionally, recruiting and retaining talented teachers for the county is a key focus, as quality educators are vital to student success. Finally, I am committed to developing and supporting initiatives and programs that cater to the diverse needs of our students, ensuring that each student receives a personalized and high-quality education.
Please vote for me as your candidate for the Nassau County School board on August 20th. Thank you for your support.
Q & A
There was an unstructured question and answer period at the end, when not much time remained. Few in the audience availed themselves of the opportunity to pose questions on forms supplied by the event sponsors. Sorry I couldn’t record whose questions they were because they were asked by the moderator without attribution. Here they are:
Q: What are the top two local, national and world issues? (!)
Jeff Gray- Conservation to sustain county. National level politics. Remain a Republican County. Not be unpoliced- fund it, unlike NY, CSA and some other places nationally.
Lynn Newcomer– People coming in from other places. Respect for police. Concerned about November election and whether outcome will be respected.
Klynt Farmer– Conserve as much as possible while developing. Southern border. News (TV) channels are bizarre. Put faith back. Keep faith with the “Promised Land”- Israel. Help allies. Peace, harmony is attainable.
Cyndi Grooms- Growth. Conserve way off life. Build schools. We all know what immigration, drugs are doing. China is a big problem. Election law. Students- social media problem. Colleges.
John Martin- Infrastructure. Commercial growth. Assessments vs CPI, millage vs assessments. Take back the White House. Secure the border. Restore Ukraine.
Gail Cook– School growth- reduce crowding.- have to use portable classrooms right now (suboptimal). Immigration- by law must take illegals in schools. School discipline.
Q: Amelia Island Plantation (towers); local auto theft attempts, Duval dumping homeless here.
Jeff Gray– Unaware of #2 & 3. Didn’t address towers.
John Martin- Says only 55 homeless identified and it is trending down.
Klynt Farmer- Attributes it to higher housing costs- “a rathole costs $1300-1400” (monthly?). “Gotta have somewhere to to put them.” “Need showers, washing facilities, internet, toilets.” “80% are not dumb, they know the rules- we all have to face it.” Homeless shelters? Need funding. Public showers are vandalized.
No one addressed the (Riverstone) towers question (locals protested tall towers development in relatively undeveloped South Island area, but zoning permitted it) and moderator didn’t remind them- Must be a radioactive topic.
Q: Objected to West Side Regional Park used for County graduation events.
No formal answers, candidates didn’t seem to object to it.
Q: Rate your performance in managing growth in the county-.
Klynt Farmer– B. We’re better than it was, but not what it should be. There are still some “Old Florida” pristine places out in West County.
Lynn Newcomer– Room for improvement. Big buildings on the island- don’t know the details.
Jeff Gray– B+. Have development agreements, “Tweak the codes.” Keep the economy strong or our chikldren will be slaves to China.
John Martin– He turned the question around, saying rating us is YOUR job. He mentioned the Riverstone lawsuit (the aforementioned “Towers”) and the county settlement. Why allow development- must. “It’s just a matter of HOW it is developed- horizontal or vertical.” Florida has strong private property rights making it harder to minimize development. He mentioned Rayonier and said “don’t put taxpayers on the hook.”
Q; More workforce development in Nassau Needed
Gail Cook– She said the district has some already and rattled off a bunch of programs, some right off the top of her head and some she looked up on the district website. So the district recognizes the need for trade education, has been responding and wants to do even more.
Q: What to do about extreme congestion?
Jeff Gray– They will create a “loop” around Yulee. New roadway 4 lanes planned , north of St Road 200. (but it will not be a limited access high speed road and will have red lights and stop signs all along it). A West Side project needs funding. “The Commission is on top of it.” Property purchase (right of way) is an issue. A legislative delegation will request funding for a Nassauville Rd bridge. (This now appears to be the #1 county bottleneck since the Nassauville area boomed). The A1A/Rt. 200 renovation is being moved up to Augustt’25. At that point, John Martin exclaimed “you took my line away!”
Klynt Farmer- Added the need to facilitate evacuating to the west during emergencies.
Original event announcement:
George Miller is Publisher and Co-Founder of Citizens Journal Florida, based in Fernandina Beach. He is a “retired” operations management consultant, software and publishing executive (10 years) and manufacturing management professional.
