According to unofficial election results as of press time Wednesday, one incumbent looks to have kept their seat on the Redmond School Board while a first-time candidate knocked off another.

As of Wednesday morning, Ashley Proctor was leading the race for Position 1, while Amanda Page was ahead by a wider margin for Position 3.

The unofficial results, which include voters in the school district in both Deschutes and Jefferson counties, had Proctor ahead by about 500 votes. She secured about 52.5 of votes in her favor, ahead of incumbent Eric Lea’s 47.5 percent haul.

Proctor, a first-generation high school graduate and a social worker for Deschutes County, said she watched the first flash of election results come in Tuesday night alongside friends and supporters. That included members of her book club, who first gave her the confidence to run for the board.

“It was really nice to share that moment with everyone who worked so hard,” she said. “I’m humbled and grateful.”

Proctor said she would work to build relationships with other board members, as well as staff. She said improving services and outcomes for students with disabilities will be a priority, if the results hold and she joins the board.

Lea had served on the school board since his appointment in 2023. He said he was “shocked and disappointed” by the result. 

He said the number of ballot returns from registered Republicans and unaffiliated voters gave him “misplaced confidence” that the election would go his way. He said he hoped, if the current results hold, that the board remains committed to strong fiscal oversight and timely updates of its curriculum.

“This is probably the last time I will get involved in an election,” said Lea. “But I won’t disappear. I will remain involved in the school board as a community member.”

Incumbent Amanda Page, who ran for re-election for Position 3, had a different fate.

She was leading her race against challenger Joelle Beget by about 900 votes, garnering about 54 percent of those tallied.

She said Wednesday morning that she was “grateful” for the support of Redmond voters and was looking forward to returning to a new-look board with Proctor. Page said she thinks the new board will move away from “political agendas and instead focus on what’s best for students.”

Page said she and Proctor had success courting voters this election “because we got out there and listened to people.”

She said that was different then previous elections, when school board candidates told voters what they should care about, rather than hear their concerns.

Michael Summers ran unopposed for Position 2 and won re-election.

Other races

In the only other contested race for Redmond voters, Katie Jalo looked ready to secure a seat on the Redmond Area Parks and Recreation District Board.

In unofficial results as of press time Wednesday, Jalo had secured about 54.3 percent of the vote, followed by Cosper at 45.3 percent.

The two board members running unopposed — Kevin Scoggin and Mercedes Cook-Bostick — were elected to another term.

Three candidates ran unopposed for a term on the Redmond Fire & Rescue Board of Directors. Gary Ollerenshaw, Dick Knorr and and Jessica Meyer won those seats.

In the local zone for Central Oregon Community College, Alan Unger ran unopposed and joined the board.