Vincent Sullivan is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Lauren Ramirez in District 5. The District 3 and District 5 seats are both open as incumbents Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro have opted not to run again.
School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.
If you are a registered voter in Flagler County, you may cast a vote in both races regardless of the district, the town or the subdivision you live in–or whether you are out of state or living abroad, in which case absentee ballots may be sent in.
The election on Aug. 20 will decide the winners in District 3 between Derek Barrs and Janie Ruddy, and in District 5 between Ramirez and Sullivan. There will be no runoff.
School board members serve four-year terms and are paid $41,000 a year. The amount is set by the Legislature, not the local school board. It increases by a shade under $1,000 each year. In 2022 the Legislature passed HB1467, a bill that institutes a 12-year term limit for school board members. But the clock didn’t start ticking until November 2022. The restriction is on consecutive years only. The longest any school board member will have served when the new members are sworn in, in November, will be two years.
FlaglerLive submitted identical questions to all candidates, with the understanding that additional questions might be tailored to candidates individually and some follow-up questions may be asked, with all exchanges conducted by email and on the record.
The Live Interview’s aim is to elicit as much candor and transparency as possible. We have asked candidates to refrain from making campaign speeches or make lists of accomplishments. We have also asked candidates to reasonably document their claims. It’s ultimately up to the reader to judge the quality and sincerity of a candidate’s answers.
The Questions in Summary: Quick Links
Place and Date of Birth: Modesto, Calif., August 18, 1990.
Current job: Attorney, Chiumento Law
Political affiliation: Republican.
Financial disclosure.
Resume.
1. How have you prepared yourself to be ready to succeed from day one, and what is your method at arriving at decisions? Tell us about the character flaws and unique perspectives you bring to the commission, and how you handle your mistakes or misjudgments. Who do you admire most in office today among elected officials in Flagler County—the person you’d consider a model of leadership? Who in the world at large (beyond Flagler), and among the living, do you consider a role model of political or intellectual leadership?
Preparation – I have prepared myself for the office I seek by having been involved, at some level, with the Flagler County School System since I was a student in the classrooms in 1999. Currently I interact with the various local governments on several different levels, including the school district. I understand the current issues (over the last year) that our district has been grappling with by watching the live streams of the school board meetings and workshops. Further, I was the student representative on the school board when I was a senior at Matanzas High School.
Flaws/Unique Perspectives – I believe that my training as an attorney gives me a well rounded set of critical thinking skills. Between my skills as an attorney, and active involvement with the Flagler County Education Foundation as a Board Member, I am uniquely acquainted with the operations of the District.
Admiration in office in Flagler – This one is tough because we have many great public officials. Chairman of the Flagler County Commission, Commissioner Dance, is admirable because he is patient and thoughtful. Councilman Klufas is pragmatic and great at listening to the public. Councilman Danko advocates smaller government and not increasing taxes, but rather curbing government spending. All three of these individuals possess fantastic qualities that should be sought in an elected official.
Role model at large – At large and politically, I would say that Governor DeSantis is my role model when it comes to schools. He got our students back to the classroom as quickly as possible after lockdowns and that is why Florida ranked number 1 in education after Covid lockdowns for the second year in a row.
Can you tell us of a flaw that you have or still struggle with in your professional and public life, that may affect your tenure on the board, and how you aim to overcome it? We should also address the elephant in the room: your employment at Chiumento Law. The law firm has numerous dealings in land use in the county, and may create conflicts with you as a board member (that’s one reason the board a decade and a half ago ended its relationship with the firm, which used to be the board’s counsel). What are the criteria that will define how and when you will recuse yourself from decisions that are or may create the impression of a conflict, including, for example, on impact fee matters (which are not a direct, but are an obvious indirect, conflict)? Tell us also how you will be your own man on the board, as opposed to, say, channeling Michael Chiumento or his chamber.
As to the flaw and struggle portion of the question, it is the fact that I am too analytical. I analyze every situation from all possible approaches I can think of. I can curb this by collaboratively working with the other board members to provide their unique perspectives on situations that come before the board.
As to the conflict portion of the question, I will follow Florida Statute in its requirements to abstain from voting.
As to my independence on the Board, I am doing this for my community and my family. While I will certainly listen to all viewpoints, I will make decisions that position our community to continue to enhance our education system.
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
Flagler County School Board Derek Barrs, Dist. 3 Janie Ruddy, Dist. 3 Lauren Ramirez, Dist. 5 Vincent Sullivan, Dist. 5 Flagler County Commission Andy Dance, Dist. 1 Fernando Melendez, Dist. 1 Kim Carney, Dist. 3 Bill Clark, Dist. 3 Nick Klufas, Dist. 3 Ed Danko, Dist. 5 Pam Richardson, Dist. 5 Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Peter Johnson Alan Lowe Cornelia Manfre Mike Norris Palm Coast City Council Kathy Austrino, Dist. 1 Shara Brodsky, Dist. 1 Ty Miller, Dist. 1 Jeffrey Seib, Dist. 1 Dana Stancel, Dist. 3 Ray Stevens, Dist. 3 Andrew Werner, Dist. 3 |
2. Beyond the essentials (proficiency and better in all fields) and the slogans (“Flagler Forward” etc.), what is your realistic vision for public education in Flagler County and how are you uniquely qualified to help enact it within the limitations of the job? How will you interact with the community?
Realistic Vision – My vision is to make our schools as safe as possible. Beyond student safety, I want to do a deep dive of the budget with District Staff and see where else we can redirect money back to educating our students. Moreover, I want to increase transparency of what is being taught in the classroom..
Qualification – I am uniquely qualified because I understand the limitations on how certain monies are spent. There are funds that the district receives from the State that are only allowed to be spent on certain categories. There are funds that are Federal dollars that are allowed to be spent on other items. This understanding of the limitations, paired with my critical thinking ability and problem-solving skills I have learned as an attorney, is what positions me best for the seat I seek.
Interaction with the Community – I am of the belief that all elected officials should be available to the constituents they represent. While every question and/or concern may not be answered immediately, I will make myself as available as possible to the community to listen.
Regarding your realistic vision, are you concerned, after all that the district has invested in school security, including a remarkable amount of “hardening” and transformation of campuses into mini-fortresses, that there are still specific security vulnerabilities you see? Similarly, are there examples of matters taught in classroom that concern you, and that warrant additional transparency? Would you favor what a legislative bill has occasionally proposed–videos in classrooms that would monitor teachers? As for finances, we do not know of any state or federal allocations that the finance department, for all its shortcomings, has not appropriated legally and correctly. Do you have concerns in that regard?
In regards to safety, I am not the expert on this topic. However, the fact that the State had to pass a statute to mandate that exterior doors of schools needed to be locked while students are on campus is a prime example of the common sense approach I would take to further hardening our campuses at little to no expense to the District.
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I think transparency is paramount in any government agency. I have concerns over video cameras in classrooms, primarily for student privacy. Regardless, I believe that all parents have the right to know what is being taught to their children. As to finances, I am always keenly watching how money is spent and managed. As with any budget (personal or in a business setting) if expenditures are not managed, they tend to creep up over the years and create unnecessary expenses because “it has always been done that way.”
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
3. Give the current board a letter grade on its performance in the last two years. Explain with two or three specific examples where it has been lacking and two or three where it has excelled, and what specific experience and qualities you will bring to improve its effectiveness and consensus-building.
Letter Grade – B-
Examples of Lacking – 1) Not passing the resolution authorizing our Sheriff and Superintendent to work together to recommend a version of the Guardian Program for our District. 2) Not evaluating expenditures on things other than students sooner.
Examples of excelling – 1) Transparency about student enrollment rates. 2) Hiring our current superintendent.
Experiences and qualities – I have learned that you cannot know everything about everything. Therefore, I will work with personnel on District Staff that have the knowledge and experience to help me make informed decisions. This gained knowledge will help improve the effectiveness of the school district.
To be clear, the resolution on the “guardian program” was deliberated over many months and resulted in a decision to go against it at that time, but did not foreclose on going that route at some point. You are wanting to adopt the program locally? Do you see it as a cost-saving? Can you explain what you mean by “Not evaluating expenditures on things other than students sooner”?
I believe the motion that failed about the Guardian Program was directing the Superintendent and the Sheriff to work together to determine which version of the Guardian Program was appropriate for our District. This would be my ask of the District – have our head of education work with the County’s head of safety and create a plan to make sure our student’s are as safe as possible.
To be clear, I am not advocating for getting rid of School Resource Officers. The Guardian Program is in addition to our amazing School Resource Officers. The Program itself has State Grants that the Sheriff’s office can apply for to pay for the costs of training. I think all expenditures made by the District need to be focused on student education. While this is a Broad category, if District staff cannot tie an expenditure back to student education, it makes me question why the District is making such an expenditure.
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
4. If a recession coincides with your term and the district is faced with cuts, as it was between 2008 and 2010, what two or three program areas, aside from instruction, would you consider cutting, and what areas would you consider too critical?
This is an area that I would discuss with District staff. District staff are the individuals with the most knowledge about day-to-day operations. It is after these discussions, and open discussions with fellow board members, where my decision would be made.
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
5. In 2022 the district successfully renewed its half-penny sales surtax. It was not as fortunate a little over 10 years ago when it attempted to renew a 25-cent property tax levy, and add 25 cents. Instead, it lost both, substantially lowering local, discretionary revenue. With the County Commission exploring ways to diminish its financial burden for school security, do you favor attempting to ask voters again for either a 25 or 50 cent levy?
At this time the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners are not considering a funding roll-back on school deputies. I would hope for, and ask for, early discussions with the County Commission if they did decide to reduce funding for this legacy expenditure.
Security aside, the millage rate funding also reduced the district’s ability to have a longer school day and provide teachers with ampler flexibility with planning, among other beneficial spending. Would you explore restoring that funding, and would you campaign for it?
If the question is asking if I am a supporter of increasing taxes, in short, my answer is no. I believe that all government should critically review its current expenditures and determine where cuts can be made to meet program requirements, just like family budgets need to be cut to meet expenditure requirements.
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
6. Flagler County’s population has grown substantially in the last decade and a half, but this was the first year that the district saw an enrollment increase. Private, religious, virtual and charter schools and home-schooling have successfully eroded public education’s share of students, and private-school subsidies from the state help continue that trend. What is the future of traditional public education in your view, and are Flagler schools doing enough to counter enrollment erosion from traditional public schools?
The future of traditional public education is that it will continue to provide education. I question why Flagler Schools would want to “counter enrollment erosion”. It is a parent’s choice of how their child is educated. If a parent feels that an alternative to public education is more suitable, that is the parent’s right and I support that.
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
7. Since 2012, the Flagler school district has earned an A rating only once. It’s been a B-rated district the rest of the time. Why? What will you do to ensure an A rating during your tenure?
The “Why?” is what I seek to understand, for, once you understand a situation, you can improve it. It appears, based on scores alone, that our Math and English Language Arts (based on available Department of Education District Grades dated March 7, 2023) were our lowest scoring subjects. Thus, it appears, based on the numbers alone, that improvement in these areas will allow us to become an “A” rated school district again.
If it were that simply straight-forward, isn’t it fair to have expected the district to have caught on and remedied the matter already? Might it be a resource and talent issue?
It very well could be a talent and/or resource issue. However, I believe this is one simple area we as a district can improve, just looking at the numbers. As a school board member, my job would be to set policy and district objectives. District Staff’s job is to find ways to implement and execute on the policies and objectives.
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
8. Evaluate Superintendent LaShakia Moore as a leader, an innovator and a navigator of what has been the most challenging, and at times embarrassing, local government board in Flagler County.
Superintendent Moore appears to be a charismatic and effective leader. She appears to truly believe in her saying of “How do we get to yes?”. During my interaction with her, she acknowledges when something is not working, takes ownership of the situation, and then proceeds to correct what is not working. She is appearing to be a great hire by the School Board.
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
9. Where do you stand on arming school personnel? If supportive, what ratio of armed personnel-to-students would you consider reasonable?
There are many different versions of the Guardian program. One version is the arming of District personnel, but it is not the only version. I would revisit a prior motion that came before the Board which asked the Superintendent and the Sheriff to determine which program is most appropriate for our School District. The Sheriff is the authority on safety and the Superintendent is the authority on the day-to-day operations of the District. The collaborative effort between these two entities would yield enough information about the appropriateness of how to best protect our students.
As far as we know, the three models are: law enforcement, private security, or “guardians,” with the “guardians” option involving either any school personnel, including teachers, or limiting that to non-teaching personnel. The current board ruled out private security as too expensive if it is to be in addition to professional law enforcement, which no one on the board wants to reduce (and the sheriff would not accept being reduced). The current board also ruled out arming teachers, but left open the possibility of arming non-teaching personnel, though the interest to do so, among personnel, was so low that the district was including district office personnel in the mix, which seems to defeat the purpose of on-site “guardians.” Are you in favor of expanding guardianship to teachers? And are you comfortable with the fact that, when it comes to the sheriff’s school resource deputies, almost everything about them is public, but when it comes to school guardians, nothing about them would be public. Where would the accountability be in that, and how do you square the lower, more opaque standard with what the district (and the public) expects and receives from the sheriff’s professional law enforcement?
Those are the three different models I am aware of as well. As noted above, I would task our Superintendent to work with our Sheriff to determine which version of the Guardian Program is best for our community. I stand with our Sheriff in that I will not accept a reduction, worse yet elimination, of School Resource Deputies in our schools.
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
10. Beyond the right to private expression, which has always included students’ and personnel’s right to pray outside of instructional time, what school-sponsored religious expression do you consider permissible, and where do you draw the line?
I believe that the school should make available, but not compel, opportunities for students, and personnel, to express their religion and explore it. When I was in Flagler Schools, there were clubs such as the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) that routinely met either during lunch or outside of instructional time.
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
11. You’re having a conversation with a student. The student requests that you refer to them by gender-neutral pronouns. Do you comply?
I would comply with Florida law that suggests that students should be called by their biological sex pronoun.
You are not necessarily having the conversation on school grounds or in the context of a school function, but person to person, let’s say during a chance encounter and conversation you’re having with the student at Publix, at church or at a restaurant. How would you react, or respond?
As an elected official, I believe that regardless of the location, you are always a representative of the position you hold. As such, I would consistently comply with the applicable State Statute.
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
12. Have you ever been charged with a felony or a misdemeanor anywhere in Flagler, Florida or the United States (other than a speeding ticket), or faced a civil action other than a divorce, but including bankruptcies, or faced any investigative or disciplinary action through a professional board such as the bar or a medical board? Have you ever been demoted? If so, please explain, including cases where charges or claims did not lead to conviction or disciplinary action.
I have never been charged with a felony or misdemeanor. I have been party to one lawsuit that was ultimately dismissed without me having to proceed beyond filing a motion to dismiss. I have not faced investigative or disciplinary action through a professional board. I have never been demoted.
See how Lauren Ramirez answered.
Flagler County School Board Derek Barrs, Dist. 3 Janie Ruddy, Dist. 3 Lauren Ramirez, Dist. 5 Vincent Sullivan, Dist. 5 Flagler County Commission Andy Dance, Dist. 1 Fernando Melendez, Dist. 1 Kim Carney, Dist. 3 Bill Clark, Dist. 3 Nick Klufas, Dist. 3 Ed Danko, Dist. 5 Pam Richardson, Dist. 5 Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin Peter Johnson Alan Lowe Cornelia Manfre Mike Norris Palm Coast City Council Kathy Austrino, Dist. 1 Shara Brodsky, Dist. 1 Ty Miller, Dist. 1 Jeffrey Seib, Dist. 1 Dana Stancel, Dist. 3 Ray Stevens, Dist. 3 Andrew Werner, Dist. 3 |
c says
Not a chance! Not only am I extremely leery of anything or anyone associated with the Chiumento Law firm in Flagler county, but, along with Kathy Austrino and Ty Miller, Mr. Sullivan’s campaign is one of those which have been sending unsolicited emails to people who have supposedly ‘subscribed’ to their campaigns ( I know I haven’t and I would not have).
So far as I am concerned, none of these three (and maybe more to come) are getting my vote, having already proven that they have no respect for my privacy, and seem to think it is ok to abuse electronic communication systems (falsely signing up people for ‘subscriptions’ ).
Not worthy of my vote.
Buy me in.... says
A shill for the biggest development lawyer in Flagler County.
He will have a say in the impact fees never going up on the new construction. That leaves us footing the bills for infrastructure and the building of new schools.
I can’t recommend this candidate. Yes he has children in the schools that’s a plus but his job tells another story.
No vote Vincent…….
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
Never! Not in a million years would I vote for this guy or anyone associated with the law firm that was buddy-buddy with the infamous Joe Mullins and which has represented greedy land developers time and again, against the overwhelming objections of tax-paying citizens. As long as I’ve live here, Chiumento has pleaded the case for just about all of the land-grabbing developers who’ve ruined some of the most beautiful parts of our county, callously clear-cutting of trees and leaving a footprint on the environment that taxpayers end up paying for and which can never be fully rectified. Why is Sullivan so interested in serving on the school board? You won’t find the real answer in his slick autobiographical synopsis above. If you want to live in a concrete jungle with no trees and South Florida-style traffic on roads ill-equipped to handle it, Sullivan is your man. As a member of our school board? Forget about it!
Man up says
I think it’s pretty obvious this guy is just a sycophant for the developers and doesn’t have any interest in representing anyone besides that special interest group. Nor does he have any relevant experience.
I feel it’s very disingenuous to run for office and refuse to ever raise taxes. It’s part of the job to make those difficult decisions, not just abdicate your responsibility when it matters most. A real man makes the hard choices even when the results are unpleasant.