State board of Ed. member denied party endorsement in local school board run

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In November, Moore County voters will have to select from among four candidates for two at-large seats on their county’s board of education.  Three of the filed candidates are Republican, while one is a Democrat.  Moore is an overwhelmingly Republican county.  So, the Republican candidate(s) or the candidate(s) endorsed by the GOP tend to win.

On Saturday, the Moore County GOP’s executive committee evaluated the three Republican candidates:  local activist, military veteran and parent Jim Pedersen; local activist and retired educator Don Zawlocki; and career educator and state board of education member Olivia Oxendine.  After extensive, passionate debate, the committee voted 16-6 to endorse Zawlocki and Pedersen for the November ballot. 

The outcome of the vote surprised many.  Oxendine, with her professional background and incumbency on the state board of education, was thought to be one of the front-runners for the local party’s endorsement.

After speaking with some of the attendees at this meeting, three factors appeared to doom  Oxendine’s bid for the party endorsement:

  • Copies of court documents – some dating back as far as 1991 — detailing criminal and civil allegations against Oxendine were circulated on social media and to meeting attendees.
  • Apparent ineffectiveness on the state board of education.  Attendees told us Oxendine struggled to identify positive accomplishments she has had while on the state board.
  • Not much in the way of local party involvement.  While many attendees recalled involvement by Pedersen and Zawlocki, they could not ID much of significance locally for Oxendine (who registered to vote in Moore County in 2022).

Moore County currently has non-partisan school board races.  Thanks to efforts by state Rep. Neal Jackson, that will all change in 2028.  Many see party primaries as a much easier way to identify ideologically compatible candidates in future city council and school board races.