Cheney Public Schools Board, district 3
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Henry C. Browne Jr. | 3,553 | 57.15% |
| James (Sonny) Weathers | 2,664 | 42.85% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About the Race
The Candidates
Henry C. Browne Jr.
- Age:
- 64
- City:
- Airway Heights, WA
Education: Graduated from the College of West Africa in 1976. Earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Liberia and a master’s of accounting from the University of Phoenix.
Political experience: Browne has served on the Cheney School Board since he was appointed in December 2012. He was elected to his seat in 2015 and served as president of the board from 2015 to 2018.
Work experience: Has worked for the Washington State Department of Corrections for more than 15 years at Airway Heights Corrections Center, most recently as the prison’s business manager. Browne is also an assistant pastor and an adjunct instructor at Park University at Fairchild Air Force Base.
Family: Married to Al-Satta Browne. They have three grown children and three children at home. Two children attend schools in Cheney.
His pitch: Browne said he has a proven record of service with almost seven years as a school board member under his belt. He also served as president when the board passed a bond for an elementary school and high school expansion. He sees the need for more schools in the district and worked on the purchase agreement to build an elementary school in Airway Heights. He said he is proud of the fact the school district did not have to lay off any teachers before the school year.
His words: “Just look at my record. I’m prepared to continue to do what I can do advance and improve our district.”
James (Sonny) Weathers
- Age:
- 47
- City:
- Airway Heights, Washington
Education: Medical Lake High School class of 1995. Earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University in interdisciplinary studies in 2016.
Political experience: Has served as an Airway Heights City Council member since December 2017.
Work experience: Has worked for Washington Air National Guard as a quality assurance technician at Fairchild Air Force Base for six years. Previously worked for Covenant Christian School in Spokane from 2002 to 2004 as a high school classroom coordinator and school administrator.
Family: Married to Angela Weathers. They have three children who attend Cheney schools.
His pitch: Weathers said he thinks his work on the Airway Heights City Council will translate well to the Cheney School District Board. He said he worked with school administrators on the purchase agreement for a new elementary school in Airway Heights and will continue to advocate for building a middle and high school in the city.
His words: “Airway Heights needs a strong advocate representing them on the school board and that’s what I would be.”
Complete Coverage
Cheney school board candidates representing Airway Heights tout elected experience, say district needs more schools
Both incumbent Cheney School Board member Henry Browne and challenger James “Sonny” Weathers are pointing to their experience as elected officials as reasons to vote for them and think the school district needs to build more schools to address growth in enrollment.