Mead School Board, district 4
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Cannon | 8,053 | 56.07% |
| Dorcas Wylder | 6,309 | 43.93% |
* 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
Michael Cannon
- Age:
- 47
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
Education: Graduated from Central Valley High School in Spokane in 1995. Earned a degree in business and organizational management from Whitworth University in 2009.
Political Experience: Ran for Spokane City Council in 2013. Chair of Pride Prep Charter School Board 2014-2019. Chairman of the City of Spokane Community, Housing, and Human Services Board from 2012-2015. Member of former Spokane Mayor David Condon’s 2012 transition team.
Work Experience: Worked in finance 1999-2015. Now a sales executive for a payment software company and owns Cobalt Ventures, which invests in real estate.
Family: Not married. Has one son, who graduated from Mead High School in 2020.
Campaign finance: Raised $17,576 as of Sept. 8. Notable donors include Spokane City Councilman Michael Cathcart, developer Harley Douglas, Catholic Charities Vice President Jonathan Mallahan, business owner Robert Meterne, home builder Condron Corey and Avista Director of Government Relations Collins Sprague.
Dorcas Wylder
Education: Graduated from Ferris High School in Spokane. Bachelor’s degree in education from Seattle University. Earned master’s degree in education from Eastern Washington University, principal certification from Gonzaga University and superintendent credential from Washington State University.
Political experience: None.
Work experience: Spent 32 years in education at Spokane Public Schools, Mary Walker School District and Mead School District, including 14 years as an administrator in Mead.
Family: Single.
Complete Coverage
Election preview: Mead School District board member Dorcas Wylder faces challenger Michael Cannon
Wylder, who was appointed to the seat at the beginning of the year, defended the school board’s decisions to end programs while facing a projected budget shortfall next year. Cannon said those decisions were “short-sighted” and have left parents and students without needed support.
School boards draw challengers amid budget crisis and layoffs
School board races are off to a fast start in Spokane County – especially in Mead, where at least one challenger has promised to make an issue of the district’s recent decision to close two popular programs.