Carroll school board elects new president in split decision
WESTMINSTER – The Carroll County school board elected a new president and vice president with a split vote on Wednesday night.
Tara Battaglia, formerly vice president, was elevated to president with a 3-2 tally. She had her own vote, and those of Patricia Dorsey and Kristen Zihmer.
Narrowly beaten, Steve Whisler had his own vote and Greg Malveaux’s.
After securing the president’s post, Battaglia nominated Dorsey for vice president.
But Whisler would end up with the vice president post. He had his own vote and Malveaux’s, then Zihmer joined.
Zihmer emerges well from the ordeal. She picked both winners.
Now Battaglia and Whisler will serve as leaders together. Once simpatico, their politics are often in opposition now.
They were BMW slate mates along with Jim Miller in 2022. They rode the momentum against school closures and mask mandates to electoral success.
Since then, the issue of book removals, championed with success locally by Moms for Liberty, and how to present families in curriculum content, has divided them, with Whisler keeping a conservative path while Battaglia opted for a more progressive one.
(article includes analysis /opinion)