This year’s School Board races are the most hotly contested campaigns in Polk County, following a national trend as far-right conservative candidates vow to “educate not indoctrinate” public schools students, as one local candidate has stated on his campaign signs.
Several controversial things have occurred in some of the local races, which are supposed to be non-partisan. A potentially illegal, anonymous text was sent to local Republicans with false accusations about an incumbent, three conservative candidates have declined interviews with Polk County’s traditional media outlets, and at least two of those same three candidates hired a man with a felony fraud conviction and an outstanding debt to a church that won a court order against two companies he runs.
Republicans throughout the county received an anonymous text message in late June, falsely claiming that School Board member Lisa Miller and her husband, Bob, were “potentially under criminal investigation.”
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said his agency is not investigating the couple, who owns a real estate company, MillShire Realty. They have two children, Evie, 11, and Michael, 20, who is profoundly autistic. Miller has spent at least 15 years as an advocate for special needs children, including appointments by governors to statewide boards.
“They are not under criminal investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and have not been and that’s a vicious, ugly, political, campaign-induced lie,” Judd said. “...
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