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Hanwell re-elected to Cape school board

Incumbent candidate defeats challenger Murray 3,108 to 1,212
May 14, 2021

Incumbent Janis Hanwell was re-elected to the Cape Henlopen School District Board of Education May 11, defeating challenger Ashley Murray 3,108 to 1,212 in total votes to retain her five-year, at-large seat. 

Hanwell’s votes totaled 1,827 at Cape High, 714 at Rehoboth Elementary, 527 at Mariner Middle and 40 absentee. Murray’s votes totaled 688 at Cape, 160 at Rehoboth, 353 at Mariner and 11 absentee. Voter turnout was 7.86 percent of all registered voters, according to the Delaware Department of Elections.

Hanwell said she was thankful for the support she received throughout the election process, particularly from her campaign support team, local groups, educators, and families across the district who wrote letters and endorsed her campaign.

“I am humbled by the outpouring of friends, old and new, and honored by the sheer numbers of community members who came out to vote in this election,” Hanwell said. “You have granted me this opportunity to continue to serve on the Cape Henlopen school board of education, and I appreciate your confidence in me to do what’s best for all kids.”

Polls closed at 8 p.m., May 11. In years past, Cape school board and referendum election results from all district polling locations have been announced by elections officials at Cape High following tabulation. 

This year, results were announced later than in previous elections due to a change in procedure. An elections official at Cape High stated that he could announce the vote tally at Cape High, but that officials from Mariner and Rehoboth would return to the Department of Elections office in Georgetown first before posting results on the department website.

In an email May 12, Sussex County Department of Elections Director Bo McDowell stated this method would be the procedure going forward, and he apologized for any confusion the change caused at the end of the night on election day. 

Hanwell first ran for office in 2016, when incumbent board member Spencer Brittingham declined to run for re-election. In 2016, Hanwell received 669 total votes, and candidates Camilla Conlon and Heather Ingerski received 515 and 476, respectively.

In her re-election bid, Hanwell had said her priorities would be to get kids in school in person as soon as possible, close the opportunity gap, and ensure equity and inclusion in terms of curriculum, programs and staffing. She said her platform – diversity, inclusion and equity – nearly mirrors the district’s. 

Murray, who aligned with the Patriots for Delaware group, had stated that her primary reason for running was that children had suffered significant emotional and academic harm over the last year. Murray had said it was time to place the needs of children first, and that she felt she could be a facilitator of that change. 

Murray also stated that student proficiency scores in math and reading were unacceptable, and she voiced opposition to Delaware House Bill 198, which would require district and charter schools to implement a Black history curriculum in grades K-12. 

A message shared widely on Facebook May 12 that was purportedly sent by unregistered domain cape@capecommunitycares.org to Murray instructing her to remove her “shi--- campaign signs by end-of-day May 14” was not sent by district or board officials, school board President Alison Myers stated.

“I would also like to remind our community that the values our district holds compels us to lose with dignity and win with grace,” Myers said. 

Hanwell will be sworn in to her seat at the board’s organizational meeting in July. The term expires June 30, 2026.

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