Boost for gay candidate in school board race

Jacobson received a boost last week when incumbent Mary Lord withdrew from the race

Gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Jack Jacobson’s campaign for the Ward 2 seat on the D.C. State Board of Education received a boost last week when incumbent Mary Lord, who Jacobson was challenging, withdrew from the race.

Lord, a strong supporter of LGBT rights, announced she would run for an at-large seat on the school board following news that the incumbent in that seat, Ted Trabue, decided not to run for re-election.

As of early this week, no candidate emerged to run against Jacobson for the Ward 2 school board seat. A potential candidate has until Aug. 8 to file the required 200 petition signatures needed for placement on the Nov. 6 ballot for the non-partisan school board post.

“An inaugural member of the board, Mary has been a valuable asset to me in my capacity as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Dupont Circle,” Jacobson said in a statement.

“The possibility of two sitting board members, well versed with the issues facing Ward 2 schools, makes me hopeful that significant improvements across the entire school system are within reach,” he said. “I welcome the opportunity to work with Mary in the near future.”

Jacobson’s most recent campaign finance report filed with the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance shows he has so far raised $18,216 and spent $3,324, with $14,992 in cash on hand as of June 10. The report shows a number of prominent LGBT activists, both Democrats and Republicans, have contributed money to his campaign for the non-partisan school board seat.