COVINGTON - A mother and a retired teacher will join the Covington Independent school board next year, ousting the current chairman in an election that centered on needed reform in the district.

        Voters picked newcomers Glenda Huff and Rita Wilson along with incumbent Col Owens in the heavily contested race, with seven candidates vying for three seats.

        Mr. Owens and board Chairman Hensley Jemmott fought to keep their seats on the five-member board in a well-stocked race of challengers unhappy with the schools' performance and board bickering.

        After one term on the board, however, Mr. Jemmott, 80, the only minority member, lost his bid for re-election, while Mr. Owens, a board member since 1993, was the top vote-getter.

        “People recognized that, despite our problems in the past, I have been a force for change,” said Mr. Owens, 53, a Cincinnati lawyer and parent of two Covington graduates.

        With all precincts reporting, Mr. Owens received 3,266 votes, followed by Mrs. Wilson, 76, a former Covington teacher, with 3,084 and Mrs. Huff with 2,890. The new members will begin their four-year terms in January.

        “I'm kind of overwhelmed,” said Mrs. Huff, 42, a sales consultant and mother of four. “But I'm ready to get into the schools and get to know these kids. We need to restablish trust.”

        Charles “Butch” Reed, 65, a retired firefighter, received 2,418 votes; Mr. Jemmott, a retired teacher and principal from New York, got 1,916 votes; Everett Dameron, 57, a developer and real estate investor, won 1,719 votes; and Covington parent Joe Boyle, 44, a water treatment plant operator, received 1,570 votes.

        On the heels of a rocky year for the district, much of the campaign focused on improvement efforts, with candidates throwing darts over the schools' poor performance.

        After a scathing audit by the Kentucky Department of Education in the spring, Covington has been working to implement dozens of recommendations for instruction and management.

        Mrs. Wilson and Mr. Owens have said the audit gives the district a solid plan for improvement, while Mrs. Huff has criticized the state's review as being unfair and too critical.

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