Plattsmouth voters recall embattled school board member

PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. (WOWT) - Plattsmouth voters signaled their opinion of school board politics Tuesday by ousting controversial school board member Terri Cunningham-Swanson.

Ballots for the mail-in election were due to the Cass County Election Commissioner by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The unofficial results are as follows: 62.25% (1,649 votes) voted for Cunningham-Swanson’s removal; 37.75% (1,000 votes) voted against.

“Today the residents of Plattsmouth sent a clear message: our children’s education comes before partisan agendas and extremist policies,” said Sarah SlaDery, lead petition circulator for the grassroots effort. “We value our schools and our educators, and we will not tolerate any attacks on the wonderful school district we are fortunate to have here in Plassmouth.”

Cunningham-Swanson provided the following statement to 6 News late Tuesday night:

“It has been my honor to serve the community of Plattsmouth as a member of the PCSD Board of Education. My goal has always been to do right by our students, our district and our community. I can step away knowing that I have honored my commitment and honored God while doing so. There is a lot of work yet to do, now it’s time for someone else to put their hand to the plow.

If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake it’s dust from your feet as you leave.” Matthew 10:14

With 2,651 ballots cast out of 6,861 registered voters, voter turnout stood at 38.64%.

The Plattsmouth School Board voted in November to hold a recall election. Leading up to the vote, four of the nine board members provided statements to a website promoting the recall.

Supporters of Cunningham-Swanson’s removal allege she has cost taxpayers thousands of dollars in legal fees and increased teacher and administration workload. They claim that despite a 1.26% increase in taxes in the Plattsmouth Community School District since she took office, she has made late payments on property taxes — or left them completely unpaid.

Supporters of Cunningham-Swanson’s recall also cite her alleged behavior at an October school board meeting when the review committee recommended that she resign. They said she was “disruptive and inappropriate” and noted that she is routinely either absent from or unprepared for committee meetings.

Recall supporters say she has an “anti-First Amendment” and “anti-American agenda” — specifically mentioning an effort to axe 52 books from the libraries of Plattsmouth Middle and High schools, citing such a measure is authoritarian and “a form of censorship.”

Cunningham-Swanson is alleged to be affiliated with extremist groups that ostracize marginalized members of the community — and that she has shut out press coverage of her town hall events and other activities.

Brian Harvey, president of the school board, issued a reponse Thursday morning:

“In light of the recent recall, the Plattsmouth Board of Education remains committed to fulfilling our responsibilities to Plattsmouth Community Schools. The remaining eight members of the Board will review State Statutes and seek advice from our legal counsel as we determine the next steps to filling the vacant seat on our board.”

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Correction: A previous version of this story inaccurately reported the date of Terri Cunningham-Swanson’s response. 6 News regrets the error.

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