Schneider breaks mold
Erin Miller
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: News
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During the past school board election for Lancaster, Ohio, Adam Schneider, first year, ran for a position.
Schneider went up against four other candidates: Gary Mauller, Tom Pierce, Kathy Kitridge and Tom Teisel.
Schneider took his position seriously; he had been in the school district since Kindergarten and saw things he thought needed to be worked on. He wanted to be on the school board in hopes of looking at issues that weren't being addressed.
To run for school board, Schneider had to gather at least 75 signatures from registered voters and file with the board of elections and have a campaign treasurer. He also created his own website.
"They didn't even call to tell me I'd made it to the next round," Schneider said, "I read about it in the paper."
Once people realized he was serious about running, they were supportive. He said that his teachers were all very encouraging; they were some of the first people to sign his petition.
When he went door to door, he encountered a lot of people who weren't sure he was old enough to run.
"Once I told them my age," Schneider said, "I became just another candidate."
The school board election is the biggest race for the city, because there are towns outside of Lancaster that are still considered to be part of the city.
Running for school board did not come cheap. While he raised $1000 for his cause, Schneider still had to pay expenses for his website and brochures.
"I didn't have any yard signs though," he said, "I was really looking forward to those."
He did not win the election, but the process was not a total loss. Schneider is a political science and public administration major. He hopes to restart the Democratic group on campus.
"I think about the future a lot," he said. "I would like to do something with a non-profit [organization]."
By Erin Miller
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emiller4@capital.edu
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