Franklin County Democratic Party Chair Michael Sexton said the party endorsing Brandon Simmons for Columbus City Schools' Board of Education in 2023 may not have been the right choice.
Sexton told WOSU that in hindsight, the party should not have endorsed Simmons.
"Some of the candidates may be vetted better than others and some of them disclose a lot of things. We talked about that in the screenings, the pros and cons of it. But yeah, I mean, in hindsight, it probably was a mistake," Sexton said.
Simmons and fellow first-term board member Sarah Ingles won the county party's endorsement over incumbent Carol Beckerle in 2023.
Beckerle left the race after the endorsement and after Simmons won the support of labor organizations over her.
Simmons was one of the authors of a divisive strategy document that sought to silence the teachers' union and others who opposed the district's plan to close several aging buildings last year.
This caused uproar in the community, derailing the closure decision for months. Simmons' fellow board members called on him to resign.
Simmons told WOSU he understands why Sexton feels that way.
"A lot of people are right to feel that way," Simmons said. "I am deeply sorry for the events that have transpired over the last year. I think what is left for me to do is to work collaboratively with my colleagues as I have this year, and demonstrate as much good faith behavior as possible."
Sexton said Simmons' actions on the Columbus school board hasn't changed how they endorse candidates, but it is making them think more.
"I think it made us a lot more...that we recognize more that we need to probably, in our interview process, probably vet these candidates a little better," Sexton said.
Franklin County Republican Party Chair Meredith Freedhoff told WOSU when someone gets the endorsement of a county party, it comes with a weight of responsibility.
Freedhoff's own party rescinded their endorsement of attorney John Rutan, the winner of the Republican primary for Franklin County Prosecutor last year. It was discovered Rutan had a history of spreading 9/11 conspiracy theories.
"People make mistakes and you can't figure out everything you know about about a person just from the screening process. So yes, human error," Freedhoff said.
Simmons said he is committed to doing the work of a board member. His term expires in 2027.
