Dremel, Lowe re-elected to Batavia school board; Meitzler tops vote

Batavia school board President Cathy Dremel retained her seat on the board Tuesday, finishing second in a six-person field for her third term.

Erin Meitzler, who is married to Batavia Alderman Eliot Meitzler, led the field with 1,619 votes with all precincts reporting, according to unofficial results.

Dremel, a board member since 2011, collected 1,544 votes and Christopher Lowe, a board member since 2015, was re-elected with 1,443 votes, according to unofficial results.

Three, 4-year seats were up for election; incumbent John Dryden did not seek another term.

All three winners had garnered the endorsement of the Batavia Education Association, the union representing teachers.

The other candidates were Scott Naylor, David NieKamp and Christopher Solfa.

Dremel, now a math teacher at St. Charles East High School, said in a candidate questionnaire that being part of the school board inspired her to finish a second bachelor's degree and teacher training.

Although the election was non-partisan, the Batavia Township Republican Organization endorsed NieKamp and Solfa.

The BTRO said the two represented Republican values, including opposing forcing students to share a locker-room with students of the opposite sex who identify as a different gender. Last year, some parents protested when the district allowed a middle-school boy, who identified as a girl, to use the girls' locker room.

The BTRO also suggested voters consider only voting for two candidates, so that they wouldn't cause NieKamp or Solfa to lose by adding to the vote totals of an opponent. Solfa and NieKamp finished fourth and fifth in the race, respectively.