In Fayette County’s first county-level runoff under the newly mandated district voting, Republican Diane Basham ran away from her opponent Jane Owens Tuesday, winning the Post 4 Board of Education nomination by 20 points.
Basham locked in her victory from the first batch of ballots.
With all 12 of the 12 precincts in the Post 4 voting district counted, Basham had 1,419 votes (60%), while Owens wound up with 938 (40%).
Basham, 65, is a 30-year resident of Fayette County who recently retired after 27 years teaching in the Fayette County School System.
Before her time in education she worked in the finance department with Micronics International. Prior to that time Basham worked in the hotel industry.
Basham graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University. Her master’s and specialist degrees were earned at the University of West Georgia.
In her response to a question from The Citizen earlier this month, Basham said, “Our goal is to continue the high rates of student achievement, cultural programs,and extra-curricular activities that have been the magnet that will lead families to live and work here.”
She will face Democratic challenger Ogechi Oparah in the November general election.
Oparah, 23, is a tutor and educational consultant who said she wants to build a platform of support to “build morale and strong relationships between the school system, business community and housing sector.”
A graduate of the school system, Oparah graduated from Princeton University recently.
