How Democrat manipulation upended GOP majority on Craven school board | Eastern NC Now

The shocking GOP split on the Craven County School Board that gave the board's two Democrats the whiphand on a 5 to 2 board and how it happened is the headline story in this week's County Compass.  Initially, it had appeared that Craven County had its first conservative majority in over two decades and its first Republican majority ever, but Democrat manipulation changed that.

The four Republicans running this year told voters they would be working together on leadership and policy and all were elected.  A fifth Republican's seat was not up for election this year. It is held by Kelli Muse, who has remained loyal to her fellow Republicans   The five Republicans initially caucused and selected Jennifer Dacey to serve as chairman. But then, the board's outgoing Democrat chairwoman Frances Boomer got involved, working on Republican board members Brent Manning and Scott Murphy.  Boomer told the pair she would deliver the votes of the two holdover Democrat board members to elect Murphy and Manning as chairman and vice chairman.

Without telling their fellow Republicans they were defecting, Manning and Murphy sold out to Boomer's proposition.  After Mrs. Dacey was nominated for chairman, Democrat board member Carl Ipock nominated Manning as chairman and it was seconded by Democrat Naomi Clark.  Clark nominated Murphy for vice chairman and Murphy seconded himself  Murphy and Manning then aligned with the two Democrats to elect the board officers.  At the next board meeting, it also became apparent that Murphy and Manning were also starting to align with the Democrats on policy as well as leadership.

Republican organizations who had helped fund Murphy and Manning's campaigns were furious at the betrayal.  Voters in Craven County have also been betrayed.

http://compassnews360.com/2022/12/29/craven-county-board-of-education-part-2-meet-the-board/#more-11610

This smacks of the similar split on the Beaufort County Commission between Republican loyalists and "Republicans" who are in fact Democrat collaborators.  Boomer's role in Beaufort County is played by Democrat Jerry Langley, the board's kingpin.