Beginning Monday, we will run in three parts, an exclusive interview we conducted with Chesterfield County School Board member Omarh Rajah. Mr. Rajah made history with his November 2007 election victory. In his first run for office, he defeated the incumbent board chairman. He ran as a conservative in a year that was supposed to be bad for conservatives, proving that candidates who aren’t afraid to stick to traditional values, sound education over cultural chic, parental involvement and sound principles of constitutional government usually win.
Mr. Rajah also is the first teacher from the Matoaca District and the first African-American to be elected to the Chesterfield County School Board. The Chesterfield County Public Schools system runs 62 schools which enroll more than 58,000 students, making it one of the 100 largest school systems in the country.
Mr. Rajah holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland and a master’s degree from Virginia State University in Ettrick. He is the first local government official interviewed at familyfoundationblog, but won’t be the last. We will continue to spotlight successful local government officials and policy makers who are making a difference where it counts. We think you will find this interview very interesting and refreshing and hope you take the time to read it and reply with some comments.
[...] season. But it seems as if Chesterfield County was ahead of the curve last year when voters inits Matoaka District elected Omarh Rajah to its school board. He is the first African-American to hold that position and the first teacher elected from Matoaka. [...]
Omarh Rajah, is the most genuine, intelligent and capable member of the current Chesterfield government. We in Chesterfield are lucky to have Omarh serving us (especially living in the Matoaca district) and as his political career grows will only continue to serve his state in an exemplary manner. If we had many Omarh’s in local government we would be in great shape for both the present and the future.
Jody L. Wilcox
The Contemporary Conservative Blog
[...] Today, we conclude our three part interview with Chesterfield County School Board member Omarh Raj…, the first teacher elected from that county’s Motoaca District, and the first African-American ever elected to that school board. An unabashed conservative in his first run for public office, he defeated the incumbent chairman in a year that saw many conservatives lose in Virginia. Part one can be found here and part two here. In this last part, Mr. Rajah discusses what he thinks of the VEA from his perspective as a teacher, candidate and school board member; what it takes to begin the needed road to reform in public education, student behavior and the role of parents, among other things. We think a high profile local official’s views is a fresh take for a blog which deals primarily with state issues, so we hope you enjoy this series and let us know your thoughts. [...]