Davis defeats McRae to take seat on Dublin City Board of Education

Former Laurens County Commissioner Jeff Davis defeated incumbent Regina McRae on Tuesday to earn an at-large seat of the Dublin City Board of Education, and Davis said he is eager to get to work on the district’s “historic” financial troubles.

Davis won with 53 percent of the vote. He finished with 1,121 votes to McRae’s 995.

“Thank you to the voters for trusting me to navigate this historic crisis,” Davis said Wednesday. “Restoring public trust in the city school system will be my obsession. I’ve already spoken with Mayor (Joshua) Kight about resetting the relationship between DCS and the City of Dublin. Finally, to the students, teachers, and staff of DCS, I will be your biggest champion and fiercest defender. Irish pride forever.”

McRae was seeking her first full term in the at-large seat. She was appointed in 2023 after Nelson Carswell IV resigned, then won a special election later that year.

Efforts to reach McRae for comment were unsuccessful.

The school system is mired in what state officials have described as an “unprecedented” financial crisis, owing the State Health Benefit Plan more $6 million in past-due contributions and, before recent cuts, faced a projected deficit of more than $13 million.

Longtime school board members John Bell and Kenny Walters will return to office. Both ran unopposed on Tuesday.