Mentor School Board election to decide majority control of the board

Incumbent Maggie Cook, Robert Haag, Daniel Hardesty, Robert Izzo, Linda O’Brien, and Don Schutz are running in the nonpartisan general election for three at-large seats on the Mentor Exempted Village School District school board on Nov. 4, 2025.

The candidates are divided into two slates: the first including two Democratic-affiliated candidates (Cook and Haag) and one nonpartisan candidate (Hardesty), and the second including three Republican-affiliated candidates (Izzo, O’Brien, and Schutz, also known as Team ISO).

Heading into the election, one Democratic-affiliated, two Republican-affiliated, and two nonpartisan officeholders served on the board. The two nonpartisan officeholders had either been endorsed by progressive organizations in previous elections or taken progressive stances during past school board votes, effectively giving the board a 3-2 progressive majority. Two of the five board seats, held by Rose Ioppolo (Republican-affiliated) and Lauren Marchaza (nonpartisan), are not up for election this year. If the Cook, Haag, and Hardesty slate wins election, there will continue to be a progressive majority on the board. If the Team ISO slate wins election, there will be a conservative majority.

While Cook, Haag, and Hardesty do not have a joint campaign website or platform, the three have appeared together at charity events and Meet & Greets. Shared priorities include academic excellence, safety, and excluding what they say are “personal political agenda[s]” from school board meetings.




https://news.ballotpedia.org/2025/10/14/mentor-school-board-election-to-decide-majority-control-of-the-board/