The Herald-Zeitung

Citing his opposition to “the radical far-right agenda” of the State Board of Education, Daniel Boone announced his candidacy for the board’s District Five seat at noon Monday on the steps of the Comal County Courthouse.

Boone said too many agendas have worked their way onto the board.

“There should be only one agenda — excellence in education,” he said.

About 40 supporters were in attendance to hear Boone announce his candidacy on Nov. 2, a day he chose to correspond with the 275th birthday of his great grandfather, Texas Pioneer Daniel Boone.

“First, thank y’all so much for coming out. It does the heart good to see all these Democrats,” Boone said.

Before his announcement, Boone said, “The unfortunate thing about this is that one has to declare Democrat or Republican, but for something like education it should be non-partisan.”

Boone will run as a Democrat in the March 2010 primary, and will face at least one other Democrat, Rebecca Bell-Metereau, a professor of English at Texas State University.

The winning Democrat will face the victor of the March 2010 Republican primary — incumbent Ken Mercer or his Republican challenger, former San Antonio VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority Chairman Tim Tuggey.

Sandi Root attended the rally to show her support of Daniel Boone.

“We need some opposition. It’s very lopsided. Many issues here are nonpartisan, but they are made to be (partisan) here,” she said.

Boone, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a clinical psychologist, taught child psychology, human behavior and abnormal psychology.

“We need to prepare (students) not for the 19th century, but the 21st century,” he said.