Just a few months ago, the voters of Manatee County elevated Mary Cantrell from a retired and admired school administrator to a leader in education policy on the Manatee County School Board. This weekend, they mourned the elected official’s death. Cantrell died from cancer on Sunday in a Hospice facility in Pinellas County. 

“Although her time on the School Board was short, she was a contributing member and as always she was devoted to the education of the students she loved,” read a joint statement from Superintendent Diana Greene and School Board Chairman Robert Gause. In the short period when she was on the board, Cantrell joined a majority that pushed for the early exit of Rick Mills as superintendent and for the rapid hire of Greene as a replacement. That change marked the greatest change in the district following an election in which Cantrell had unseated incumbent School Board member Julie Aranibar. 

Before Cantrell served on the board, she led Manatee Technical College for a combined 18 years. During her time, the technical school became one of the best recognized vocational institutions in Florida, and after her contract was not renewed in April 2014, she quickly announced she would run for School Board. Upon her election, she stressed that the win was on the merits of leadership, and the campaign intentionally avoided negative campaigning. "Thank you for believing in a dream of respecting each other to bring unity in the Manatee County School District and the community," she wrote in a message to supporters in November.

Gov. Rick Scott’s office said on Monday that applications are already being accepted to fill Cantrell’s seat on the board. A replacement will serve until the next general election, in November 2016, according to Manatee School District spokesman Michael Barber. The winner of that election will serve out the remainder of Cantrell’s term, which runs through November 2018.