Patrick Bravo won the write-in race for the third open Akron school board seat after election workers spent all day Wednesday examining about 5,555 write-in ballots.Incumbent president the Rev. Curtis T. Walker Sr. received the most votes with 22,029, followed by newcomer Tim Miller with 19,637. Their names both appeared on the ballot.Miller had run twice before for school board without success, but he has stayed involved with the district by participating in the citizens advisory committee for the school building project, fundraising for Project Grad and contributing to other programs. Bravo and four other approved write-in candidates, Robert Roe Fox, John David Goode, Gary Hagen and Cheryl Jean Shavers, had to tell voters how to write their names in on a blank line.Bravo received 2,226 votes. Fox was second with 1,274 write-in votes. Hagen got 180, Goode received 107 and Shavers finished with 49 votes, according to election officials.Bravo’s volunteers handed out pens with his name and voting instructions printed on them to voters.“On Election Day, we had several volunteers out, between 10 and 15,” Bravo said. “We handed out the lit and the pens and hoped for the best. It’s difficult because it’s not any ordinary election where you just go and try to get the name recognition out there and get a message out there.”Walker was the only incumbent on the ballot. James Hardy’s term was up, but he chose to run for Akron City Council and was beaten in the primary. Amy Grom intended to run for re-election, but she fell 13 valid signatures short of the filing requirement and was prevented by law from running as a write-in candidate.That meant that two names and three blank lines appeared on the ballot for three open seats, which guaranteed that at least one write-in candidate would be elected. Bravo, 34, is the deputy director of community and economic development for Summit County. He has been involved in civic organizations, including Solid Waste Management Authority and the University Park Alliance.“I focus on job creation and job retention,” Bravo said. “Some of the issues that I do focus on are work force development, which means we really work at the county level to make sure that we have a well-educated work force that is ready for the 21st century and that has the types of skills that employers are seeking.”He also has legal custody of a 6-year-old boy and looks forward to sharing his perspective as a young parent.“I’m really looking forward to being part of the Akron Public Schools,” Bravo said. John Higgins can be reached at 330-996-3792 or jhiggins@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the education blog at http://education.ohio.com/.