Elections

Board Candidate Sheila Allen Talks About Budget, Parcel Tax, and the Need for Expanded Early Childhood Education

Board Candidate Sheila Allen Talks About Budget, Parcel Tax, and the Need for Expanded Early Childhood Education

By David GreenwaldAugust 18, 201018 comments
Sheila-Allen-headshotThe Vanguard sat down with Sheila Allen, who is finishing up her first term on the Davis School Board and will be running for re-election this fall.  Sheila Allen’s time on the board has been tumultuous, as she  has served now with four different Superintendents since 2005, and lived through school closings, pink slips, budget cuts and huge numbers of late night meetings.

So why is Sheila Allen, having been through all of that, running for re-election?  “I have learned so much over the last five years,” she said. “I want to be able to apply that knowledge and be able to continue to help the students of Davis.”

School Board Candidate Nolan Criticizes District’s Approach and Seeks a New Direction

School Board Candidate Nolan Criticizes District’s Approach and Seeks a New Direction

By David GreenwaldAugust 10, 201014 comments
nolan-mikeWhen Mike Nolan announcement in mid-July that he would run for the Davis School Board, it meant suddenly there were four candidates for three spots and the incumbents would now have to run for office and defend their records.  That is exactly what Mr. Nolan was hoping for.

He told the Vanguard in an interview that someone needs to be to run, just in order for there to be a performance review.  But he went further, first pointing out that he likes all three of the incumbents as people and calls them dedicated public servants who are worthy of respect and praise.

Race is on in DJUSD School Board

Race is on in DJUSD School Board

By David GreenwaldJuly 16, 20104 comments
schoolscat.pngYesterday we reported that the three incumbents had all announced this week that they were running for reelection.  There are three spots available and therefore, as one might expect, all could be seated.  But now we have a fourth candidate, according to Thursday’s Davis Enterprise, Mike Nolan.

On Thursday, the Vanguard reported that Tim Taylor, Gina Daleiden, and Sheila Allen are all running for re-election.

Three Incumbent School Board Members To Seek Re-Election

Three Incumbent School Board Members To Seek Re-Election

By David GreenwaldJuly 15, 20102 comments
tim-taylorIt has been a rocky and extended first term for Tim Taylor, Gina Daleiden, and Sheila Allen.  They were each elected way back in 2005.  However, due to the need to save costs on the election, they were placed in the awkward position of extending their term for one year so that their election falls during the General Election in even years, rather than a special election in odd years.

During their tenure they have seen the exit of the controversial Tahir Ahad, they have had to replace two Superintendents, one of whom was dismissed and one of whom they regretted to see leave to join his family in Southern California.  But the most distinctive nature of their first term in office was undoubtedly the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Vanguard Looks At Increasing Election Costs

Vanguard Looks At Increasing Election Costs

By David GreenwaldDecember 18, 200826 comments
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Tonight, the Davis School Board will most likely vote to pass an election consolidation measure which will move school board elections to the November General Elections as opposed to the current arrangement of the November Election in odd years.

The overriding factor here is cost and the rising cost imposed on the school district by the County has made this move necessary. Because the other districts in the county have already moved their elections to even years, the school district would have to bear full cost of running an election.

DJUSD Moves Toward Changing Election Cycle

DJUSD Moves Toward Changing Election Cycle

By David GreenwaldDecember 12, 200896 comments
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As I mentioned in a previous article on this subject, the move from odd-year elections for DJUSD board members to even-year elections make complete sense from a democratic standpoint and a budgetary standpoint.

From a political standpoint both Bob Dunning and Richard Harris expressed concerns about the major drawback, the fact that the board members would essentially be extending their term for a year. Looking at the issue purely from this standpoint however, obscures the benefits of the move. The biggest being the huge budget impact. But the secondary point being democratic factors. In 2007, around 30% of people turned out to vote for DJUSD board elections, Measure P, and Measure Q. In 2008, over 80% of the voters turned out to vote in the Presidential election and by extension in the Measure W election. Even in an average mid-term election, you are looking at well over 50% of the vote. To me it makes perfect sense and I will share more in the commentary portion of this article.

School District Considers Shifting Elections to Even Years

School District Considers Shifting Elections to Even Years

By David GreenwaldNovember 19, 200820 comments
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In light of the very low turnout of the 2007 off-year elections, there were a number of proposals to both increase voter turnout and save money. One idea that Freddie Oakley put out there was to go to either a heavily mail-in election, where there would only be a very small number of polling stations available and the majority of voters would simply mail-in their ballots.

While this was not a bad idea, the idea that I favored is one that I had seen areas like San Luis Obispo go to, which was to consolidate all of their elections onto the even year.