Interpreting the School Board Election Results

Since Wednesday morning, I have been having conversations with people about the election results. And when it comes to the School Board election results, which are of particular interest to me because I have gotten to know many of the people involved, I have spent a fair amount of time in discussion about the "meaning" of the results.

I didn't find the results a surprise, given the primary results, the buzz, and the media endorsements. But I did find some of the specific numbers and margins of victory surprising. For example, I find the number of votes David Blomstrom received alarming. How could 18,562 people (and still counting) vote for him? Are those the voters who haven't read anything about a candidate and just choose based on name? And the margin of victory of Steve Sundquist over Maria Ramirez also surprises me. Everyone I talked with had high opinions of both of the candidates, and I expected the result to be much closer, although I guess the current general election margin (61% to 39%) is actually smaller than it was in the primary (50% to 23%).

I hope that all three of the intelligent and principled losers in the School Board races---Maria Ramirez, Sally Soriano and Darlene Flynn---will stay active in Seattle School politics. Their activist voices are extremely important to ensure a balance in the discussion about our public schools. (Of course, the same can be said for Brita Butler-Wall and Irene Stewart, who didn't run for re-election.)

To read another person's interpretation of the School Board election results, read former Board member Dick Lilly's piece in Crosscut today, Why voters expelled the Seattle School Board class of 2003.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Beth Bakeman wrote, "I find the number of votes David Blomstrom received alarming. How could 18,562 people (and still counting) vote for him?"

Hmmmm...maybe it's because I was the only candidate who spoke the truth. Or perhaps it's because I'm the only candidate who values children and democracy more than Seattle's sham civility.

"Are those the voters who haven't read anything about a candidate and just choose based on name?"

No. Most of the morons vote for morons, like my opponent, "Whorium" Martin-Morris.

"I hope that all three of the intelligent and principled losers in the School Board races---Maria Ramirez, Sally Soriano and Darlene Flynn---will stay active in Seattle School politics."

Sheez, you're just another propagandist.

"Of course, the same can be said for Brita Butler-Wall and Irene Stewart, who didn't run for re-election."

Why don't you praise George Bush and Dick Cheney while you're at it?

"To read another person's interpretation of the School Board election results, read former Board member Dick Lilly's piece in Crosscut today, Why voters expelled the Seattle School Board class of 2003."

So now you're recommending another propaganda piece written by one of Seattle's most prominent media wh*res, Dick Lilly.

People like you shouldn't be allowed near children.

David Blomstrom
www.seattle-mafia.org
11/9/07, 12:20 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday Open Thread

The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested.  It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio.  (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Read more

Breaking It Down: Where the District Might Close Schools

Update 2: an absolutely fabulous interactive map made by parent Beth Day (@thebethocracy on Twitter - she covers Board meetings and is fun to read).   end of update    Update 1: Mea culpa, I did indeed get Decatur and Thornton Creek mixed up. Thanks to all for the correction. end of update   I suspect some who read this post will be irate. Why do this? Because the district seems very hellbent on this effort with no oversight skid marks from the Board.    To clearly state - I do not believe that closing 20 schools is a good idea. I think they hit on 20 because they thought it might bring in the most savings. But the jury is still out on the savings because the district has not shown its work nor its data. I suspect closing schools and THEN leasing/renting them is the big plan but that means the district really has to keep the buildings up.   But this district, with its happy talk about "well-resourced schools" is NOT acknowledging the pain and yes, grief, that is to come fro
Read more

MEETING CANCELED - Hey Kids, A Meeting with Three(!) Seattle Schools Board Directors

 Update 2: So I have seen a message from President Liza Rankin on why she, Director Evan Briggs, and Director Michelle Sarju backed out of this meeting.  In a nutshell: - She says there was no organization to the meeting which is just not true. They had a moderator lined up and naturally the board members could have set parameters for what to discuss, length of meeting, etc. All that was fleshed out. - She also claimed that if the meeting was PTA sponsored, they needed to have liability insurance to use the school space. Hello? PTAs use school space all the time and know they have to have this insurance.  - She seems to be worried about the Open Public Meetings law. Look, if she has a meeting in a school building on a non-personnel topic, it should be an open meeting. It appears that Rankin is trying, over and over, to narrow the window of access that parents have to Board members. She even says in her message - "...with decisions made in public." Hmmm - She also says that th
Read more