In a pair of unusually high-profile races for Stillwater Area school board, a slate of five newcomers were swept into office Tuesday following a contentious four years.
The lone incumbents, Sarah Stivland and Mike Ptacek, first were elected in 2016 amid the backlash against then-Superintendent Denise Pontrelli‘s consolidation plan, which resulted in the closure of three elementary schools.
Since then, the board has removed Pontrelli and appointed an interim superintendent. They also face a lawsuit from the finance and operations director who they fired, purportedly for bungling a bus garage project; Kristen Hoheisel alleges the board violated the state’s open-meeting laws, whistleblower statute and Data Practices Act.
That drama attracted a slate of five new candidates who dominated at the polls Tuesday, boosted by the endorsements of 16 former board members who in a paid advertisement lamented “the chaos of the past couple years.”
Up for grabs Tuesday were three regular four-year terms and a pair of two-year terms left open by two recent resignations.
Stivland and Ptacek teamed up with Dawn Beavers in search of four-year terms. Their slate also included Bill Gilles and Tom Brewington, who were appointed to the board following the resignations and were each looking to serve another two years.
But with nearly all the votes counted Tuesday night, Stivland and Ptacek each took less than 12 percent in the eight-way race for three four-year terms. Newcomers Katie Hocker, Annie Porbeni and Matt Onken cruised to victory, each holding between 17 percent and 19 percent.
In the six-way special election for the two-year seats, allies Beverly Petrie and Alison Sherman each held nearly 29 percent of the votes. Gilles took 16 percent and Brewington 14 percent.
ST. PAUL SCHOOL BOARD
Jim Vue, recently appointed to the St. Paul school board, won the special election on Tuesday with 23.3 percent of the votes.
Six candidates competed to serve out the final year of Marny Xiong’s term after the board chairwoman died in June of COVID-19.
The board appointed Vue to occupy the seat till the election, and on Tuesday voters affirmed that choice.
Behind him were Jamila Mame, the teachers union’s pick, with 20.3 percent; James Farnsworth with 19.1 percent; Charlie Castro at 15.2 percent; Omar Syed at 10.7 percent; and Keith Hardy at 10.4 percent.
The race drew some $34,000 in reported donations but little notice from voters.
The Pioneer Press spoke with a dozen voters leaving the Arlington Hills and Oxford community centers Tuesday afternoon. Most said they either skipped the school board race on their ballots or couldn’t recall their selection.
Michael Gibino was the only voter interviewed who could articulate a reason for his selection that had nothing to do with liking the candidate’s name. Mame, he said, was “the only one who reached out to me.”
Gibino got a text message from Mame a couple of days ago, did some quick research and concluded she’d be a solid pick, he said.