|
|
|
|
Left: Chuck Lesch
Right: Lisa Slawson
|
|
Saline Board of Education President Lisa Slawson was resoundingly elected to a second four-year term Tuesday, pulling nearly 37 percent of the vote.
With more than 31 percent of the vote, newcomer Chuck Lesch was elected to the other open seat on the board, which was vacated by Kim Van Hoek, who chose not to run for another term.
The other three candidates trailed Slawson's 1,524 votes and Lesch's 1,309 by wide margins. Mark Morsfield came in a distant third, collecting 614 votes, while Daniel Krus received 541 votes and John Mullins got 133.
Mullins and Krus have both campaigned for school board in the past.
"I'm honored," said Slawson, who in her four years on the board has weathered some turbulent times, including two superintendent searches, teacher layoffs, and controversial union contract negotiations. "I did this because of how passionate I feel about public education. I feel I have a lot more to offer than I did four years ago."
Reached at his home, Lesch said he was happy with the results.
"I hope I can serve the district well," he said. "I'm going into this with an open slate, which is why I think the teachers asked me to run."
Lesch, a research scientist in internal medicine and rheumatology at the University of Michigan, said he was not surprised he and Slawson drew similar numbers.
"I think Lisa and I share the same philosophies," he said.
Both Slawson and Lesch agreed that they believed residents were largely pleased with the direction of the district, particularly with the hiring of Superintendent Scot Graden after the bitter departure of Beverley Geltner.
"I think the hiring of Scot really pointed things in the right direction," Lesch said. "It certainly made my decision to run a whole lot easier."
Slawson, who was involved in the hiring of Geltner after former superintendent Sam Sinicropi retired, said she believed district residents respected the board's actions, transparency, and willingness to own up to its mistakes.
"Any time you've been through what we've been through, you understand that everything we do should be transparent," Slawson said.
Looking back, Slawson said the board could have provided Geltner with better leadership, and she maintained that Geltner was an agent of change who sharpened the board's focus on the primary mission of the district to do what is best for students.
Without a galvanizing issue on the ballot or in the community forefront, the five-way race was largely sedate, despite one of the candidates being banned from school property.
Mullins, who faces assault and disturbing the peace charges related to a confrontation he had with Athletic Director Rob White at a wrestling tournament in February, is barred from school property without written permission from the superintendent.
It was, nonetheless, a quiet day at the polls.
At Saline Middle School, where residents of Pittsfield Township's Precinct 3 were casting votes, volunteers outnumbered voters by far.
"The turnout has been very low," said Raymond Stauder, precinct co-chairman. At 6 p.m., absentee ballots had outnumbered walk-ins by one.
Jenna Roubal lives in Precinct 3 and cast her vote at the First United Methodist Church.
"I'm voting for candidates whose background and beliefs I am familiar with," she said.
Robbie Waters, 18, was voting for the first time in his life, at the urging of his history teacher and his mother.
"We talked a lot about it in school and my mom did the research on who to vote for," he said. "I know it's important to get out and vote."
Karen Miller has lived in Saline for 20 years and her children graduated from Saline High School.
"Even though my kids are not in the district any longer, I feel I need to pay it forward to ensure a good foundation for the future of the kids here,"she said.
Slawson said the focus over the next four years would likely center around the state's ailing economy, which is requiring school districts to work with limited budgets. She also expects the board to determine the fate of Liberty School, which has been mostly empty since the middle school was moved to the old high school.
"We've got to start thinking long term," she said.
Staff Writer Sue Collins contributed to this report.
Staff Writer Brian Cox can be reached at 429-7380 or bcox@heritage.com.
Expanded
Web
Coverage
Staff Blog, "Inside The Newsroom"
TOP JOBS
