A few thoughts about the school board race. Back when the slate of candidates were finalized, I handicapped this race in the exact order that it ended up finishing. What that tells me is that the campaigns had very little impact on the final outcome. Rather it was all based on networks, contacts, and prior perceptions. The candidate who won did little to harm themselves and those who finished third and fourth did not do nearly enough to change the dynamics of the race when they entered.
That's kind of the bottom line. When you have a low profile race, and you are likely entering as the underdog, you need to radically change the dynamics and neither Bob Schelen nor Joe Spector were able to do this.
Some suggested that this was some sort of repudiation of the progressives, I do not see it that way. I think the city council is the venue where progressives assert themselves. A repudiation of progressives would be a continuation of the current council. That is a story to be written in June of 2008 not November of 2007.
An interesting observation came from Davis Columnist Bob Dunning last night:
"BY THE NUMBERS … no matter what the above percentages say about the candidates and their respective levels of support, a more accurate picture forms when you run the raw numbers that show Lovenburg received 6,806 votes of the 11,518 cast, which comes out to a mandate-like 59.1 percent … she was the only one of the four to be mentioned on more than half the ballots …"
That is a good way of looking at it that some times gets overlooked when you have two votes in a given election. On the other hand you have to wonder what her mandate is (granted he said mandate-like). I am not certain I really know what she was elected to do in terms that we generally think of as a mandate.
Susan Lovenburg did send us a statement after her victory:
"I’m pleased to have experienced broad-based support throughout the Davis community. I look forward to serving with Richard Harris, and with continuing Trustees Sheila Allen, Gina Daleiden, and Tim Taylor.
I acknowledge the efforts of Bob Schelen and Joe Spector during the campaign, and thank them for their willingness to serve our District.
I’d also like to thank Interim Superintendent Richard Whitmore for his efforts on our behalf, and enthusiastically welcome new superintendent, James Hammond. Together with a community that actively supports children and their education, we will meet the challenges that lie ahead."
My hope is in the coming weeks to do full stories on Susan Lovenburg, Richard Harris, and James Hammond, the new superintendent who was sworn in last night.
---Doug Paul Davis reporting
That's kind of the bottom line. When you have a low profile race, and you are likely entering as the underdog, you need to radically change the dynamics and neither Bob Schelen nor Joe Spector were able to do this.
Some suggested that this was some sort of repudiation of the progressives, I do not see it that way. I think the city council is the venue where progressives assert themselves. A repudiation of progressives would be a continuation of the current council. That is a story to be written in June of 2008 not November of 2007.
An interesting observation came from Davis Columnist Bob Dunning last night:
"BY THE NUMBERS … no matter what the above percentages say about the candidates and their respective levels of support, a more accurate picture forms when you run the raw numbers that show Lovenburg received 6,806 votes of the 11,518 cast, which comes out to a mandate-like 59.1 percent … she was the only one of the four to be mentioned on more than half the ballots …"
That is a good way of looking at it that some times gets overlooked when you have two votes in a given election. On the other hand you have to wonder what her mandate is (granted he said mandate-like). I am not certain I really know what she was elected to do in terms that we generally think of as a mandate.
Susan Lovenburg did send us a statement after her victory:
"I’m pleased to have experienced broad-based support throughout the Davis community. I look forward to serving with Richard Harris, and with continuing Trustees Sheila Allen, Gina Daleiden, and Tim Taylor.
I acknowledge the efforts of Bob Schelen and Joe Spector during the campaign, and thank them for their willingness to serve our District.
I’d also like to thank Interim Superintendent Richard Whitmore for his efforts on our behalf, and enthusiastically welcome new superintendent, James Hammond. Together with a community that actively supports children and their education, we will meet the challenges that lie ahead."
My hope is in the coming weeks to do full stories on Susan Lovenburg, Richard Harris, and James Hammond, the new superintendent who was sworn in last night.
---Doug Paul Davis reporting
