2009 Lancaster ISD election recap

by Jeff Melcher

As noted in the 2008 school board elections, narrow victories are the norm for Lancaster. One of the 2009 races fell into that pattern -- a nine vote spread.

But not for Trustees Seat, place 1. Although Marie Elliott won that seat in 2006 by nine votes over the late Nina Mangrum, this year the race wasn't close at all. Facing political newcomer Marion Hamilton, Elliot fell behind by 60 votes. Of 148 votes cast (of over 3000 eligible voters), Hamilton persuaded 104 supporters to turn out while Elliott drew only 44.

A slightly closer race for place 2 -- between former Pegasus News contributor Cynthia Corbin and long-time trustee Ed Kirkland -- drew a smaller turnout. Of 104 total votes (the math geeks among us will note with amusement that Hamilton's supporters alone tied the total for both candidates in this parallel race) Corbin drew a 22 vote majority, or over 60% of the total.

But the closest race was for place 7. Decided by a mere nine votes of 319 case, (less than a 3% margin) voters chose between Debi Miller and Ellen Clark. Miller was running as the incumbent. She hoped to keep the seat to which she was appointed after the resignation of Cheryl Wright last summer. And like incumbents Elliott and Kirkland, she lost to the challenger, Clark. Clark is a familiar name to the Lancaster political classes -- a champion of bond election efforts and director of the schools' charitable foundation, as well as a mover-and-shaker in efforts to preserve and enhance the "Old Town Square" historic district.

Clark eked out the victory, 164 to 155, in the largest district turn-out of the Lancaster elections.

The turnover leaves the seven-member board with only one trustee having served more than one full term -- President Carolyn Morris. Morris, like Kirkland, first won election to the Lancaster ISD board 14 years ago. The three newcomers will join her and Dr. Majorie King (elected 2007), Joe Kana (elected 2008), and Irene Mejia (also from 2008, who ran for the seat unopposed). The novice board will preside over the administration of an interim superintendent, Dana Marables, and a newly hired Chief Financial Officer, Earl Husfeld.

Voters favoring, as the saying goes, "Hope and Change" have certainly gotten the opportunity to watch it in action at this local level.