|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
René Turnbull and Karen Newcomb are outpacing their competitors in the race for two four-year seats on the Sunol Glen Unified School District board of trustees, according to the latest election results from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.
Turnbull had 303 votes, or 34.87%, as of 4:59 p.m. on Monday, while Newcomb had 293 votes, or 33.72%. Jennifer Kavouniaris trailed behind with 149 votes, or 17.15%, while Gagan Bassi was in last place with 124 votes, or 14.27%.
Turnbull on Monday she was “humbled” by the support of the community, while on Friday Newcomb said the “early returns look encouraging.”
Voter turnout in the county was at 57.18% as of Monday evening, with 563,279 ballots cast. According to the county, as of Friday evening there were 156,397 unprocessed ballots remaining to be tallied. The next update is expected on Friday.
The two winners will replace outgoing trustees Peter (Ted) Romo and Chris Bobert on the three-person school board that oversees the single-campus TK-8 district.
Turnbull, who has lived in Sunol for the past 20 years, previously served five years as the dean of STEM at Contra Costa College in San Pablo before retiring in 2020. Before that, she worked in several schools and was a professor of mathematics and statistics at Diablo Valley College.
“I will do my best to serve the students, faculty and staff of Sunol Glen, as well as the greater Sunol community,” Turnbull said. “I intend to work collaboratively with all constituency groups to help our school grow in the years ahead.”
Newcomb spent 34 years working at a Fortune 10 company. She previously said her business background, as well as her 27 years living in the small community, made her a suitable candidate for the board.
“I am eager to work with the superintendent and new board on behalf of our students, staff and community to keep our unique school exceptional and independent,” Newcomb said.
Bassi, who works in cybersecurity and physical security, did not respond to requests for comment. Kavouniaris, a local restaurateur in the East Bay, said she won’t concede the race but will “respect the will of the voters.”
“I ran a respectable race, and I hold my head high,” she said on Friday. “I’m grateful to everyone who took the time to get to know me and supported my commitment to putting students first.”
The next update from the Registrar of Voters was expected by the end of the day on Monday.
Measure K approval sits just below necessary threshold
Sunol’s $6.1 million general obligation bond, Measure K, sits just below the 55% threshold it needs to pass — but Sunol Glen School principal and district superintendent Shay Galletti said she is still wary of declaring the race.
“With such a close margin and additional ballots still to be counted, it is too early to draw conclusions,” Galletti said last week.
Measure K’s approval is currently at 53.67%, with 278 yes votes, according to the most recent tallies released by the Registrar of Voters on Monday. About 46.33%, or 240 people, had voted no on the bond measure.
It’s unclear how many of the county’s 156,397 unprocessed ballots belong to residents of the school district, which has some 831 registered voters.
“We appreciate the community taking the time to learn about the district’s facility needs and participate in the election,” Galletti said. “Regardless of the outcome, our focus remains on addressing facility needs and planning for Sunol Glen’s future. We will continue to monitor the results closely.”
If Measure K passes, it will be the third bond measure in Sunol Glen School’s 100-year history.
Funds would be used to help pay for additional infrastructure improvements identified during the construction and implementation of Measure J, a $10.9 million bond approved by voters in 2022.
Measure K would be used to fund the main building’s retrofitting and renovations; install new plumbing, electrical, sewer, heating and ventilation systems; and to modernize and upgrade aging classrooms and restrooms located in the school’s 200 wing, according to the district.
