|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Dublin Unified School District will seat one new trustee before the new year while an incumbent held on to their seat in the recent Board of Trustees election.
Tri-Valley special education teacher Kristin Pelham is the next representative of DUSD’s Area 1, which comprises the southern half of West Dublin, after winning 3,914 votes (61.69%) in the Nov. 3 general election, according to the final results certified this week by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office.
Pelham, who will replace longtime Trustee Amy Miller after Miller opted not to seek re-election, faced off against Dublin parent and physician Dr. Dawn Nwamuo, who received 2,408 votes (37.95%). About a third of a percent of voters — 23 total — chose a write-in candidate.
“I am excited to get to work for the students of Dublin,” Pelham told the Weekly. “The biggest issue facing the board right now is how and when to bring students back to campus for those who wish to return in the hybrid format.”
“There will also need to continue to be a fully remote option for those families who are not ready to return to campuses just yet,” Pelham said. “We need to make sure it is done in a manner that focuses on safety for students and staff.”
Other areas of focus for Pelham after being sworn in at the Dec. 15 board meeting include “hiring the next superintendent and continuing to address the facility needs of this growing district,” she added.
Though Nwamuo was unsuccessful in her bid for the board, she called it “an accelerated learning experience” and said she was “proud of my positive and authentic campaign, and the integrity I maintained.”
“I was able to bring awareness to the striking disparity gaps for minorities and the lack of diversity on the board, despite the board makeup not changing,” Nwamuo said. “The campaign season shed light on barriers to those who are not part of the system.”
Nwamuo continued, “It was refreshing to see so many new faces running for offices throughout the Tri-Valley, but at the same time discouraging to see deep ties and underlying interests supersede highly qualified candidates that may have brought the city what it truly needed.”
For crosstown Trustee Area 4, incumbent Gabi Blackman held the seat that she won in a special election in June 2019, earning 3,865 votes (71.88%) to control the Nov. 3 general election.
“Winning this election, with this margin, is a true testament to the strength of the silent majority in Dublin,” Blackman said. “Our campaign was a well-organized grassroots effort to elevate the people’s voice.”
Blackman plans to continue working on “ensuring learning is both safe and engaging, while we continue to work towards the reopening of our schools” while also “supporting a cohesive long-term vision to meet the district’s growth needs.”
That vision includes completing the new Emerald High School and adding middle school capacity and modernizing sites, as well as keeping an eye on the district budget and hiring a new permanent superintendent.
“Dublin’s schools have made great progress in one year,” Blackman said. “I look forward to working with our community to create a brighter future for all of Dublin’s children.”
Dublin Partners in Education Foundation volunteer Michael Utsumi, who did not respond to request for comment at the time of publication, received 1,506 votes (28%) as the only challenger against Blackman. Over a tenth of a percent of voters (eight people) wrote in a different candidate for Area 4.
