The deadline to submit an application for the vacant seat on the TUSD Governing Board last Friday. Fifty four concerned TUSD residents and political operatives applied for the position.
Much attention has been brought to the importance of the role school governing boards. Prior to efforts by pubic school advocacy groups such as Tucsonans United 4 Sound Districts, few ever ran for the positions. Many governing board positions required appointed.
Those few interested residents who did want to serve had to face the Grijalva machine. TUSD Governing Board member Michael Hicks successfully fought off a challenge by the Grijalva machine, while other Board hopefuls could not.
The following is a list of qualifying candidates for the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board vacancy. This listing includes those individuals who met the qualifications posted in the public notice and submitted a valid application by the published deadline:
1. Raymond Adkins, Jr.
2. Menelik Bakari
3. Frieda Baker
4. David Bartlett
5. Stephen Brelser
6. Bruce Burke (Pedicone/Grijalva selection)
7. Donna Calvert
8. Kathleen Marie Campbell
9. Debe Campos-Fleenor
10. Jacqueline Croteau
11. James Culbertson
12. Ruth Davis
13. Anthony Michael De Gennaro
14. Curtis Dutiel, Jr.
15. Michael LeRoy Ebert
16. Ralph Ellinwood
17. William Estes III
18. Therese Flores
19. Kristel Foster (MAS operative)
20. Gary Fowler
21. Marilyn Freed
22. Ezekiel A. Gebrekidane
23. Bob Gilby
24. Michael Gordy
25. Dale Keyes
26. Gary Kordosky
27. Vincent Luongo
28. Kimberly McNally
29. Jacqueline McNulty
30. Robert Medler
31. Laurie Meier
32. Leticia Menchaca
33. Ronald Michaels
34. Sansa Morse
35. Lynette Olsen
36. Miguel Ortega
37. Kristina Pallack
38. Ray Paulus
39. Jennifer Peebles
40. Vicky Puchi-Saavedra
41. Elizabeth Putnam-Hidalgo (MAS operative)
42. David Scott Ricker
43. Rebecca Rico Montaño
44. Lori Riegel
45. Mary Judge Ryan
46. Armand Salese
47. Ross Sheard (Pedicone selection)
48. Cornelia Skelley
49. Scott Stewart
50. Alexandre B. Sugiyama (Stegeman selection)
51. Christopher Thomas
52. Anne Weeks Shiff
53. Michael Wilson
54. Martin A. Woolf