28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 10-16, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com the MPWMD board, perhaps helping guide local stakeholders to a consensus around water supply, we worry that he will not see the public’s intent for a public buyout through. Marina Coast Water District Tom Moore and Stacey Fritz-Smith That incumbent Tom Moore has not yet gotten tired of serving on the Marina Coast board is good news for constituents. He brings a wealth of experience to the role and has proven himself to be an even-handed, knowledgeable leader. While MCWD has been a little too lawsuit-happy and we hope a more regional, cooperative approach to water supply is in its future, we think Moore can see the forest for the trees. He says he can envision a desalination project that he could support (a smaller size, in a location north of the Salinas River) as opposed to the controversial Cal Am project in Marina. He’s a champion of Monterey One Water’s recycled water project, Pure Water Monterey; he currently chairs the M1W board. For a second open seat we endorse newcomer Stacey Fritz-Smith, who would bring representation from East Garrison to the board. Her interest and experience is primarily in budgeting— while not the main focus of MCWD, it is a valuable skill set. Roland Soltesz is campaigning on a promise to avoid future rate increases—something that may be persuasive but is not necessarily realistic. SCHOOL DISTRICTS Hartnell College Alejandra González for Area 1 After a tumultuous time at Hartnell, leadership seems to have stabilized. A little over two years ago, the board hired Superintendent Michael Gutierrez, who is invested in helping Hartnell thrive, instead of using it as a stepping stone. There’s growing infrastructure with new campuses in King City, Castroville and Soledad and a normalized relationship with labor unions. Perhaps that is part of why only one of four positions on the ballot this November are contested. In North County’s Area 1, Hartnell alum Henry Sutton is running against incumbent Alejandra González. He is earnest and proud of his Hartnell education, which helped him develop his career as an IT administrator. He is likable and committed, but struggles to articulate where he differs from González. She was elected to her first term in 2020 against an incumbent, and has helped lead positive change. She’s especially interested in helping the Castroville campus grow into its full potential, something that would help serve students in Area 1. Monterey Peninsula College Chelsea Lenowska for Area 3 Celia Barberena for Area 4 The MPC Board of Trustees is perhaps the most dysfunctional local government body. It’s not just us who have reached that conclusion; the board was flagged by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges in 2023, which determined: “In order to increase institutional effectiveness, the team recommends that the Governing Board consistently act in a manner uniform with Board Policy 2715.” Policy 2715 calls on members to “work together in a spirit of harmony and cooperation, treating other board members with respect and courtesy.” That’s the kind of stuff they teach in third grade. This board is supposed to exercise oversight of an institution of higher education that serves 11,000 students a year and has an annual budget of over $68 million. In our editorial board’s remote interview with the candidates for these two contested seats, we were utterly disillusioned by the incumbents: One showed up in person for a online Google Meet and the other couldn’t figure out if she could connect from Salinas (hardly inspiring for potential leaders of an institute of higher learning). Libby Downey and Debbie Anthony are well intentioned, but clearly unable to do the job—or show up for a modern virtual meeting. Fortunately, there are two great candidates on the ballot. Chelsea Lenowska is a former trustee at George Washington University, where she served for four years as the Recent Alum Trustee. She is an assistant inspector general at the Naval Postgraduate School, and previously worked as a field agent for the FBI and in the USDA’s Office of Inspector General. She will bring professionalism, fiduciary oversight and a welcoming and civil disposition to the board— all very much needed. Celia Barberena has an impressive resume in education. From 1996- 2007 she was VP of Student Affairs at Hartnell College, then from 2008-2011 she served as president of Chabot College in Hayward, a similarly sized institution to MPC. She has been an active community volunteer since retiring from educational leadership to Pacific Grove. She is persuasive when she says she understands the role and responsibilities of a trustee on the board. She points to her own lived experience as an immigrant from Nicaragua on why she stresses access for traditionally underserved communities as one of her main priorities. In Area 5, Trustee Loren Steck is not seeking reelection and Anita Crawley, the only candidate, will be appointed. We think sweeping change is needed on this board and suggest three new faces. It would make sense if the incumbents had said to the newcomers: Thank you, and good luck—and decided not to run again, knowing someone else would try to repair relationships and bring this important educational institution back to the status it deserves. Carmel Unified School District Monica Tavakoli, at-large Rita Patel for Area 1 Jeannette Witten for Area 3 Anne-Marie Rosen for Area 5 CUSD is one of the wealthiest K-12 school districts and high-performing, with many families striving to move into district boundaries for what is rightly seen as an excellent public school experience for the roughly 2,300 pupils who attend its nine schools, with a 98-percent graduation rate. CUSD’s population is more diverse than it might first appear, and spread out over large rural areas, with pupils in southern Big Sur and the mountains of Cachagua, as well as Carmel. That presents its own management challenges (Highway 1 closures, Car Week traffic, power outages during storms) and governance challenges when it comes to representing the needs of all students—those of privilege who are clearly college-bound to those who are growing up in great hardship. That’s the baseline. But CUSD has been plagued by big, systemic problems. There’s been an ongoing failure to address sexual misconduct by students and by staff, resulting in multiple lawsuits and criminal charges against a former employee. Earlier this year, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights determined there was a pervasive problem with anti-semitism at Carmel High. There’s been a churn of leadership, with principals leaving and six superintendents in the past nine years. Most recently, Ted Knight resigned in 2023 with a whopping $770,000 payout approved by the current board. (That payout is the subject of a pending lawsuit.) It is time for new leadership, and the good news for CUSD is that there will be a mostly-new board after this election. We are pleased that Karl Pallastrini is not seeking reelection. Of current board members, only Jason Remynse and Anne-Marie Rosen are seeking reelection—in the same Area 5. Rosen is too often the voice of reason on the board, willing to ask questions and acknowledge missteps. She can and should improve upon her messaging, which can come across as aggressive to her colleagues, but the message THE ENDORSEMENT Edition 2024 Hans Buder for Carmel City Council
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