Council incumbents safe but CUSD's not so safe
Posted: Nov. 8, 2007, 6:59 a.m.
Incumbents on the Ceres City Council incumbents were safe but not on the Ceres School Board in Tuesday's election.
While Vice Mayor Rob Phipps and Councilman Guillermo Ochoa handily fended off a challenge by Mike Kline and Steve Breckenridge, it was a night of upset for Diane Sol and Yvette Nunes on the Ceres Unified School District board. Jim Kinard and Faye Lane managed to unseat the two incumbents while Eric Ingwerson safely held onto his seat.
Kinard, a retired teacher, amassed 1,735 votes to cinch a trustee seat, while Faye Lane collected 1,739 votes. Ingwerson, a real estate agent and former mayor, stayed on the board with 1,449 votes.
Sol lost her bid for re-election with 1,221 votes, or 14.71 percent. Nunes, also a Westport area farmer, lost with 1,080 votes.
Donald McKim lost his second bid for a School Board seat with only 1,055 votes, or 12.71 percent.
The CUSD upset was a victory for labor supported candidates who just years ago was successful in getting voters to eliminate two guaranteed seats for the more conservative Westport district. In years past, the Ceres Unified Teachers Association backed successful candidates in Teresa Guerrero and Betty Davis.
Ochoa led with 1,417 votes, or 29.3 percent in the City Council race. Phipps was second with 1,348, or 27.8 percent. Kline was a close third at 1,197, or 24.7 percent.
Phipps went into the election feeling unconfident. He said he was unable to campaign and walk precincts actively because of a bad back.
Trailing in last place was Steve Breckenridge with 870 votes, or 17.95 percent of the vote.
Mayor Anthony Cannella, who collected 2,577 votes, was unopposed. At least 84 voters didn't like the lack of choice, opting to write in other names.
An unopposed Harry Herbert won election as city treasurer with 2,353 votes.
In the Keyes Union School District, Bob Edwards and Sandra Marchant won board seats. Marchant was in the lead with 183 votes, or 41.59 percent. Edwards received 167 votes, or 37.95 percent.
Harinder Grewal lost his bid by collecting just 88 votes, or 20 percent.
For the short term on the Keyes School Board, Marianne Pietrzyk retained her seat with 158 votes, or 62.95 percent, to Henry Benavides' 93 votes, or 37.05 percent.
Also in Keyes, Jeff Reed, William H. Alexander, and Davie Landers Jr were sent to the Municipal Advisory Council or MAC. Reed had 155 votes, or 26.01 percent; Alexander had 132 votes, or 22.15 percent; and Landers had 131 votes, or 21.98 percent. Losing on their bids were Henry Benavides with just 88 votes, or 14.77 percent; and Harinder Grewal who collected 90 votes, or 15.10 percent.
Robert Taylor and Sidney "Pete" Moon were elected to terms as directors on the Keyes Community Services District. Taylor pulled 104 votes, or 32.20 percent. Moon collected 93 votes, or 28.79 percent to edge out both Harinder Grewal's 76 votes and William Alexander's 50 votes.