The race ended before it ever began.
With Allen Bloedel retiring from the School District 91 race, early in February, voters were left with a no-contest race for the board, three re-elected incumbents and one unofficially elected
challenger.
April 5, voters cast votes for Charles Marinier, who returns to the post of School Board Commissioner after a two-year absence, along with Larry Buckley, Marilyn Garapolo and Lois Bugajsky.
Of the four, the one who seems to have the most voter support is Bugajsky, who received 830 votes, or 25.3 percent of the vote.
She was followed by Buckley, with 826 votes; Marinier, with 820 votes; and Garapolo with 807 votes.
In an election marked by low voter turnout and a non-contested race, the candidates garnered a respectable showing at the polls.
Marinier, the new addition to the board has served a total of eight years on the board, losing his bid for reelection in 2003. He has also served a total of five years on the citizen’s advisory committee for D91, the last two as president.
Marinier said he hopes to focus on the budget, on improving school testing scores and on the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act and its implications for local schools.
