Upvalley recall heads to ballot | Napa Valley Register

St. Helena voters will have a referendum on their city’s school board next year.

Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tuteur announced last week that supporters of a recall campaign against the St. Helena Unified School District board collected enough valid signatures to put the recall on the ballot.

The recall campaign is fueled by concerns over the board’s fiscal management, the awarding of retirement packages to former Superintendent Allan Gordon and former high school principal Jim Zoll, and the appointment of a new superintendent without an outside search for other candidates.

Board members defend their actions, saying the retirement packages are appropriate and will actually save the district money and that they sought continuity in offering the superintendent role to former assistant superintendent Robert Haley .

Tuteur will officially notify school board member Ines DeLuna, Cynthia Lane, Carolyn Martini and Cindy Warren at the board’s next regular meeting on Oct. 8. Trustees will then have 14 days to call an election. If they don’t, state law requires Tuteur to call it himself. The election must take place no earlier than 88 days and no later than 125 days after the election is called.

“Obviously I am very disappointed that this is what the community has decided,” said Warren. “It has created a huge rift in our town and pitted parent against parent. Pro-recall parents are not letting their children play with kids whose parents are on the other side. Little League parents sat on opposite sides of the stadium. I don’t think this is a healthy thing for our community.”

Recall supporters didn’t see it that way.

“We are extremely excited and proud to learn that the recall petitions have been certified and the voices of the community have been heard,” said Molly Morales, speaking on behalf of the pro-recall Citizens for Quality Education. “This is an example of democracy in action. We would like to thank the community for welcoming us into their homes and listening to us discuss the important issues that affect our school district.”

The ballot will include four yes-or-no questions as to whether each trustee should be recalled.

Following each question will be a list of the candidates who seek to replace that trustee.

The voter information pamphlet will include the proponents’ statements in favor of the recall, the trustees’ responses, and statements by each candidate who writes one, including the trustees.

After the election is ordered, Tuteur will release information about how to file as a candidate. Candidates will have to specify which trustee’s seat they are running for.ˠ

4 comment(s)

abouttime wrote on Sep 28, 2009 9:45 AM:

" When board members don't respond to the public, don't operate in the open and act as a rubber stamp for the administrators, this is what happens. Recall Goobs now. "

Shirley U. Jest wrote on Sep 28, 2009 11:39 AM:

" Cindy Warren attempts to distort the facts by asserting that, since the school board recall petitions were signed by approximately one-third of the registered voters of the school district that must mean that two-thirds of the school district voters chose not to sign the petition. This assertion is incredibly inaccurate and misleading. Warren would have everyone believe that signature gatherers spoke with every single one of the 6,016 registered voters in the district. Keep in mind that the bulk of the petition signatures were gathered during the summer months, when many people were not at home due to summer travel plans.
Warren also claims that parents who are in favor of the recall have gone so far as to prohibit their children from playing with other children whose parents don’t support the recall. Another unfounded assertion. Once again, Warren’s response to the concerns and issues raised by the recall is based on a distortion of the facts and yet another round of personal attacks.
The fact that petition circulators gathered over 2,000 signatures in support of a recall election for each of the four board members sends an unmistakable message that many in St. Helena want to discuss the issues and move toward a positive change in our school district at the board level. Warren’s refusal to recognize this is another example of her unwillingness to listen to the concerned citizens of St. Helena. "

abouttime wrote on Sep 28, 2009 2:39 PM:

" The Warren's are very quick to blame their woes on The Star, John Tuteur, Gary Liberstein, Barbara Nemko, and Jeff Schechtman, but they never stop to look at why 2,000 people signed the petition or why a group of people virtually gave up their summer to take up this cause. They just don't understand that people are angry, that they feel that they have watched self dealing from the board and administrators and that they have had enough. This recall is about real grass roots anger and frustration. They had every opportunity to turn it around. Now it's too late. "

MarkMiwords wrote on Sep 28, 2009 10:03 PM:

" Abuse of power is rampant in St. Helena. Let me know when a recall petition for the city council is being passed around. I would sure want to sign that one!! "

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