Mostly wins for OSEA-backed bonds, candidates
OSEA-backed bond measures and school board candidates were mostly successful in the May elections that culminated on Tuesday.
It was thrilling to see so many chapters jump in and endorse candidates and bond measures, and in turn seek contributions from OSEA’s Education and Labor Advocacy Fund, which is financed by small donations from school employees throughout Oregon.
For construction bonds, big wins include a $268 million effort in Bend-La Pine, $187 million in Lake Oswego, and $4 million each in Sweet Home and Tillamook.
Among school board endorsements, major contested victories include Sara Pocklington in Lake Oswego. Judy Newman in Eugene, Ana del Rocio and Stephanie D. Stephens in David Douglas, Carrie Douglass in Bend-La Pine and Tom Colett in Beaverton.
Pocklington, who ousted a deep-pocketed incumbent, withstood harsh media coverage and attacks from her opponent’s allies to prevail in Lake Oswego. Douglass returns to the Bend-La Pine School Board with a 28-point margin over her nearest opponent.
In a three-way contested race for an open Eugene School Board seat, Newman achieved a landslide victory, besting her nearest opponent by more than 25 points. Colett had a similarly impressive margin in Beaverton, winning his four-way race by nearly 20 points.
In David Douglas, del Rocio ousted an incumbent by more than 14 points. Stephens achieved the biggest landslide win of them all, beating her opponent by nearly 50 points for an open seat on the board.
“It is heartening to see voters in so many different areas standing up for education, the candidates who support schools and the employees who make them work,” OSEA President Tim Stoelb said. “Win or lose, we applaud any and every chapter that stepped up to participate in the election process and to exercise control over their destinies.”
The two OSEA-supported bonds that did not pass are Hermiston and likely Coos Bay, which as of Thursday was losing by just 22 votes. Angela Chisum, a candidate for Bend-La Pine School Board, also appears to have fallen short.
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