Vancouver school board race close in early returns
64 votes separate Zavala-Ortega, Belkot
Published: August 3, 2021, 10:01pm
Share: Julie Bocanegra and Mike Appel were leading in vote totals for Evergreen School District, Seat No. 1, on election night.
Just 64 votes separate the top candidates vying for a seat on the Vancouver school board.
Early results from Tuesday’s primary show Position 2 incumbent Sandra Zavala-Ortega neck-and-neck with challenger and political newcomer Michelle Belkot with more than 16,000 votes cast. Zavala-Ortega had 5,435 votes (33.92 percent) compared with Belkot’s 5,371 (33.52 percent). Both candidates will advance to November’s general election.
Zavala-Ortega was appointed to the board in the spring, and said Tuesday night she was happy to see results in her favor.
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4 vie for Position 2 on Vancouver Public Schools board
Candidates address critical race theory, other district issues with editorial board
Published: July 12, 2021, 4:49pm
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A full slate of school board candidates outlined how their experiences and vision will serve families in Clark County’s second-largest school district.
The four candidates for Vancouver Public Schools’ Board of Directors Position 2 recently met with The Columbian’s Editorial Board. Sandra Zavala-Ortega, the incumbent, Chartisha Roberts, a human resources professional, Kathleen O’Claire, a certified risk manager, and Michelle Belkot, a procurement analyst, face off in the August primary.
The top two finishers out of the Aug. 3 primary advance to the November general election. Primary ballots will be mailed out beginning Friday.
New candidate declarations continued to trickle in at the Clark County Elections Department on Wednesday, bringing the total number of local people seeking public office up to 97 as of 5 p.m.