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Steve Marchese
Steve Marchese was an at-large member of the Saint Paul Board of Education in Minnesota. Marchese assumed office in 2015. Marchese left office on February 28, 2021.
Marchese ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Saint Paul Board of Education in Minnesota. Marchese won in the general election on November 5, 2019.
Marchese resigned on February 28, 2021, to pursue a career as director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards.[1]
Biography
Marchese earned his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from New York University. He was employed as the pro bono development director for the Minnesota State Bar Association. He has served with the St. Paul Civil Service Commission, Community Shares Minnesota, and Mayflower Church UCC.[2]
Elections
2019
See also: Saint Paul Public Schools, Minnesota, elections (2019)
General election
General election for Saint Paul Board of Education At-large (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Saint Paul Board of Education At-large on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Steve Marchese (Nonpartisan) | 17.1 | 23,845 |
| ✔ |  | Zuki Ellis (Nonpartisan) | 17.0 | 23,753 |
| ✔ |  | Jessica Kopp (Nonpartisan)  | 14.3 | 20,021 |
| ✔ | Chauntyll Allen (Nonpartisan) | 13.8 | 19,209 | |
| Charlie Castro (Nonpartisan) | 8.6 | 11,950 | ||
 | Jennifer McPherson (Nonpartisan) | 7.6 | 10,557 | |
 | Omar Syed (Nonpartisan) | 7.0 | 9,833 | |
 | Tiffany Fearing (Nonpartisan) | 5.7 | 8,024 | |
| Ryan Williams (Nonpartisan) | 5.0 | 6,920 | ||
| Elijah Norris-Holliday (Nonpartisan) | 3.1 | 4,325 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 1,147 | ||
| Total votes: 139,584 | |||
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2015
The election in Saint Paul featured four of the seven seats on the board up for at-large general election on November 3, 2015.
The seats of incumbents Anne Carroll, Mary Doran, Keith Hardy, and Louise Seeba were up for election. Hardy, who was the only incumbent who filed for re-election, faced challengers Aaron Anthony Benner, Greg Copeland, Zuki Ellis, Linda Freeman, Steve Marchese, Scott Raskiewicz, Jon Schumacher, and Mary Vanderwert for the four at-large seats.
Ellis, Marchese, Schumacher, and Vanderwert won the four seats. All four were endorsed by the Saint Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and they campaigned together as an unofficial candidate slate.[3]
Benner informally ended his campaign on September 16, 2015, but he still appeared on the ballot since the formal withdrawal deadline was August 13, 2015. He stated that if he had won, he would not take office. Copeland previously ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the board in 2013.
Results
| Saint Paul Public Schools, At-Large, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Mary Vanderwert |
20.3% | 17,777 |
| Zuki Ellis |
17.4% | 15,290 |
| Jon Schumacher |
16.7% | 14,652 |
| Steve Marchese |
16.6% | 14,524 |
| Keith Hardy Incumbent | 9.7% | 8,548 |
| Linda Freeman | 6.7% | 5,914 |
| Greg Copeland | 5.1% | 4,468 |
| Scott Raskiewicz | 3.2% | 2,810 |
| Aaron Anthony Benner | 3.0% | 2,660 |
| Write-in votes | 1.19% | 1,047 |
| Total Votes | 87,690 | |
| Source: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Local Results in Ramsey County," accessed November 4, 2015 These election results are not official and will be updated when certified results are available. You can submit certified results by contacting us. |
||
Funding
Marchese reported $18,141.00 in contributions and $15,187.11 in expenditures to the Ramsey County Election Office, which left his campaign with $2,953.89 on hand during the election.[4]
Endorsements
Marchese received endorsements from the Saint Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, DFL Feminist Caucus, Saint Paul Federation of Teachers Local 28, Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Minnesota Council 5 and Teamsters Joint Council 32.[5]
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Steve Marchese did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
2015
Marchese completed a survey conducted by the Pioneer Press:
| “ | Why are you qualified to hold this office?
Parent of 2 SPPS students. Over 20 years experience as an attorney, including representing families n special education proceedings and Michigan school desegregation litigation. Serve on St. Paul Civil Service Commission. Board member of Mayflower Early Childhood Center. Served on St. Anthony Park Elementary School Site Council for 3 years. What will be your top priorities if elected? My priorities are the following: A more independent school board committed to representing the public's interest and holding district administrators accountable for results. District leadership must be committed to transparency and open input as part of all major decisions. We must address inequities within our schools, as well as develop a focused commitment to excellence for all students.[6] |
” |
| —Pioneer Press survey (2015)[7] | ||
Candidate website
Marchese published the following on his campaign website:
| “ | An Independent School Board
School board members are elected by the residents of St. Paul to represent the community's interest in and ownership of the school district. The duty of a school board member, first and foremost, is to set a vision for the district consistent with the community's needs and to hire a superintendent who will enact that vision. Superintendents may come and go, but the ultimate responsibility for having a school district that is meeting the needs of St. Paul's children rests with the school board. Engaging all Stakeholders Parents, teachers, staff and community members all have a stake in the St. Paul Public Schools. However, too often, district leadership makes decisions without substantive input from stakeholders. Sometimes, parents and teachers learn of major changes, such as the recent decisions to mainstream certain special education and ELL students, after the fact. We need district leadership committed to transparency and open input as part of all major decisions. Excellence with Equity for all Students Our school board and administrative leadership should be committed to bringing excellence with equity for all students in the district. This means going beyond the district's racial equity public relations campaign and making concrete policy and resource decisions consistent with increasing student outcomes, such as increasing staffing and reducing class sizes, addressing concentrations of race and poverty within district schools, and leveraging community resources as part of an overall strategic effort to reduce educational disparities. Every family should be able to believe their children can receive a top-notch education in a St. Paul school regardless of location[6] |
” |
| —Steve Marchese campaign website (2015)[8] | ||
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "Steve Marchese to resign from St. Paul school board," January 8, 2021
- ↑ Steve Marchese for St. Paul School Board, "About Steve," accessed March 1, 2021
- ↑ Pioneer Press, "Ellis, Marchese, Schumacher, Vanderwert: We're of varied background and opinion, and we'll keep doing our homework," April 25, 2015
- ↑ Ramsey County Election Office, "Campaign Finance Reports - 2015," accessed November 1, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Steve Marchese for Saint Paul Schools," accessed October 19, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Pioneer Press, "Your 2015 Pioneer Press voter's guide," October 9, 2015
- ↑ Steve Marchese for St. Paul School Board, "Issues," accessed October 19, 2015
| 2015 Saint Paul Public Schools Elections | |
| Ramsey County, Minnesota | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Keith Hardy • Aaron Anthony Benner • Greg Copeland • Zuki Ellis • Linda Freeman • Steve Marchese • Scott Raskiewicz • Jon Schumacher • Mary Vanderwert |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
