Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Steven Nelson recall, Mountain View-Whisman School District, California (2015)
| Mountain View-Whisman School District Board of Trustees recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2015 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
The possibility of recalling Steven Nelson from his position on Mountain View-Whisman School District Board of Trustees in California was discussed in June 2015. Nelson's behavior at school board meetings was the main point of contention between him, other board members and the community at that time. Those actions were cited by board President Chris Chiang in his decision to resign from the board on June 22, 2015. At that time, Nelson stated he would not resign from the board.[1]
The recall effort was eventually abandoned. Nelson's term was up for regular election in 2016.[2]
Recall supporters
Arguments for recall
Chiang announced in mid-June 2015 that he would resign from the board of trustees effective June 22, 2015. He described Nelson's behavior at the board's meeting on June 11, 2015, saying that Nelson "insulted and harassed district staff, teachers and members of the public, without rebuke from the rest of the board." It was reported that Nelson had "chastised" district parents and facilities committee members at that meeting. According to the San Jose Mercury News, he also "told Chiang not [sic] interrupt him." Chiang was described as standing up for parents who spoke at the meeting, and he also accused Nelson's behavior as driving away district employees.[1]
Fellow board trustee William Lambert described Nelson, saying, "Trustee Nelson is incorrigible. He believes he received an electoral mandate to behave the way he does." He further described Nelson as "disruptive, erratic, abusive and even dangerous." It was reported that Nelson threw papers in Lambert's face during the latter's term as board president.[1]
The other board members previously censured Nelson for his behavior in the fall of 2013. The board has also attended retreats and classes seeking to improve behavior; Lambert described those efforts as unsuccessful.[1]
District parents interviewed by the San Jose Mercury News were supportive of Chiang's decision to leave the board and expressed frustrations with Nelson's behavior. While there was some praise for Nelson's ideas and the research, his behavior and delivery was described as preventing them from being communicated and received.[1]
Recall opponents
Arguments against recall
Nelson admitted to responding to some issues on the board "emotionally" and acknowledged there had been difficulties in his communication as a board member; however, he also had his own comments for his critics. He described some district parents as "pushy" and as expecting "their point of view to be ascribed to." He also stated, "If I come on strong, those comments are noticed more. I have people commenting at me from the audience, and I tend not to take that very well." He criticized Chiang for allowing some of those comments.[1]
Nelson also denied that any employees had quit because of his behavior, as Chaing had alleged at the board's meeting on June 11, 2015. He also stated that he backed off following the 2013 censure he received and that he "tried not to implode."[1]
Nelson described recall supporters as "people who probably didn't vote for [him]." He also stated upon Chiang's resignation that he would not resign from the board at that time. He stated he would wait until the district's new superintendent assumed his role and a replacement for Chiang was appointed.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
As of August 19, 2015, an unofficial online petition gauging the interest in pursuing a recall against Nelson had garnered 201 signatures.[3]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Steven Nelson' 'Mountain View-Whisman School District' recall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Mountain View-Whisman School District, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2015
- School board recalls
External links
Footnotes
 |
State of California Sacramento (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
