What's on your ballot? - March 17, 2015
March 17, 2015
By Ballotpedia staff Follow @ballotpedia
Voters will have vengeance on their minds at the ballot box in Colorado's Center Consolidated School District on March 17, 2015. Two competing groups of residents are attempting to recall a trio of school board members who hold conflicting views on the district superintendent.
One group, the Center Committee for Truth, kicked it off in late 2014 when they circulated petitions to recall James Sanchez and Philip Varoz. Both Sanchez and Varoz are known in the district for their antipathy toward Superintendent George Welsh's leadership and prioritization. The pair have primarily criticized Welsh for the district's mediocre ACT scores compared to the state average, and they requested his formal resignation in fall 2014.[1] Welsh has served as superintendent since his appointment in August 1997, and he was named Colorado's Superintendent of the Year by the Colorado Association of School Executives in 2013.[2][3]
In response to this recall effort, supporters of Sanchez and Varoz began circulating petitions to recall two board members aligned with Superintendent Welsh. Those board members, Richard Barela and Yuridia Cendejas, were both initially placed on the ballot by the Committee for Educational Excellence.[4] However, Barela's name was ultimately removed after enough signatories withdrew from the petition that it no longer met the minimum threshold. Nevertheless, Cendejas joined Sanchez and Varoz on the ballot as these two groups battle to determine the future of the superintendent and district.[5] All three board members each face a single challenger.[6]
Farther west, three California State Senate districts are holding primary elections to fill open seats. The vacancies are due to the previous officeholders winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014, which means that the seats have been vacant since January. None of them will change party hands, since all three races feature only candidates from the political party that previously held the seat.[7]
The District 7 seat will remain under Democratic control, with four candidates competing for it and no Republican challengers. Likewise, the other two seats will continue to be held by Republicans. Sharon Runner is campaigning unopposed in District 21, and three Republican candidates are challenging one another for District 37.[8]
Note: Click on the links below for more details about each race and election results.
California
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| March 17, 2015 elections |
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- See also: California elections, 2015
State legislatures
- California State Senate - District 7, District 21 and District 37 (primary)
Colorado
- See also: Colorado elections, 2015
School boards
- See also: Colorado school board elections, 2015
- Center Consolidated School District - three board members up for recall election
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Center Post-Dispatch, "Superintendent Welsh asked to resign," September 18, 2014
- ↑ LinkedIn, "George Welsh," accessed January 16, 2015
- ↑ Lindamood Bell, "George Welsh Named Colorado Superintendent of the Year," October 30, 2013
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Carla Gomez, Saguache County Clerk and Recorder," January 15, 2015
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Carla Gomez, Saguache County Clerk and Recorder," January 23, 2015
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Carla Gomez, Saguache County Clerk and Recorder," February 19, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Gov. Brown calls special election for three vacant state Senate seats," January 13, 2015
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed January 28, 2015
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