Paul Marquardt (Michigan)
Paul Marquardt was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Kalamazoo Public School District school board in Michigan. Marquardt was defeated in the at-large general election on November 8, 2016.
Biography
Marquardt graduated from Lakeview High School. He earned his B.A. from Western Michigan University. Marquardt also holds a master's degree from Ohio University. Marquardt is a multimedia artist.[1]
Elections
2016
Two of the seven seats on the Kalamazoo Board of Education were up for general election on November 8, 2016. Incumbent Jennie Hill filed for re-election, while fellow board member Martha Warfield opted against seeking a new term. Hill faced challengers Maria Basnak, Lauren Freedman, Jesse Herron, Paul Marquardt, and George White. Hill and Freedman defeated Basnak, Marquardt, White, and Herron.[2]
Results
| Kalamazoo Public School District, At-Large General Election, 6-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jennie Hill Incumbent |
23.89% | 12,910 |
| Lauren Freedman |
21.72% | 11,734 |
| Maria Basnak | 15.04% | 8,128 |
| Paul Marquardt | 13.28% | 7,174 |
| George White | 13.17% | 7,114 |
| Jesse Herron | 12.90% | 6,970 |
| Total Votes | 54,030 | |
| Source: Election Magic, "Kalamazoo County Election Returns," accessed December 14, 2016 | ||
Funding
School board candidates in Michigan were required to file pre-election campaign finance reports with their county election offices by October 28, 2016. Post-election reports were due by December 8, 2016.[3]
In Michigan, candidates are prohibited from receiving contributions from corporations or labor organizations. Within 10 days of becoming a candidate, candidates must form a candidate committee. Following the creation of the committee, candidates have an additional 10 days to register the committee with the school district filing official by filing a statement of organization. A candidate committee that does not expect to receive or spend more than $1,000 during the election cycle is eligible to receive a reporting waiver, which allows that committee not to file pre-election, post-election, and annual campaign statements.[4]
October 28 filing
Candidates received a total of $4,075.00 and spent a total of $3,632.48 as of October 30, 2016, according to the Kalamazoo County Clerk/Register.[5]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jennie Hill (incumbent) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Maria Bosnak | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Lauren Freedman | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Jesse Herron | $4,075.00 | $3,632.48 | $442.52 |
| Paul Marquardt | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| George White | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Campaign themes
2016
Marquardt provided the following responses for the voter guide compiled by MLive.com:
| “ |
Why are you running for office? I have been active in Kalamazoo Public Schools for over 18 years working for excellence in education serving both at the school and district levels. What are your top three priorities? I will work to put the “public” back into “public education”. Public involvement is vital to maintaining healthy schools. Too often, even in KPS, the community is characterized as “customer”, giving the impression that if we don’t like the schools we can take our “business” elsewhere. These are our schools: we own them, we value them and take responsibility for them. I am very concerned about hiring and retaining excellent teachers. There are good reasons why about half of new teachers leave the profession after only five years in the classroom. Most of this is due to the lack of respect, poor working conditions, and low compensation. The United States draws teachers from the bottom 60% of college graduates while countries like Finland are recruiting from the top 10%. This needs to change. What is the most pressing issue for this office? The schools have been doing their best to patch the system with special schools, classes, and programs with only marginal success. Like a scientific theory with exceptions mounting, we need to find a better way of educating. Continuing cognitive research and advancements in technology offer the possibility of more individualized education presented in ways that engage each student. As a board member I will work to find more effective approaches with out-of-the-box thinking and determination, unwilling to accept “we can’t do that” but instead “HOW can we do it”.[1][6] |
” |
| —Paul Marquardt (2016) | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Paul Marquardt Kalamazoo Public School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 MLive.com, "Voter Guide," accessed October 17, 2016
- ↑ Nick Katers, "Email exchange with Kalamazoo City Clerk," July 27, 2016
- ↑ Michigan Bureau of Elections, "2016 and 2017 Campaign Finance Filing Schedule," January 12, 2016
- ↑ Genesee County, "Filing Requirements under Michigan's Campaign Finance Act," February 7, 2014
- ↑ Kalamazoo County Clerk/Register, "Kalamazoo County Campaign Finance Information," accessed October 30, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Kalamazoo Public School District Elections | |
| Kalamazoo County, Michigan | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Jennie Hill • Maria Basnak • Lauren Freedman • Jesse Herron • Paul Marquardt • George White |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
