Incumbents hold seats on Marysville School Board
Published 11:30 pm Tuesday, November 6, 2007
MARYSVILLE — All three incumbents up for election on the Marysville School Board were leading in early general election counts Tuesday night.
Incumbent Cindy Erickson had a sizable lead in District 2 over Don Wlazlak, a retired businessman and Snohomish County legislative analyst. The school district has more than 11,000 students
“I thought it would be real close one way or another,” Erickson said. “I’m still kind of holding my breath because I know nothing is finalized for weeks.”
Erickson used campaign signs from her previous run for school board.
“I figured the thing that would help me a little bit is I was the incumbent and there isn’t anything bad going on,” she said.
During her campaign, Erickson said she wanted to remain on the board to see several district initiatives through. They include building a new, large high school, building an elementary school, developing new learning academies at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, adopting middle- and high-school math curricula and improving graduation rates.
Darci Becker, who was appointed to the school board in July 2006, led in District 3 over Steven King, co-owner of Smokey Point Diving, a family-run business.
Becker backed the change to academies at Marysville-Pilchuck High School this fall. She believes it will foster closer relationships between teachers and students and ultimately trim the district’s dropout rate.
Incumbent Sherri Crenshaw was well ahead of Arlington police officer Lisa Vares in the District 5 race.
Crenshaw wasn’t ready to assume victory. “I’m waiting until all the other ballots are counted.”
Crenshaw said she appreciated the backing from several sources, including a recommendation from the teachers union.
“If elected I plan on continuing to work with the math program and finding other sources of funding for our school district,” she said.
During the campaign, Vares, a former Marysville City Council member, argued against a reduction in funding for the district’s school resource officer program, saying a police officer on campus is vital and makes for a better learning environment.
