Despite the size of the field that is vying for two seats, all six candidates enjoy the support of their own constituencies. And less than two weeks away from the caucus, it is impossible to predict the outcome of the race.
THE MOST FORMIDABLE of the group running for School Board is Libby Garvey.
As the only incumbent in the field of six, she has the experience of having run for School Board several times in the past, giving her an extensive political organization that could help her retain her seat, which she has held since 1997.
She also has a mastery of the issues facing the local school system. “She can address any issue you want and has three levels of responses to it,” former teacher Jim Schroeder said after a recent debate at Wakefield High School. “You can’t not be impressed with Libby.”
However, Garvey also has accrued a large voting record during her tenure on the School Board and the other five candidates have tried to use some of her more controversial stances against her. Also, as the only incumbent in the field, Garvey has been held accountable for all the decisions the School Board has made in the past.
AS SOMEONE WHO was virtually unknown in Arlington political circles just a few months ago, James Lander has run a strong campaign.
He has received the endorsement of outgoing School Board Member Frank Wilson, who has announced that he will step down at the end of this year. “We haven’t reached a point where we don’t need an African-American on the School Board,” Wilson said in his announcement of support for Lander.
The endorsement of Wilson, a decades-long political veteran in Arlington, will allow Lander to tap into the African American vote.
But Wilson has also been a controversial figure in Arlington politics. He has frequently criticized the local Democratic Party for being too powerful and, in an interview with the Arlington Connection earlier this year, Wilson lashed out at School Board Chair Ed Fendley, saying that he only gained his position because of his activism in the Party.
OF THE FIVE non-incumbent candidates running for School Board, Reid Goldstein has the most clearly defined image.
He has positioned himself as one who has fought to create change in the community. At a recent debate, Goldstein told of his experience working to lessen overcrowding at his local elementary school and how this experience shaped his political beliefs.
“We weren’t really getting a response,” he said. “We were getting a lot of hand wringing and empty promises. It was clear that the lack of political voice had something to do with the response we were getting.”
Goldstein’s message has struck a nerve with many parents in South Arlington who feel that their schools have been neglected in favor of the more affluent North Arlington schools. He has also drawn the support of those without children whose are dissatisfied with the management of the local school system.
OTHER THAN GARVEY, the candidate who has shown the greatest ability to appeal to the status quo voters is Karla Hagan.
Hagan is well connected in both school circles and Arlington Democratic circles, having served on a variety of Democratic campaign committees. This gives her a built-in group of experienced political activists who will work to get out the vote for her.
But being the Democratic insider does not necessarily guarantee success in a School Board race. Sharon Davis, wife of Del. Al Eisenberg (D-47), lost the 2006 School Board caucus to then-political neophyte Sally Baird, now currently serving on the School Board.
Hagan, a PhD and former instructor at the University of Virginia, has made teaching and teachers the main priority of her campaign. “Our education system has to move out of the industrial model,” she said at a recent debate. “We need kids to be able to have all the skills to pull it all together.”
A MAJOR THREAT to Hagan’s appeal among educators comes from Emma Violand-Sanchez, herself a former teacher and administrator in Arlington Public Schools. If these two split the votes of current and former teachers, both of their chances to gain a seat on the School Board would be greatly diminished.
However, Violand-Sanchez has other groups she can appeal to for votes. As a former immigrant from Bolivia, she can connect on a personal level to members of the county’s Latino community.
She also has the advantage of having a highly energized and politically experienced campaign team, much of which was carried over from Democratic County Board Chairman Walter Tejada’s reelection campaign of last year.
She has also made advocating for the minority community the centerpiece of her campaign. At a recent debate, she called it a “silent population” that is often ignored. “Someone who is closely in touch with these students can make a difference,” she said.
IN THE BEGINNING of this campaign several months ago, the underdog in most political observers’ minds was Terron Sims.
As someone who is young, single and childless and who moved to Arlington only three years ago, few thought his prospects for gaining the Democratic endorsement were good.
But Sims has impressed many with his performance in the debates and his compelling personal background has made for a quick introduction to those who didn’t know him.
A West Point graduate, Sims served a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq where he worked to rebuild the Baghdad school system after the U.S. invasion.
“I like his fresh perspective because he’s dealt with some challenges there that we’ll never have to deal with,” undecided voter Melanie Ciolek said. “I recognize that that makes him qualified in different ways.”
TURNOUT in School Board caucuses is usually fairly low so whichever candidates have the most vigorous get-out-the-vote operations will be the most successful.
This likely favors Hagan and Garvey, who have the most political experience and the strongest organizations behind them. But with so many candidates in the field, it could be nearly impossible for any candidate to amass a healthy victory margin.
“It’s a problem,” community activist Mark Antell said of the large field of candidates. “It is a good problem to have but it does mean that it dilutes. Several of the candidates are saying awfully similar things and I’d hate to see the votes split up.”
