School, hospital board elections take shape School, hospital board elections take shape (August 06, 2004)

One candidate drops out, others emerge

By Julie O'Shea

A 23-year-old high school history teacher has dropped out of the Mountain View-Whisman school board race but has vowed to find a way to help diversify the predominately Caucasian governing body.

Chris Chiang said he is leaving the race because he felt he wouldn't be able to balance his time between teaching duties and being a school trustee. He begins his first year teaching AP history at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino later this month.

"I want to focus my time on teaching," Chiang said Tuesday.

Chiang added that he wants to see some more diversity on the board and said he is trying to find potential minority candidates who will sign up for the race during the last few days of the filing period.

With Chiang out of the race, four potential candidates vying for three open spots remain. The deadline for filing candidacy forms for the Nov. 2 election is Aug. 11. Candidates for the Mountain View-Whisman race receive a five-day filing extension because two incumbents, Rose Filicetti and Carol Fisher, are not running.

As of Wednesday morning, Juan Aranda, a former school board member who resigned in 2000, Michael Kelly, who works at Stanford University, and incumbent Gloria Higgins filed their candidacy papers. Fiona Walter, who has two children enrolled in Huff Elementary School, has pulled nomination papers but hadn't filed them by Tuesday evening. Walter said she planned to file her papers Aug. 4 or Aug. 9.

Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District

April Flowers of Los Altos pulled papers last Friday for a spot on the high school board, but had not returned her candidacy forms to the Santa Clara County elections office by press time. She did not return a call for comment.

High school board incumbents Phil Faillace and Susan Sweeley have both said they plan to run for re-election, but only Sweeley had returned her forms to the county office by Wednesday morning. There are two seats open, and the filing deadline is Aug. 6.

El Camino Hospital District

All three hospital board incumbents up for re-election -- Wesley Alles, Dominick Curatola and Edward Bough -- have pulled papers for the November election. Bough was the sole candidate to have returned his nomination forms by Wednesday morning.

Leonard Doberne also pulled papers for a seat, but hadn't filed them by the Voice's press deadline on Wednesday. There are three seats open. The filing deadline is Aug. 6.

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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