7 Candidates Vie for Seat in L.A. School Board Race

There is a sense of deja vu to the race for the West San Fernando Valley seat on the Los Angeles Board of Education.

It was two years ago that David Armor announced his candidacy in front of an empty Prairie Street School, then won the election and a year later resigned from office. George St. Johns, a former aide to state Sen. Ed Davis (R-Valencia), recently chose the same backdrop to announce his candidacy.

Two years ago Barbara Romey was an Armor fund-raiser and campaign confidante. This time Romey is a candidate.

In 1985, Bunny Field was the treasurer in school board member Roberta Weintraub’s reelection campaign. Weintraub and Field have teamed up again; only this time Field is the candidate, with an early endorsement from Weintraub.

And, like two years ago, there is a liberal Democrat running, following the example of teacher Elizabeth Ginsburg, who qualified for a runoff against Armor. The similar candidate this time is Julie Korenstein, director of an innovative student volunteer program. Like Ginsburg, she’s from Chatsworth High School and is active in the nuclear freeze movement.

Must Win 50% of Vote

Seven candidates are running for the West Valley school board seat in the April 14 election. If no one wins 50% of the vote, a runoff election will be held June 2 among the top two vote-getters.

The candidates are running to fill the final two years of the term begun by Armor, who resigned from the board in order to take a job with the U. S. Department of Defense.

After Armor’s departure, the school board decided to appoint Tom Bartman to represent the district until an election could be held at the same time as regularly scheduled school and city elections.

Bartman was the West Valley school board representative from 1980 to 1985, when he did not seek reelection. After Armor resigned, Bartman asked to be appointed to the board, but pledged that he would not seek election to the post.

Bartman kept his pledge, leaving the race wide open for the seven novice candidates.

No One in Lead Yet

Although it is too early to identify the leading candidates, four of the aspirants have the political connections to raise enough funds to finance sophisticated campaigns. And five of the candidates say they will have professional campaign consultants guiding their efforts, although only two have signed them up so far.

It’s also too early to identify any issues dividing the candidates.

All candidates are opposed to current proposals to operate more schools on a year-round schedule. And all would like to reopen eight West Valley schools closed by the district because of low enrollment.

The West Valley district runs from the San Diego Freeway on the east to the Ventura County line on the west. The Santa Susana Mountains provide the district’s northern border and Mulholland Drive its southern border.

The candidates are:

Field, 45, a professional fund-raiser who has worked for Weintraub and state Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys). Field was active in the anti-busing movement and also worked against a 1977 proposal calling for the mandatory transfer of teachers as a way to ethnically balance teaching staffs. In 1980, she was appointed to a school-district committee studying how to best utilize low-enrollment schools. Field was one of 35 applicants who sought to be appointed to fill the unexpired Armor term. Harvey Englander, who guided Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Woo’s successful 1985 campaign, will manage her campaign.

Mark Isler, 39, a former public school teacher who now operates his own snack food distribution business. Isler said he entered the race because “there are a lot of things that I care about and I think I can make a difference.” Isler said he will run a volunteer, grass-roots campaign.

Korenstein, 43, who has been active in state Democratic politics several years. She has been on the Democratic Party State Central Committee and the County Committee of the Los Angeles Democratic Party. She is also on the executive board of the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley. She has received the endorsement of the Valley Democratic organization. In 1984, Korenstein was educational coordinator for the Southern California Nuclear Freeze movement. She also coordinates the Community Service Volunteer program at Chatsworth High, a program that matches students with public-service jobs.

Marilynn Mayer Neville, 52, a former Los Angeles public school teacher who now teaches at St. Joseph the Worker, a Catholic school in Canoga Park. Neville said she decided to run after learning of the school board’s unanimous vote to seek private funding for three high-school medical clinics that, among other services, will dispense contraceptives. “There has been a lot of social experimentation going on in our schools, and the idea of a health clinic really irritates me,” she said.

Romey, 39, an accountant who worked as a fund-raiser in the successful 1985 Armor campaign and also as a fund-raiser for state Sen. Robbins. Romey was one of the leaders in the fight against closing Prairie Street Elementary School in Northridge. She was also a leader in last fall’s battle to get the school board to delay increasing the number of schools on a year-round schedule. Romey was unsuccessful in her attempt to be appointed to Armor’s seat.

St. Johns, 48, a former aide to state Sen. Ed Davis who runs his own business developing trade shows and publications relating to U. S. exports. St. Johns has been an aide to Glenn Dumke, former chancellor of the California State University system, former California Lt. Gov. Robert Finch and former Valley Assemblyman Patrick McGee. Last year, St. Johns unsuccessfully sought appointment to the West Valley seat.

Douglas J. Wolf, 34, an attorney specializing in cases involving sexually abused and missing children. Wolf said his work for children gives him “credentials stronger than any other candidates.” Wolf has been active in the West Valley Jewish community and has hired Rick Taylor of the Taylor-Winter political consulting firm to run his campaign.