ORANGE : Holstien Withdraws From Mayoral Race
Jeff Holstien, school board president of the Orange Unified School District, has withdrawn from the mayoral campaign one month after announcing his candidacy.
“I can’t take the time necessary to run for mayor and be the school board president,” Holstien said Thursday. “There’ll be other years to run for mayor.”
There are no other declared candidates for mayor, though Mayor Don E. Smith is expected to seek reelection.
Holstien, who is also director of facilities and construction for the Azusa Unified School District, said campaigning for office would take him away from his duties as board president during an important transition period
Orange Unified has been seeking a new superintendent since John Ikerd resigned last November. Interviews began this week, and officials hope to fill the job by July 1.
The district has been mired in controversy for several years. In 1987, an Orange County grand jury indicted four school board members for fiscal mismanagement, and two recent studies show that the district is in danger of financial collapse.
The leadership of a new superintendent will be “the key” to the future of the district, Holstien said. “Then we’ll get things humming from there.”
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