School Board Vote Is Finally Tallied : Election: Clegg and Wigdor are elected to Sulphur Springs seats. DeRevere agrees to serve after all but dropping out of the race.

Three weeks of what-if questions ended for the Sulphur Springs School Board Monday when the county registrar released final vote counts from the Nov. 2 election and candidate Gary DeRevere agreed to serve as a trustee.

Incumbent Kerry Clegg led the candidates with 3,235 votes, followed by newcomer Sheldon Wigdor with 3,002 votes. Although preliminary results gave both enough votes to assure their election as trustees, the third open seat has been in limbo ever since.

DeRevere appeared to be the third-highest vote-getter--verified Monday by the Registrar of Voters Office, which credited him with 2,280 votes--but he had stopped campaigning the month before the election, saying he had too little time to serve.

“It was a shocker,” said DeRevere, 42. “I know people that have campaigned diligently, harder than I did,” who weren’t elected.

He said his Newhall contracting business was struggling, forcing him to lay off employees and sell his truck. He had no time to attend candidate forums, debate district issues or even sit down for a pre-election interview and photograph for a local newspaper.

He decided he certainly had no time to serve on the board.

His campaign appeared to be a long shot anyway. He spent so little on it that he did not fall under the state campaign law that requires filing itemized financial statements for campaigns that cost more than $1,000. One of his strongest campaign stands was in favor of the school voucher initiative, which was buried by a 2-1 margin statewide.

DeRevere, surprised by his election success, could not decide whether to accept the post, leaving parents to wonder who would be controlling the future of the district.

If DeRevere has resigned, the remaining trustees could either have held a special election or appointed a fifth member, said Supt. Robert Nolet. The next-highest vote-getter would not have automatically inherited the seat.

Also uncertain until Monday was how successful incumbent Art Wilde had been with his write-in campaign--which could have made DeRevere’s wishes moot if Wilde had won instead.

Wilde, 52, at first said he would not seek reelection, but changed his mind after seeing DeRevere and fellow candidate Dale Terese Whitmore running in support of the school voucher initiative, which Wilde opposed.

The final tallies indicated Wilde obtained 864 write-in votes, giving DeRevere the victory and prompting him to decide to serve after all.

“I’ve been praying and feeling this is what I’m supposed to do,” DeRevere said. “It’s still going to be a challenge” to find time to serve.

DeRevere credits his support of back-to-basics education and name recognition from living in Newhall for 30 years as the main reasons for his success.

“The main thing that made me decide (to run) is the AIDS curriculum they were trying to push through the schools,” DeRevere said, referring to a voluntary after-school program now being designed by the district. “In other districts, they’re teaching students about alternate lifestyles. I don’t think that needs to be taught to kindergarten kids.”

He acknowledged that changing his mind--twice--about serving on the board may not inspire confidence in some parents.

“I’m sure there are going to be some people who think that way,” DeRevere said. “It has been a strange campaign.”