Early ballots are in the mail, so I did some research/due diligence on the races that I know nothing about.
For brevity's sake, I'll refer to them as "school board" races.
For the At-Large seat in the Phoenix Union HSD, incumbent Aaron Marquez, Francisco Pastor-Rivera, Aden Ramirez, and Debbie Cross are in a four-way race for two seats.
At least in a shallow search, none of them raise any red flags.
Note: Marquez is also a candidate for State Representative in LD5. If he wins both races, that's not a problem - state legislators can also serve on school boards.
This race will be difficult - after Marquez, I don't know who to vote for.
In the Balsz ESD race, incumbent Vic Grace, incumbent Gail Knight, Lezley Shepherd, and Jacob George are in a four-way race for three seats.
Note: I looked for websites for the first three candidates. Couldn't find any.
Grace and Knight are already board members and George seems well-qualified.
Shepherd, though, is a problem.
She's been quoted many times, in outlets ranging from the NY Times to the AZ Mirror, all denying the result of the 2020 election.
From an NY Times article about Arizona's "fraudit", one that actually found more votes for Biden and fewer for Cheeto, dated 9/24/2021 (emphasis added by me) -
[snip]
In a statement, Mr. Trump on Friday said the review had “uncovered significant and undeniable evidence of FRAUD! Until we know how and why this happened, our Elections will never be secure.”
Many of his fans appeared persuaded.
“I have no doubt now: That election was rigged,” said Lezley Shepherd, 56, one of hundreds of Arizona voters who flocked to the State Capitol on Friday
All of those who spoke in favor of the bill [CM: SB1028 in 2023] referenced the Bible. One of them, Leslie Shepherd, asserted that “the LGBTQ movement is using [drag] as a shield to allow inappropriate behavior toward children.”
Well, one positive thing can be said about her candidacy: she's made the choice easy. There's no way on Earth she gets my vote.
At this point, my only question is that when the election doesn't go her way, will she refute the results and try to deliberate and vote as a board member?
Bottom line: I consider most campaigns for elected office to be little more than extended group job interviews, and you don't hire the person who says that if the hiring process doesn't go their way, it's because the process is rigged.
