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Saugus Union School District Releases Candidate List For Empty Seat

Saugus Union School District officials have a list of 16 candidates for a vacancy on their governing board, officials said Wednesday.


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Saugus Union School District officials will be making their decision Friday after interviewing all the candidates who submitted valid applications.

“The board is looking forward to welcoming a new board member who will provide community leadership and advocacy on behalf of our 10,000 students in our 15 award-winning schools,” stated Paul De la Cerda, SUSD board president, in a news release.

The interviews are tentatively scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m., and each candidate is allotted 15 minutes per a schedule released by district officials.

Kacey Thorps is scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m., followed by Susan Huffman, David Powell. Michael Guinn, Joe Nocella and Alyssa Janney.

A dinner break is scheduled for 6:15-6:45 p.m., and then the interviews are expected to resume with Arnoldo Jaquez Jr., Mark Ross, Allison Devlin, Patsy Ayala, Noli Wiesen and Bruce Fox.

A second break is scheduled for 8:15-8:30 p.m., after which Dr. James Temple, Eileen Connolly, Julie Olsen and Rashmi Gupta.

Board members announced their intention last month to pursue the nomination process to replace ousted former board member Stephen Winkler, whom district officials claimed was living outside of district boundaries.

Related: Judge Finds For Saugus Union In Effort To Oust Stephen Winkler

An official with the state’s District Attorney’s Office validated those concerns in February by granting the district to proceed with a quo warranto proceeding, a legal process by which a governing body can remove an elected official.

The board then sought legal action against Winkler in Los Angeles County Superior Court, which was granted in June.

Related: Saugus School District Receives OK To Proceed With Hearing Against Winkler

Saugus Union officials sought to hold an appointment versus an election to replace Winkler due to the cost, officials said.

To place the office on the ballot in November’s general election would cost $84,000, and the cost for a special election would be $743,000, according to district officials.

The candidate chosen is expected to be sworn in at the board’s next meeting, according to officials.


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Saugus Union School District Releases Candidate List For Empty Seat

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.