Newport-Mesa district election begins to take shape

Deirdre Newman

As the clock winds down for school board hopefuls and incumbents

to declare their candidacy for the November election, many of the

races are heating up.

All three trustees who are running for reelection -- Serene

Stokes, Judy Franco and Wendy Leece -- will face at least one

challenger.

Jim Ferryman, whose term also expires at the end of the year,

opted not to run soon after he was convicted of driving under the

influence in an incident in September. So far, only one person has

filed for his area -- Linda Sneen.

The most provocative race is shaping up between Leece and

challenger Tom Egan. The self-described community activist whose

wife, Eleanor, is on the Costa Mesa Planning Commission, said he is

running to give back to the community.

“In one word, my platform would be excellence,” Egan said. “I’ve

got a steep learning curve here, but from what I do know, my

background, my skills, my interests will be very much in tune with

what I see as far as the goals of the school district.”

As a retired engineer, Egan, 65, says he has considerable

experience working with large, complex systems and achieving

consensus.

Leece has not filed her papers yet but is adamant that she will

seek reelection. The eight-year trustee, who said she has a lot of

unfinished business on the board, says her underlying theme has not

changed.

“I seem to be a watchdog for conservative, traditional family

values, and it appears that a lot of times, I do lose,” Leece said.

“However, I believe I’m there to make sure that the conservative

voice is represented and [we] don’t end up with a lot of things that

are not tried and true.”

If she is reelected, Leece might have a philosophical ally in Ron

Winship, who is challenging Serene Stokes. Stokes was not available

for comment.

Winship, 60, a perennial election hopeful, is hedging his bets by

running for the school board, the Newport Beach City Council and an

area of the Orange County Municipal Water District. He said he was

inspired to seek election to the school board after Ferryman was

convicted for driving under the influence and did not resign.

“Whatever rules you make for the kids, at least the school board

should set the example,” Winship said.

Winship said he is most aligned with Leece in his philosophy.

“I think she needs some help over there,” Winship said. “She’s

been restricted from assignments and restricted as to what she can

say, and I think that’s just inappropriate. Treating everyone with a

modicum of respect would be nice.”

Shelby Cove has the dubious distinction of challenging the

longest-running trustee and the board’s current president, Judy

Franco. Franco was not available for comment.

Cove, 34, has been involved with the PTA and Girl Scouts

leadership, and said running for a school board seat was the natural

next step.

“I’m interested in what’s going on in the schools and try to keep

myself abreast of different issues,” Cove said.

Cove, who has a 14-year-old daughter, said one of her priorities

is making sure all district schools have after-school programs.

Sneen, a mother of two boys, boasts a wealth of experience in

school involvement, mainly with three PTAs, she said. She was honored

for those efforts by four PTA Honorary Service Awards and the Costa

Mesa Mayor’s Award.

“My career was put on hold so I could be a PTA mom,” Sneen said.

“I’m probably an abnormal personality of a parent that would want to

do that much. I kept reaping the benefits.”

Her priorities include implementing new programs and enhancing

existing programs for the benefit of all students, and ensuring the

district reaches its full potential, according to a campaign mailer.

Ferryman, who held a joint fund-raiser for Sneen and Costa Mesa

City Councilman Gary Monahan last weekend, said he fully supports

Sneen’s campaign.

“She has a ton of enthusiasm and energy,” Ferryman said. “I think

she’ll fill my shoes very capably.”