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Newcomb voted in as
newest member of AUSD board
By Susan Hogoboom
The Alpine Sun
ALPINE — The Alpine Union School
District Board voted 3-1 for Christopher Newcomb, a systems
engineer, to fill a seat left vacant by Scott Bar, who resigned
because he moved out of the district. Newcomb was chosen from a
slate of eight candidates who were all vying for a seat on the
five-member board.
Ten candidates had originally applied for the empty
seat, however one, Linda Howse Smith, announced her withdrawal
as a candidate at the meeting held last Wednesday, July 8, and
another candidate, William Hicks II was absent.
Each candidate had five minutes to outline his or her
qualifications and what assets he or she could bring to the
board. Each candidate then fielded questions from the board
members.
Besides Newcomb, candidates included retired
schoolteacher Terry Wilson, and educator, coach and current
Alpine Planning Group member Louis Russo. Also vying for the
vacant spot was former Alpine School Board member Barbara
Lukens, a retired schoolteacher who possesses a wide array of
volunteer service and board membership.
Mother of eight, Wendy Bucano, hoped to bring her
experience teaching and interacting with children to the table,
while pharmaceutical sales representative, Mark Ferguson, touted
his Creekside Early Learning and Boulder Oaks School Site
Council experience.
Candidate Dana Zeno listed his extensive experience
working with children. He currently serves as chair of the APG
and is on the parks and recreation subcommittee. Zeno is also
President and coach/manager of the Alpine America Little League,
coaches soccer, and is the Chief Executive Officer of Park Land
For Alpine Youth (PLAY).
Candidate Bill Weaver was the only one who had
residents at the meeting to speak for him.
Doug Deane, Business Education Chair for the East County Chamber
of Commerce, said he closely worked with Weaver on the Chamber
of Business Education Committee, on the Grossmont Union High
School District’s Ethics and Business Event, on and The Alpine
High School Citizen’s Committee (AHSCC). He described Weaver as
having a “willingness to work with others and obtain consensus.”
Retired teacher Barbara Lowe praised Weaver’s
involvement in many local educational issues. She described him
as “dedicated.”
Delia Cooley from AHSCC described Weaver as habitually
being “on the front-line,” and credited him for his ability to
“work through difficult issues.”
Weaver’s resume displayed his extensive involvement in
the community. He currently is a member of Kiwanis, the co-chair
of the Alpine/Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce Education
Committee, an East County Chamber of Commerce Education
Committee contributor, and the chairman of the AHSCC. Weaver is
also a regular classroom parent volunteer.
A board discussion followed the candidate
presentations.
“I want to inform you that every single one of the
candidates made our job significantly more difficult,” said
Board president, Mark Price.
And the board did, indeed, go back and forth before
finally reaching the majority vote required.
In the first round, each board member nominated a candidate.
Gina Henke nominated Newcomb, Eric Wray nominated Russo, Ann
Pierce nominated Weaver, and Price nominated Zeno.
A discussion then followed the presentation, in which
each board member supported his or her decision.
Wray described his choice, Russo, as “an administrator
and teacher,” who would “give clear direction and leadership
skills to add to the board.”
Pierce described her nominee, Weaver, as having
“incredible dedication and commitment.”
“He has made himself more visible than anyone in the
community. He has incredible levels of dedication and
commitment,” she said.
Pierce found Weaver’s flexibility advantageous. “I know
he has a great deal of flexibility,” she said.
Pierce called Weaver “a great role model for kids,”
citing his vast volunteer experience with children.
Price found his nominees business experience an asset.
Zeno is manager with AT&T. He went on to commend Zeno for his
involvement with children and parents alike.
“Maybe he can bring some kids back into the district at
a time we are looking at low enrollment,” Price said of Zeno.
“Dana has shown an ability not only to communicate but to lead
and communicate,” he continued.
Henke admitted that her nominee, Newcomb might perhaps
be “over-qualified,” pointing out his higher education and vast
experience in a number of fields but added, “I think his
technology background would be very beneficial.”
Henke cited Weaver’s lack of business background but
called him “very qualified.”
The board’s vote ended in a 2-2 tie, with Price and
Wray voting against Weaver and Henke and Pierce favoring him.
Henke then nominated Newcomb. Pierce seconded the
motion, stating she was pleased with Newcomb’s technological
background.
“I think his technological background would be very
beneficial,” she said.
Once again, the outcome was a tie, with Henke and
Pierce in favor and Price and Wray against.
Price expressed his trepidation in voting for an
individual whose salary, or whose spouse’s salary, would be
affected by budget cuts or lay-offs. Newcomb's wife is a
district schoolteacher.
“We have, I think, enough on the board,” Price said,
referring to Wray, whose wife is a teacher.
Price then again nominated Zeno. The vote ended in a
tie with Price and Wray voting ‘yes’ and the other board members
voting ‘no’.
Price then nominated Ferguson. Wray seconded the vote,
impressed by Ferguson’s background working in the school
district.
“I think he will build consensus, and he has a presence
about him that is good for our board. He’s outside the box and
worth considering with Chris Newcomb,” said Wray, referring to
Ferguson’s non-conflict of interest with the schools.
“Mark has a concern about having another spouse and
teacher in the district, and Mr. Ferguson does not have that,”
said Wray.
Wray mentioned that Ferguson’s School Site Council
experience could be beneficial to the board.
Pierce, on the other hand, expressed concern with
Ferguson’s child attending an out-of-district school.
Pierce told Wray, “I personally had a difficult time
when you were a board member and your daughter was not in the
district,” afterwards saying that her opinion has not changed.
“Your child should be in the district… I don’t know how
you can represent a district, and its school, and its students,
and its educational programs and have your student somewhere
else,” she said, offering her support for Newcomb, instead.
Henke, too, wanted to consider another candidate,
although she referred to Ferguson as “well-qualified” and having
a “great public presence.”
The voting for Ferguson ended in the same manner as
Zeno’s, with Henke and Pierce in favor and Price and Wray
against.
A seemingly frustrated Pierce told the rest of the
board members, “I don’t want the taxpayers to pay $150,000 for
an election, so we’ll have to close the gap.”
Henke again nominated Newcomb.
Price remained concerned about a teacher’s spouse being
on the board, although adding that Wray “has done a good job”
when there were decisions that could affect his livelihood.
“He’s voting on his own income,” Price said.
“As things get tougher, as the budget gets tougher… The
state is handing out IOU’s, it’s going to get tighter and
tighter. I want people that are going to want to make decisions
and not have to make a decision with that kind of pressure,” he
said.
Pierce said “accessibility, flexibility, and
technology” are more important to her than whether one’s spouse
is a teacher.
The issue went to vote. All except Price voted in
favor. Newcomb immediately took the oath of office, then the
empty seat.
Newcomb, the father of two children at Boulder Oaks,
comes to the board with an abundance of education and valuable
work experience.
He served on the Boulder Oaks Elementary School Site
Council during the 2005/2006 school year. He represented the
council in the District Strategic Plan Revision in January 2006.
He served on the school board of his daughter’s former private
school in Carlsbad.
Newcomb has been involved with Rueben H. Fleet Science
Center, fundraising for the San Diego Zoo, and he is active in
his local church.
Newcomb and his wife own an Alpine consulting business,
Tribal Heritage.
Newcomb holds a Master of Business Administration, with
an emphasis in Production Management and a Master of Science in
Systems Engineering Management. He holds a Bachelor of Science
in Aerospace Engineering and has Microsoft certifications.
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