A new start for Lester, Long Beach school board

By a margin of 150 votes, challenger Roy Lester beat incumbent Lynn Gergen to win another three-year term on the Long Beach Board of Education in the May 18 election. Lester garnered 52 percent of the votes. Residents also passed the district's $116.5 million budget, 1,902 to 1,427, as well as a capital projects proposition for work on the high school pool and middle school roof, 2,210 to 1,041.

Lester, who prides himself on being fiscally conservative, said it was his consistency as a board member that helped him win a fourth term. "It's the same message ever since I ran 15 years ago," he said. "People always know what they're getting from me."

Asked what issues he wants to tackle when he is sworn in on July 1, Lester said he wants to keep his promise to change how students view academic success, but admits he isn't quite sure how to do that yet.

He said that there are little things he wants to address, like how jobs are put up for bids from contractors. "I don't like the idea that we put something out to bid and we only get two bids on it," he said, adding that with so many contractors out of work, there should be more interest.

He wants to continue building the relationship between teachers and parents by enhancing communication and revamping the district's website. He also said he wants to rein in long board meetings, which will allow the public to speak earlier.

Gergen said she worked hard during her term as a trustee and her 17 years on the PTA to create challenging programs and to enhance relationships among the board, administration and staff. "I feel badly that I will not be able to continue," she said.

She added that she hopes to remain involved with the district, but plans to take some time away, and would not predict if she would run again next year. She said she felt that parents' concerns about the decision to change the English Language Arts curriculum in the ninth grade — a decision made by the superintendent, not the school board — and the fate of East School also had an impact on the outcome.

Gergen said she was particularly disappointed with the final weeks of campaigning. "This year's campaign from my opponent's supporters involved misinformation, half-truths and scare tactics," she said, adding that, among other things, she felt that numbers were skewed.

While Lester said he had no personal ties to or control over many of his supporters, he declined to elaborate on campaign tactics. He said he did notice that this year, voters seemed to be exceptionally passionate about the candidate they supported.

Resident Lillian Baum said she had followed the election coverage in the Herald, and felt that both candidates were qualified. "I had not made up my mind either way," she said after deciding to vote for Lester a few days before the vote.

Baum also voted for the school budget, even though she does not have children in the district. "I'm happy that the budget passed because I realize, with austerity and with the state being dysfunctional, they're just not getting anything done," she said.

While the budget passed by a large margin, it failed by almost 120 votes in Point Lookout and by 54 votes in the West End. "Point Lookout never passes the budget," Lester said, explaining that he believes that many parents in the hamlet send their children to private schools, which may create some resentment of public schools.

"There seems to be a feeling that there should be a more equitable way for people who pay tremendous tax burdens and don't use the facilities," he said.

Gergen said she was unsure why these areas voted against the budget, but she acknowledged that attendance at the monthly budget presentations was low, which may have simply left many people uninformed. She also said that she believes some anonymous e-mail blasts targeted specific geographic areas. "I think that affected how people voted in general," she said, "and specifically, for the budget."

The Long Beach Public Library's $3.2 million budget passed, 2,031 to 1,222, and library board Trustee Kathleen Dwyer, who ran unopposed, collected 2.218 votes.

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