On election night, I was cautiously optimistic. I was solidly in fourth place, in the race for Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School Board, and the top three vote-getters would win the three open seats.
True, I was already 300 votes behind the candidate in third place, but as the co-chair for Yes on Measure K this spring for Belmont-Redwood Shores schools, I knew election night results only included a small percentage of total ballots mailed in and dropped off at ballot drop boxes. The percentage of votes I received could go up a few percentage points when more votes were counted. With each release of data from the San Mateo County Elections Office, however, the percentage of votes I received for school board held steady at around 16 percent. I remained in fourth place out of six candidates, behind the three incumbents. I congratulate Amy Koo, Rahila Passi and Suvarna Bhopale on their successful campaigns, and wish them continued success, along with Huan Phan and Robert Tashjian, as the stewards of our school district.
Four weeks of updated election results affords a candidate ample time to reflect on his or her campaign. I have learned that voters really like incumbents! I believe a challenger needs to differentiate herself from the incumbents, but it is challenging to critique the incumbents too harshly when you know you will be working with two of them, if you get elected. I realized too late that yard signs placed on Ralston Avenue are at least 100 times more effective than those on side streets for helping to gain name recognition with voters. I knew in theory that voters receiving their ballots in the mail three to four weeks before Election Day meant that you had to reach many voters early, and continue to reach out to voters as Election Day approached, but I didn’t quite realize that meant I had to sprint for the last four weeks. Finally, I learned the more that you can lay the groundwork for your campaign in the spring and summer, including reaching out for endorsements and fundraising, the more time you will have in the fall to focus on connecting with voters and letting them know what you would bring to the table.
I am so honored and grateful for the support of the Belmont and Redwood Shores community, and humbled by the 6,070 votes I received. I don’t know 6,070 people! I appreciate every one who encouraged their friends and neighbors to vote for me. I especially appreciate my wonderful volunteers who helped by knocking on doors: Sapna Dixit, Virginia Blackwell Merwin, Ying Gonikman and Colleen Greshock. I am honored to have received the endorsement of many community leaders, the San Mateo County Democratic Party and the Belmont-Redwood Shores Faculty Association. Finally, I am thankful to my husband Alan and my children, Andrew, Abigail and Ava, for their support and understanding. Between Measure K in the spring and the school board campaign, my family is eager for “Campaign Mommy” to take a break.
Where do we go from here? Where do I go from here? For myself, I will focus on doing the best I can in my current roles as Cipriani School co-chair for SchoolForce, the education foundation for BRSSD and as a member of the BRSSD Parcel Tax Oversight Committee. As a former public school teacher and current stay-at-home parent, I am considering returning to the classroom either to teach, or to continue my own education and pursue a master’s degree. I remain committed to the students of Belmont and Redwood Shores. I am proud of the education our students receive through the tireless efforts of our dedicated teachers. I will continue to advocate for better communication from the school district to our community, and for improved oversight and transparency on our budget. I invite you to join me.
April Northrup is an education advocate and former teacher. She and her family live in Belmont.
It's tough when there are six good candidates and spots for only three. In the past (25-30 years ago) it was a challenge to find enough candidates - now we have more people stepping forward to participates. Thanks to all six candidates for showing interest and expressing your ideas!
Ms Northrup, thank you for running for school board and I would join you and others in thanking all six candidates. That said, you tout being chair of the Measure K campaign as qualification yet I heard little about it during the ramp up to the June election nor did I see any lawnsigns as you’ve indicated as lessons learned after this campaign. I recall Belmont Councilperson Charles Stone writing a strong public indictment of Hien Phan and the BRSSD board for failing to effectively communicate with voters and turn out the votes. But it seems that it should have been you whom he should have castigates instead? Yet, he was one of your strongest backers.
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It's tough when there are six good candidates and spots for only three. In the past (25-30 years ago) it was a challenge to find enough candidates - now we have more people stepping forward to participates. Thanks to all six candidates for showing interest and expressing your ideas!
Ms Northrup, thank you for running for school board and I would join you and others in thanking all six candidates. That said, you tout being chair of the Measure K campaign as qualification yet I heard little about it during the ramp up to the June election nor did I see any lawnsigns as you’ve indicated as lessons learned after this campaign. I recall Belmont Councilperson Charles Stone writing a strong public indictment of Hien Phan and the BRSSD board for failing to effectively communicate with voters and turn out the votes. But it seems that it should have been you whom he should have castigates instead? Yet, he was one of your strongest backers.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.