By KATHLEEN BISHOP Special to the Daily Press
The face of the Santa Monica College board of trustees could change more drastically than it has in a decade, but election day didn’t produce any results in this tight race.
With 42 precincts out of 81 reporting, as of 1:40 a.m., ∫Susan Aminoff, a 56-year-old community college professor, was leading with 23 percent of the votes, but the race was too close to call. Robert Rader, a 37-year-old entertainment lawyer, was in second place, trailing Aminoff by more than 2,000 votes.
“I’m very hopeful,” Aminoff said. “I’ve been leading all night and I’m looking forward to serving on this board.”
Three seats on the seven-seat board were open and could all be filled by challengers, which would be the first time since 1994 more than one seat changed hands. Dr. Margaret Quinones, 49, is the only incumbent running and sat at third place early Wednesday.
Despite her optimism, election night did take its toll on the early leader of the race.
“It just seems like the precincts sort of dribble in,” Aminoff said. “I’m hoping to get some sleep.”
Quinones was ahead of fourth-place candidate Douglas Willis by 195 votes.
Willis, 49, is an accountant and local Rent Control Board member.
SMC slashed a handful of academic programs last year to help plug a gaping budget deficit and has had strained relations with its neighbors. The challengers have said a change is what the board needs, but Quinones and SMC president Dr. Piedad Robertson believe stability and experience are key. The board’s primary role is to oversee the budget and allocate funds for the school.
Current board members Annette Shamey and Graham Pope are vacating their seats. The new members will join Carole Currey, Dr. Dorothy Ehrhart- Morrison, Dr. Nancy Greenstein and Herbert Rooney on the board.
The other candidates are Charles Donaldson, a former newspaper reporter and retired professor who taught at SMC for more than 30 years, Tonja McCoy, a Malibu businesswoman, and SuSanne Trimbath, a 49-year-old economist.
Aminoff, Rader and Willis were all endorsed by Santa Monicans For Renters’ Rights, the SMC faculty and the classified employees union.
Rader, Quinones and Willis were supported by the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and were elected in a mock vote by SMC’s Associated Students organization.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 3, 2004. Read the original PDF.