Mechur, an architect, named replacement for Bloomfield
SMMUSD HDQTRS Ralph Mechur always entertained thoughts of running for a seat on the Board of Education, but kept putting the idea on the backburner because of work and other obligations.
Today, Mechur will finally get his chance. The school board is expected to formally approve and swear in Mechur as its newest member, replacing Emily Bloomfield, who vacated her seat last month when her husband accepted a job offer in Washington D.C.
A long-time district volunteer, Mechur will finally be able to add “Board of Education” to his extensive resume, having served on various committees over the past 25 years, including the Education Foundation, the Facilities Master Plan and Measure BB Advisory committees.
“It just seemed like a good opportunity and the right time for me to put my name in,” Mechur said.
Mechur will serve on the dais until the next general election, in November 2008, even though Bloomfield’s term wouldn’t have expired until 2010. If Mechur runs for election in 2008, which he has expressed interest in doing, he would not be able to declare himself an incumbent.
Bloomfield, who vacated her seat on June 28, was about three months into her second term when she announced her resignation.
Two applicants responded to a call for new school board candidates in July — Mechur and Nicole Picard, a former PTA president. The board subsequently interviewed the candidates during a special meeting on July 19, rating each candidate based on how they answered questions, which covered topics including district priorities, the achievement gap and finances.
When the scores were tallied following the interview, Mechur emerged the winner.
“Ralph had so much more experience inside the district since he worked with the foundation and had been on the BB committees before, and he was very knowledgeable about the district and where we stood,” said school board member Barry Snell. “I was looking for someone who could come right into the role without too much of a learning curve.”
The owner of Ralph Mechur Architects, designers of the Ocean Park Community Center and the AYH International Hostel, Mechur began volunteering with the district close to 25 years ago, around the same time he moved to his home in Sunset Park.
Mechur’s three children are all products of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Though his children are long finished with the public schools — his youngest daughter graduated from high school eight years ago — Mechur continues to maintain a presence, currently serving on the Measure BB Advisory Committee.
“Education is the core to the health of our society and educating future leaders... is important,” Mechur said. “Education really is life-long, making sure that our schools are as good as they can be.”
It was Mechur’s experience in the school district that seemed to impress many of the school board members, including Kelly McMahon Pye.
“He has wide knowledge because he’s involved in aspects of, not only our school district, but our entire community,” Pye said, referring to Mechur’s terms with the Architectural Review Board and Planning Commission.
Like his new colleagues, Mechur comes to the board with aspirations of solving many of the district’s problems, which range from closing the achievement gap to reducing the deficit.
“We have a great district and we have great teachers,” Mechur said. “It’s a close-knit community that talks about education, and what we don’t want to lose is the edge that we have, whereby the main thing to offer is access to good education... and provide skills to make sure they are all successful learners.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 9, 2007. Read the original PDF.