My Sunday blog and this blog seem to be colliding more lately. Sunday I posted about being caught off guard by school board elections.
https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2023/04/maintaining-hope-and-motivation-in-dark.html
Last time they were happening, I wrote ten posts on this blog and at least two on the other. I was alarmed to find strong organizing efforts in multiple (I think 27) Oregon school districts. They were running candidates who were against COVID mitigation efforts (this was in 2021, before there was even a vaccine). They were also strongly against any teaching of Critical Race Theory, meaning -- of course -- not the legal field of thought but any social or historical teaching acknowledging that there has been racism and that it is wrong.
Also, they were against supporting queer kids, before "Don't say 'gay'" was a thing.
(Although they do not self-identify as fascists yet, I will use that term for convenience.)
They're back.
They don't seem quite as strong as last time, which is nice, but they can still do a lot of damage.
I am most familiar with Beaverton and Hillsboro school districts. Between the two, only one of seven candidates won, fortunately. Newberg did a lot worse. Shortly after the election, they had several racist incidents (including a teacher showing up to school in blackface to protest vaccine requirements) and responded by banning the Pride and Black Lives Matter flags.
There are residents commiserating on a message board over there about voting them out this time. Good, but keeping them out in the first place is better.
I appreciate that the Hillsboro fascists have a web site that makes identifying their candidates easy:
https://communitiesforsensibleschools.org/
Since their candidates are Terri Kam, Shawnna Arns, and Bart Rask, then the candidates who are least likely to create an environment hostile to poor students, students of color, and queer students (plus teachers, scientists, and non-Trump voters) are See Eun Kim, Ivetta Pantoja, and Patrick Maguire.
I hate doing it that way -- voting against candidates more than for them -- but when you have candidates passing off hate as morality and transparency, there is good reason for it.
It is also inspiring some excellent candidates. As many people as there are who seem like they don't know or care, others are responding and volunteering and organizing.
For Beaverton School District I am excited to support Justice Rajee for Zone 6.
The difference does not seem as extreme for the Zone 3 candidates (I ended up choosing Maham Ahmed) and Zone 7 is uncontested.
That is part of what I mean about the fascists not seeming quite so strong this time.
With the other Zone 6 candidate, the difference is very clear, but I think I want to address that Sunday (preparedspork.blogspot.com). That will focus on spotting the fascists.
For now, I want to address one other thing that I find interesting but am not sure what it implies.
I had heard third-hand that the water board was getting politicized. I am not sure that is true.
Both Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue District and Tualatin Valley Water District have some atypical candidates running alongside the more conventional candidates. Yes, that does mean brown men running alongside white men, but it is not merely that. It is that you have an electrical engineer running against a someone who has been a paramedic and volunteer and on the budget committee for the fire district in that race.
I tried comparing other races, like Banks Fire District. Even with at least one candidate who does not seem to have any relevant experience, there is nothing really striking. The position for the Forest Grove Rural Fire District seems to be uncontested.
It makes me wonder what is going on in Tualatin Valley?
Those four candidates do seem to have ties to Intel and to the refugee community. They mention concerns about diversity and poverty, which I like.
However, the similarity spread out over different positions in unconnected races does not seem likely to be a coincidence. I don't mind that, but I would like to know more about what is happening. If someone is organizing, that can be fine, but who is behind it, and what are the larger goals?
Please tell me it's not Scott Presler. He seems to be focusing on voter registration now, but there are always more.
I hope for more clarity on that to come. For now there is plenty of clarity on schools, and I implore you to actively vote against fascism. Study the candidates. Talk to your friends. Vote.
What happens in our schools is vitally important. What happens on the national stage matters, but it's not all that matters.
Election day is May 16th, and ballots and voter guides are already out.
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