HomeChan Lin Leads Killackey in Race for 2nd Board Seat

Chan Lin Leads Killackey in Race for 2nd Board Seat

Reversing a slight election-night deficit, first-time candidate Julie Chan Lin appeared this week to be on her way to joining Jane Chon in winning a seat on the San Marino Unified School District Board of Education.
At the Tribune’s press deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 3, Chon was more than 700 votes ahead of Mike Killackey (2,021), who led Julie Chan Lin by just 21 votes. Doreen Summers and Jesse Hong were running fourth and fifth, respectively.
But since then, Chan Lin has experienced a reversal of fortune and led
Killackey by 68 votes, 2,552-2,484, as of Tuesday evening this week. Chon appeared to be safely aboard at 3,532 votes, with Summers (1,987) and Hong (1,711) holding their previous positions.
According to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office, about 194,000 votes countywide remained to be counted, and officials did not estimate when the process would conclude. How many ballots remained to be counted in the SMUSD race was unknown.
Though his deficit has slowly increased in recent days, Killackey seemed unperturbed while waiting for the final ballots to be tallied.
“I am humbled and thankful to all those who voted for me,” Killackey said late Tuesday morning. “I continue to look forward to the final tally as updates continue to be posted daily.”
The creator of a popular Facebook page offering information and feedback to San Marino parents, Chan Lin ran in tandem with Summers. The pair returned their election papers at the filing deadline, but the late decision apparently didn’t adversely affect Chan Lin’s performance.
“This is a tight race and I trust that God has a plan,” said Chan Lin on Tuesday. “The support from our community was strong not just for this race, but for our mission to bring transparency and learning back as priorities. I am grateful for all the support I’ve received from the community during the election and over the past few years. The contest has given us all a chance to discuss and rigorously debate the education opportunities for SMUSD.”
The election will not be certified until Nov. 30, according to county officials. The winning candidates are scheduled to take the oath of office at the school board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 8, and immediately take their seats on the panel.
Chon and Killackey both ran two years ago in a crowded field, as seven candidates vied for three seats that were eventually won by current board President C. Joseph Chang, Vice President Shelley Ryan and Clerk Corey Barberie. Killackey and Chon finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
“I am humbled by the civility with which all the campaigns were able to have these hard discussions together,” concluded Chan Lin, a graduate of San Marino High School. “We are growing as a community. This debate was a win for our children, our future.”

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