Newport-Mesa board likely to stay intact

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- Trustee Martha Fluor was retaining her seat on the

Newport-Mesa school board by a wide margin late Tuesday night, leaving

the previous board intact.

With 50 of 169 precincts reporting, Fluor was leading her challenger,

Ila Johnson, 70.2% to 29.2%.

When the $163-million school bond passed in the spring, many bond

opponents promised opposition in the upcoming election. Yet, with three

seats up for grabs only one challenger emerged.

Costa Mesa resident Johnson stepped in to challenge Fluor at the last

minute. She was not willing to let the three incumbents slide into office

without offering voters an option, she said.

In the last school board election, two of the four incumbents skated

into office unopposed.

That trend was repeated this election year in the Mesa Verde area and

East Side Costa Mesa, where Dana Black and David Brooks ran without

competition.

But residents in the Dover Shores and Santa Ana Heights area were

given a choice between Johnson and Fluor.

“I’m not going to get discouraged yet,” Johnson said, upon seeing the

initial returns.

But Johnson was disappointed by Fluor’s 70% lead to her 29% with the

absentee ballot, saying that she had sent nearly 2,000 chasers out.

Fluor could not be reached for comment.

As votes were counted Fluor’s percentage stayed strong at 70%.