EDITOR's NOTE: This story has been updated throughout to include vote totals released Wednesday afternoon by Lane County Elections.
A pair of Eugene 4J school board incumbents appear to have easily won in preliminary election results released Tuesday night, a trend which continued with the release of updated vote totals on Wednesday afternoon.
Long-time educator Judy Newman, who has been on the 4J Board since 2017, holds a commanding lead over Donald Easton, an instructor at Lane Community College and previous CTE teacher. Newman has 69% of the vote, compared to Easton's 31%.
During her campaign, Newman said she was focused on stabilizing the district after a tough financial year and a change in superintendents.
Another incumbent, Ericka Thessen, was also well ahead in the preliminary count. Thessen is a physical therapist who was appointed in 2023. She was challenged by parent Danny McDiarmid and Alan Madden, who did not campaign.
Thessen had 84% of the vote as of Wednesday evening. McDerimid had 9% and Madden had 6%.
A third incumbent, Maya Rabasa, did not face an opponent in this month’s election.
All three incumbents have said they strongly support the district’s efforts to protect its most marginalized students, and voted in favor of a lawsuit against the federal government’s restrictions on DEI.
Springfield
In Springfield, long-time incumbent Jonathan Light took a narrow lead in the race for Position #2 on Wednesday over Justin Martin, a healthcare portfolio manager who is involved in the Springfield School Foundation which raises money for the district. Light now leads Martin by 167 votes. On Tuesday evening, Martin held a very narrow lead over Light.
The next release of totals from Lane County Elections is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday.
Light has been on the school board for 20 years. He told KLCC last month that he believed behavioral issues and communication were the biggest issues facing the district.
Martin has worked in commercial banking and has not held office before. Last month he told KLCC he believes the biggest issue facing the district is COVID learning loss.
Amber Langworthy – a parent and former educational assistant who was also a first-time candidate – was ahead in a three-way race for an open seat, taking 56% of votes.
She told KLCC last month that she was running to address teacher retention issues and lagging enrollment.
She faced former Springfield city councilmember Bob Brew and coffee and tea company manager Robert Morgan.
Heather Quaas-Annsa, who was appointed last year, took more than 66 percent of votes against her opponent, Sarah Bosch, as of the Wednesday afternoon update.
Quaas-Annsa told KLCC she hoped to focus on providing resources for students facing mental health challenges.
