School election: Returns show Heyen, Chandragiri, Bethell leading in Salem-Keizer

Marty Heyen, Satya Chandragiri and Danielle Bethell appear to have won three open seats on the Salem-Keizer School Board, securing strong leads against opponents in ballot returns.

Ballots counted through Wednesday morning showed incumbent Heyen, psychiatrist Chandragiri and Keizer Chamber director Bethell in the lead.

For the Central School District area, returns show three write-in candidates and the one registered candidate, Steven Love, winning the four open seats on the school board.

According to the Secretary of State's website, voter turnout was about 18% in Marion County and 25% in Polk County as of Tuesday evening.

Results:Salem-Keizer and Marion, Polk counties election results

Campaigns for Salem-Keizer board

Results from tonight's election will significantly influence the Salem-Keizer School Board, with three open positions on the seven-member board in heated races.

Incumbents Heyen, Zone 2 in northeast Salem, and Lee, Zone 6 in Keizer, ran again, but faced new opponents — Raul Marquez Guerrero and Bethel, respectively.

Current board member Jim Green isn't seeking another term, so voters are choosing between two new candidates for Zone 4 in South Salem — Chandragiri and Salinas.

Marquez, Chandragiri and Salinas would each change the racial diversity of the board as men of color. The school board has received criticism since a majority of Salem-Keizer students identify as a race or ethnicity other than white, yet the school board is largely white. 

Jesse Lippold, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, is the only active board member who identifies with a race or ethnicity other than white. 

The election of Marquez or Salinas would mean Hispanic/Latino representation on the board, reflecting the 40% of Salem-Keizer students who identify as such.

Mental health support, school funding and expanded opportunities for students were among the priorities cited by the candidates in a Statesman Journal survey given to each candidate earlier this year. School safety and improving graduation rates were other common goals.

Salem-Keizer board members are elected to serve four-year terms without pay. Though they each represent specific zones, the board is responsible for working together to serve all 42,200-plus students in Salem-Keizer Public Schools — the second largest in the state.

Voters elect candidates regardless of which zone they live in, meaning residents have significant influence on the board's overall makeup. 

As initial results came in Tuesday, Bethell was not at an election party. Instead, she was folding laundry, waiting for results to settle.

"It's exciting to see more turnout in this election than last year," she said, adding that she got into the race to make a difference in Salem-Keizer classrooms. "We're all hoping for the best outcomes for our individual campaigns." 

Chandragiri said this is a victory for all children. "Together we can ensure all our children's safety, health and learning," he said. 

Few candidates for Central board

Central School District only had one registered candidate for the four open seats up for election. That said, three write-ins candidates appear to have successfully earned those spots. 

The other three board positions in Central — which serves more than 3,000 students from Independence, Monmouth and surrounding areas — weren't up for re-election in 2019.

The lack of candidates in Central's election was starkly different from most Mid-Willamette Valley school districts, where there were candidates for every open board position and many are in competitive races — including Dallas, Salem-Keizer and Gervais.

The two incumbents running write-in campaigns — Steven Moser and Darcy Kirk — said they forgot the filing deadline. Kristina Mann, the current Zone 5 representative, is not running again because of family and career obligations.

Jann Jobe said she decided to run a write-in campaign for Mann's seat after reading the Statesman Journal article about the race.

Central Superintendent Jennifer Kubista said she's waiting for more detailed results to come in from Polk County over the next few days before commenting.

For more information on May's election, go to www.co.marion.or.us/CO/elections for Marion County or www.co.polk.or.us/clerk/elections/ballot-drop-sites for Polk County.

Return to this story as updated results are posted throughout the night.

Contact reporter Natalie Pate at npate@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6745 or follow her on Twitter @Nataliempate or Facebook at www.Facebook.com/nataliepatejournalist. To support her work,become a Statesman Journal subscriber and get unlimited digital access to stories that matter.