Cathy Leaf, chairwoman of the St. Croix County Democratic Party, filed the necessary paperwork on Thursday to run for a seat on the Hudson School District Board of Education, according to the superintendent's office.
School board positions are nonpartisan, and Leaf says she's running as a mom, not as a Democrat.
"I’m running for school board to ensure that the Hudson School District continues to provide a quality education for its students," Leaf said. "My husband and I moved to Hudson in large part because of the quality of the school district. But our district faces many challenges that need to be addressed in a realistic manner that supports our children’s educational needs, first and foremost. My degree in education, experience as a local business owner and, most importantly, my concern as a parent with a child currently in this district will bring a unique perspective to the board."
Jesse Garza, chairman of the St. Croix County Republican Party, doesn't think Leaf would be able to separate her partisan views from school board business.
"I think it would be a disaster if she won," Garza said. "Her partisan leadership and support of what her party is doing to this state and our community would be brought to the schools. She has an agenda she is trying to push and she wants to look out for union interests and not the interests of our kids."
If she wins a seat, Leaf wouldn't be the first local partisan to hold nonpartisan office. Daryl Standafer serves as treasurer for Republican State Sen. Sheila Harsorf's campaign. Standafer is also chair of the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors and a trustee on the North Hudson Village Board.
So far, the following four candidates have filed the necessary paperwork to appear on the ballot in the spring 2012 school board election:
- Barbara Van Loenen
- Brian Bell
- Catherine Larson Leaf
- Elizabeth Bruch
- Tom Holland*
Van Loenen, Holland and Bell are school board incumbents, while Leaf and Bruch are challengers.*
Individuals interested in running for school board have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2012, to file the paperwork in the school district office. The election will be held on April 3, 2012. If seven or more candidates file, a primary will be held on Feb. 21.
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Interested in running for office? Find out what paperwork you need to file.
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* Information about Tom Holland filing for candidacy was added to this post at 1:40 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2011.
GD Freethinker
11:44 am on Thursday, December 22, 2011
No relevance at all to the rude Garza quote. This is a non-partisan office! Let's elect people to the school board with children who are attending Hudson schools, rather than those running for the sole purpose of killing necessary investments in our future.
Cedric Ellingson
12:06 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
Cathy seems very qualified and anyone that would do this job is a saint... with that said, the Cathy's of the world that are not at the top of their political spectrum, might make for better non partisans school board members!!
Hudson Resident
3:22 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
The school board continues to be a lost cause. That list of candidates is as liberal as it gets. And now having seen what they are intending to do in the spring, I think you can safely say they have "gone to the dogs".
GD Freethinker
5:09 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
That's because liberals actually care about educating our community's children.
Hudsoner
8:05 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
Hudson Resident, how about writing some qualified comment? If you have nothing to say, just sit on your fingers!
MrsPeel
4:35 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
I was just wondering if Jesse Garza had concern and hearburn when Dean Knutson and Lorrie Bernard, both former officers in the St. Croix County Republican Party, were elected to the Hudson City Council and to the Office of Mayor?
Of course he didn't because that's a normal TEAPublican double standard. So when did Dean Knutson separate his job from his libertarian views?
Joan Schneider
6:55 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
So just remember the Tearupblicans can do whatever they want and everybody else is to be held to a higher standard. Jessie G. probably wouldn't know a good school board member if he met one!
Free Bird
7:07 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
The key word Mrs. Peel is "former". Lets spell the names correctly too. @Joan yes that's right it is the republicans who are occupying parks and banning stores and wasting endless amounts of money on ridiculous recalls. And you all are proud that the money gets spent. Yes the Grand Old Party is the problem. What are we thinking.
MrsPeel
11:50 pm on Tuesday, December 27, 2011
@mr...Sorry about the spelling of Mr. Knudson's name as well as Ms. Lori Bernard's. I was in a hurry and didn't look them up. Mea culpa for that.
So, you are saying that Ms. Bernard and Mr. Knudson left their partisan beliefs on the doorstep when they assumed their positions on the Hudson City Council? Really? Mr. Knudson personally told me during his stint as mayor that he was a "Libertarian".
So, please tell me the difference between their partisan beliefs being OK to bring to the Council and Ms.Leaf bringing her beliefs to the Board of Education?
Thurston Howell III ©
7:37 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
Mr. Garza truly needs a reality check. Perhaps he doesn't recall the EXTREMELY partisan school board campaigns of
James Baker and Curt Weese promoting their radical libertarian agenda that had little or no concern for children but
rather their own pocketbooks intead. Mr. Garza, When it comes to the pot calling the kettle black, YOU take the cake!
mainstreet
8:14 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
This is hilarious !! Even though I am a union shill who thinks like the union tells me to, supports what the union tell me to, and votes like the union tells me to; I am still a mom who ......thinks like the union tells me to, supports what the union tells me to, and votes like the union tells me to. Man - you can't make this stuff up !!
Dirk A.
8:16 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
Note to self: Write in the dogs name if it comes down to a choice between Ms. Leaf and Fluffy.
GD Freethinker
9:33 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011
Classy guy, you are. What does the A stand for?
Cedric Ellingson
7:36 am on Friday, December 23, 2011
Whether or not the school board has been partisan in the past isn't the issue!! Everyone should serve their community, whether it be civic, religion, political, however you choose to serve, serving as head of a political party does not go hand in hand with also serving a very high profile non partisan position such as School Board!!! Hudson is a great community, we should all strive to keep it that way!!!
country boy
12:58 pm on Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Cedric, The Hudson School board is partisan...part and parcel to the District Administration claiming as much. That, and a majority of the teachers and their families voting them in to make sure their interests are taken care of. I have lived here 30+ years and a lot has changed in the last 20 yrs. The schools here are pretty good...
Thurston Howell III ©
10:08 am on Friday, December 23, 2011
So when did the School Board STOP being partisan?
Being an outspoken " Gubbermint" qualifies one more than being associated with a mainstream political party? Hardly!
For those of you who are not aware of the REAL agenda for the future of Public Education, here's a primer:
http://www.schoolandstate.org/case.htm
Scott Walker and his shenanigans are only a preview!
Cedric Ellingson
11:06 am on Friday, December 23, 2011
When did the school board stop being partisan... the answer is hopefully today!!! Handle politics at the ballot box, handle school issues at the school board meetings!!! It really is that simple!! Do not come to the board with a political agenda, you would not be doing the community any favors.... either side of the aisle...
Remember the past does not equal the future... we can make our school board a committee that handles Hudson School Issues and not one that drives political philosophies!! Let's hope the kids sake that is what all the candidates have in mind!
mainstreet
11:44 am on Friday, December 23, 2011
Sorry Cedric but if you are the county Democratic Party Chair you certainly have an agenda and are certainly not non-partisan. I don't even think the sheeple are that stupid not to recognize that, but again they don't call them sheeple for nothing.
Thurston Howell III ©
12:51 pm on Friday, December 23, 2011
And a Merry Christmas to you too Mainstreet :-)
mainstreet
1:16 pm on Friday, December 23, 2011
Back at ya Thurston ! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well.
Hudson Resident
10:01 am on Tuesday, December 27, 2011
The entire selection of school board candidates to date is completely worthless. You might as well pick a name out of a hat because there's not a bit of difference between them.
MrsPeel
1:35 am on Saturday, December 31, 2011
@HR... could you be just a bit more specific? You are saying that there is not one bit of difference among five candidates? Are you omniscient; as two of the candidates have never stated their positions regarding the Board of Education prior to the announcement to seek the positions. Is the position of the three incumbents exactly the same?
I await your usual careful analysis.
SD
9:54 am on Wednesday, January 4, 2012
There is a candidate that is in the back pocket of Walker. This would be even more destruction of our great schools and the future of the children.
I would like to see every candidate asked what they think of the funding cuts that effected the Hudson district this year and how will they manage less funding next year!