Challenger is best choice in Marin City - Editorial Marin IJ Oct 9, 2006

Challenger is best choice in Marin City
Article Launched:10/09/2006 04:45:31 AM PDT

THE SAUSALITO Marin City School board needs committed members who are focused on improving the district's schools. What it doesn't need are more distractions.

Trustee Robert Fisher, who was appointed two years ago, has not made a good case for why voters should keep him on the board.

He is running for the two-year seat on the board. The IJ endorses his opponent, Elizabeth Todd-Gallardo, a 42-year-old Realtor who lives in Sausalito.

Fisher's legal troubles are not the example one would expect from a school board member.
Fisher, 59, is standing trial in Marin Superior Court on 36 counts of contempt for failing to pay child support for a four-year period. He told the commissioner hearing his case that he could not make the payments because of health problems following a hernia operation in 2000. Fisher has refused to provide his medical records, citing privacy concerns. His trial was continued until Nov. 7, in part to give his lawyer time to prove his client is too disabled to work.

A Marin judge recently dismissed a domestic violence case against Fisher after prosecutors said they were unable to serve the alleged victim with legal papers.

It is time to give someone else a chance to serve on the district board, which is trying to get the struggling district back on track.

Todd-Gallardo's son attends Willow Creek Academy, the district's charter school. She is on the school's board.

She says she was inspired to run after attending a district budget hearing. She was involved in the search for the district's new superintendent. Her priorities are making the budget process more open and transparent and improving the quality of education in the district's schools. She also readily admits that she doesn't have all the answers to problems decades in the making.
Todd-Gallardo lacks political experience, but appears committed to working to improve all three district schools. It is encouraging that she wants to make sure that the district's money is used prudently.

This two-year term would give her the opportunity to prove she can make a difference. The IJ recommends Elizabeth Todd-Gallardo for Sausalito Marin City School District board on Nov. 7.