EL CENTRO — Two challengers appear to have ousted two of the three incumbent El Centro Elementary School District board members seeking re-election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The only incumbent to have held on to one of the board’s three open seats was Michael Minnix, who himself finished third behind challengers Andrew Arevalo and Frances Terrazas.
Minnix is a retired ECESD educator and principal who has served on the board for the past nine years.
Arevalo, who has not previously held public office, emerged atop the race, with 2,468 votes, or 24.6 percent of the 10,034 total votes cast.
Terrazas, who has 13 years of prior experience serving on the ECESD Board of Trustees, received 2,442 votes, or 24.3 percent, according to unofficial election results released shortly after 1 a.m. Nov. 4.
The two incumbents who as of last count did not appear to secure a spot among the three open seats include Charles “Chuck” Fisher, a retired educator whose employment within education initially began as a classified employee. Fisher secured 1,653 votes, or 16.4 percent.
Rounding out the race was incumbent Patricia Lou Dunnam, a retired ECESD teacher who taught for 36 years. The nine-year incumbent earned 1,290 votes, or 12.8 percent.
The county election department is in the process of counting mail-in and provisional ballots and is not expected to release official election results for some weeks.
