Ron Woolf will continue to serve as vice president
Published in the September 14-27, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Gino Borgioli
Trustee Gino Borgioli replaced Bob Benevento as president of the Morgan Hill Unified School District school board with a 4-3 vote by board members at the Sept. 6 meeting. Trustee Ron Woolf, with a 4-3 vote, will continue as vice president of the board.
The voting process started with a lengthy discussion raised by Trustee David Gerard on whether or not nominations needed to be seconded based on district-approved procedure. Trustee Tom Arnett nominated Borgioli for president and Woolf for vice president. On the final round of voting, Arnett, Gerard, Borgioli and Trustee Rick Badillo voted for Borgioli while trustees Benevento, Woolf and Donna Ruebusch voted for Woolf. Arnett, Benevento, Woolf and Ruebusch voted for Woolf for vice president while Gerard, Borgioli and Badillo voted for Badillo.
Arnett said the vote put him in a “difficult situation” because many people have shared their opinions with him on the other board members and their characters. He was elected in June to replace former board member Amy Porter Jensen who resigned in October 2015.
“For me, I had to weigh who are the good guys and who are the bad guys and I finally figured out who it is,” he said prior to nominating Borgioli. “It’s the confirmation bias. It’s the fact that things have happened in the past and feelings have been hurt and offenses have been taken, but some people don’t let those things go and they keep focusing on just looking for the information that validates trying to undermine the character of who they disagree with. And I think that’s a huge challenge right now.”
He had difficulty weighing between trustees Borgioli and Woolf, he said, and hopes the board will move toward a “place of trust” where the members cooperate.
“I really sincerely think that if we can set a new direction in terms of our culture, it doesn’t really matter so much who we elect,” Arnett said.
Three speakers spoke during the public comment section of the meeting to advocate that Badillo, Borgioli and Gerard were suitable candidates for president because they listen to the parents.
Armando Benavides, a lawyer and activist now running for the Morgan Hill City Council, said he has spoken to “hundreds and hundreds” of parents and that “they have confidence in the three” to stand for accountability.
“The board selection should be based on which trustee will guide the district into transparency, accountability, good governance and effective parent engagement,” he said. “We also need a president who is sufficiently independent to correct and act on failures of good governance. Only trustees Badillo, Borgioli and Gerard have shown that independence.”
