Julie Wright stops campaigning for school board race
July 8, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
Julie Wright has called off her campaign for a seat on the Lake Washington School Board.
In a July 7 press release, Wright announced that she would not actively campaign due to “unforeseen changes in family circumstances.” Wright was challenging 20-year incumbent Doug Eglington.
Technically, Wright cannot withdraw because she already missed the June 11 deadline, according to Megan Coppersmith, a spokeswoman for King County Elections.
“She could still win,” Coppersmith said, explaining that Wright’s name will still appear on the general election ballot for November.
Wright and Eglington are the only two names in the race, meaning they will both bypass the August primary.
Eglington, who has run unopposed in four of his six races for the school board seat, said Wright’s decision put him in an awkward position.
“You still have to do something. I’ll still have to campaign,” he said.
But Wright said she would do everything in her power to discourage voters from voting for her, including putting “withdrawn” below her name on the voters’ pamphlet. She has also decided to endorse Eglington. She said she was thankful that he was still willing to serve the community.
“I don’t plan to win,” she said. “I can’t commit to fulfilling that office at this time.”
Wright said she initially decided to run in order to strengthen the voice of parents in district decisions. She said she was heartened by the way the district held community meetings to make policy decisions on budget cuts for the 2009-2010 school year. At the meetings, parents crowded local district high schools to fill in their priorities on what should be saved and what should be cut.
“It really helped soften a difficult situation,” she said, adding she would like to see more decisions made that way.
Wright, a Hampton Woods resident, is a co-founder of Where’s the Math, a grassroots effort to improve math education in the state. She is also a legislative co-chair for the Eastlake High School PTSA.
Wright, who has three children attending schools in the district, said she respects Eglington for his long commitment to the school board, but felt that the board needed more parents on it. Of the five school board members, Christopher Carlson, of Kirkland, is the only one with children enrolled in the district.
“It’s just important to have parents,” Wright said of the board. “You’re just more in touch with what’s going on with the schools.”
Wright said she had not ruled out the possibility of running for the school board in the future.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com. To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.
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