District releases ballot applications for trustee election

Alamo Colleges district officials released ballot applications today for four candidates in three races for the board of trustees in the May 12 election.

Board liaison Sandra Mora would not release submitted ballot applications for the candidates to the public without receiving an Open Records request from The Ranger.

Citing the Texas Public Information Act, The Ranger submitted a request Monday to Nancy Kempf, district Public Information Act officer.

Incumbent District 5 trustee Roberto Zárate and Ramiro Nava, principal of Neil Armstrong Elementary School, filed in District 5.

District 6 trustee Gene Sprague was the only applicant to file in District 6.

Yvonne Katz, former Spring Branch ISD superintendent and president of Vision Into Action Associates, was the only applicant to file in District 7.

District 7 trustee Blakely Fernandez, who is not seeking re-election, told The Ranger Monday that she does not know why the district would not release the ballot applications to the public.

"There's nothing in the ballot application that's not public," Fernandez said.

The applications filled out by the candidates contain full name, name as they want it on the ballot, permanent and mailing addresses, email address, occupation, date of birth, home and office phone numbers and length of continuous residence.

The office of the board liaison is acting as the election administrator for the Alamo Colleges board of trustees election until the district hires a new general counsel.

Chancellor Bruce Leslie said that when the district hires a new general counsel, the office of legal services will resume its responsibility as election administrator.

Leslie said he hopes to have a candidate for general counsel to submit in time for the regular board meeting March 20.

Mora said Monday that because the District 6 and District 7 races are uncontested, the district will seek advice from Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP, which the district consulted for redistricting and election concerns, on how to cancel those races.