Ruth Gurtis Jumps Into School Write-In Effort

News FLASH--Board of Education Race Heats Up

Community activist and former Board of Education Member Ruth Gurtis has apparently announced she is beginning her own write-in campaign for the board of education. Current board member John Bonardi is also mounting a write in campaign (read prior post here) and aligned himself with the incumbents. Gurtis may align herself with the challengers to make a four member anti-incumbent slate. (Note: According to Gertes in Tuesday's paper, she claims not to be running as part of slate and to have been planning this write-in for some time. We take her at her word, but she has reportedly been involved in some of the challengers campaigns and will also have a few bumper stickers to peel off her car.) On Sunday, the Sanford Herald endorsed the three incumbents on the ballot-Smith, Tatum, and Williams and only one of the challengers--Mark Akinosho--and her candidacy may be designed to help the other candidates by identifying them with a known figure. Akinosho, however, received a particularly strong endorsement.

Click here to read the Herald's Endorsements online.

Gurtis has most recently focused her efforts on opposition to the Level IV facility on Hawkins Avenue near here residence and may benefit from that in her new effort. As former school board member, she was a controversial figure and is most remembered for her staunch opposition to the construction of a second high school in Lee County. Gurtis was so adamantly against it, that she demanded that her name be left off the plaque listing the school board members when Southern Lee High School was dedicated. She was defeated in her last bid for the board.

Update: In a letter to the editor from Gertes today, she took a very skeptical view of the planned renovations at Lee Senior High School. Many of the questions she raised about the project can be answered by reviewing the Hite report.